Reservations - Mankele - Mbombela, Nelspruit

Rates from

ROn Request

Opening Hours

What we offer

  • Accommodation
  • Self Catering
  • Safari Tents
  • Log Cabins
  • Camping
  • School Groups
  • Mountain Biking Trails
  • Hengel
  • Archery
  • Paintball
  • Foofy Slide
  • Team Building
  • Obstacle Course

About Us

Situated in the heart of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Mankele Mountain Bike Adventures is beautifully located in an indigenous forest near the Sudwala Caves and alongside the Houtbosloop River. The property consists of sub tropical forest, open grasslands, mountains, valleys and river frontage. It is home to a wealth of bird and animal life, as well as the mountain biking enthusiast. The mixed terrain offers the perfect location for its wide variety of trails. Come and indulge your mind, body and soul as you experience the excitement of mountain biking, the comfort of the lodge, as well as the breath taking views.

On your bike:

Need-to-know: The riding at Mankele is pretty in your face. Once you run out of valley you immediately go into gnarly climbs, following aggressive and steep lines along the craggy ridges hemming in all around Mankele. Expect loads of rocky drop-offs, slip-sliding bush tunnels and gritty, gravelly corners on the back-country trails. Endless wooden boardwalks and bridges, carefully constructed at strategic spots, perfectly complements the natural trails and pathways, thus ensuring adrenaline pumping trails with an excellent balance of lung bursting climbs, disc burning descents, nail biting north shore, big drops, river crossings and fast, smooth single-track. This is the training playground for SA’s top riders, but there is also something for everyone, no matter what your riding skill, fitness level or age. All trails are marked using easy to follow colour codes and warning signs for any technical or heart in your throat obstacles, of which many have ‘chicken out’ detours. The trails range from the easy 5km Blue trail with its fast flowing single-track, bridges and jeep track designed for beginners to practice their technical skills to the gruelling 55km Purple route and anything in-between, including the Adventure Zone and another 8 routes at least.

The short but very rewarding and somewhat technical Blue trail starts at reception, leads you out the main gate where the fun starts as soon as you have gone over the bridge and a nice drop in to the right gets you onto some awesome flowing single-track next to the river. After a river crossing and a short climb, some flat jeep track leads you back to the campsite before heading into the Adventure Zone, up Mamba Koppie and back along the river’s edge to the start.

The infamous Purple trail’s first 15km is a nonstop battle with granny gear, but the magnificent view and sick single-track is well worth the climb. The descent can be hair-raising via the bush tunnel or you can opt for the ‘easy way back’. There is a huge drop that is extremely dangerous in the bush tunnel, so be careful, scout it out or opt for the chicken run.

Finally, for the adrenalin junkies there’s the utter madness of the 1.8km Down Hill trail where switch backs, drop-offs and rock gardens will try rip you off your bike or the new Gold and Silver trails. Special, very technical, Black Dot sections on most of the routes will spice things up, but don’t complain if you lose your teeth on these!

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