De Wildt
From DirtyTorque
Contents |
About De Wildt
De Wildt is the dirt biker’s name given to a massive tract of land in the North West province that has been the outride mecca for Gauteng dirt bike enthusiasts for many, many years. The De Wildt Wild Dog and Cheetah reserve is not far from the De Wildt police station and is what makes the area known to the rest of the non-dirt bike world. While we’re on the subject, you’ve probably all heard about the police station. This was a real police station and is a landmark relic for De Wildt dirt bikers. It has been the most common starting point for a De Wildt ride for as long as I can remember. The Morula Sun is a far more recent starting point, and my preferred area. Compared to the Police Station, the hotel has a huge tarred parking lot, hotel staff with name tags to watch your vehicles, real toilets and running water in the hotel should you require the facilities before and/or after the ride, a bar (which they often bring to us outside in a freezing casino bar cart), etc, etc. Some of the old echelon still goes to the Police Station but the hotel is where I like. So as you can gather, we don’t actually ride in De Wildt. The area includes portions of Ga Rankuwe, Hebron, Mabopane, Soshanguve, and a whole bunch of old Northern Sotho tribal lands, in fact most of it is the old Boputhatswana. As far as the riding goes, well this place is off-road heaven. But then you must have guessed that with the way folk talk about it. You will find anything you want out there, fast double track, single track, twisty corners, sandy dry river beds, low water level rideable river beds, rocks, mountains, very technical, or very easy. Name it and its out there. Probably the most fun you can have on an outride in Gauteng. ~ Steve "Tombstone" Lauter
Where To Start Riding From
- The Policestation
- The Morula Sun Hotel
About The Routes
- Take a GPS or go with someone who knows the route
- Carry sufficient tools in case of mechanical problems, a full list can be found on the What to Carry page.
Behaviour at De Wildt
- Please ride slowly through villages. Respect the people and domestic animals that live there. They are as unkeen as you would be to have your drying washing dusted, the sound of your rugby commentary on TV drowned out by loud bikes, or their children or pets (or dinner) being run over.
- Please respect the environment. If you eat an enregy bar, fix a puncture, etc, please put your junk back in your pack and dispose of it in a dustbin when you finish your ride.
- Please respect livestock and their minders in the bush. Ride slowly past grazing cattle or sheep. Not only do you scare and scatter them but the poor minder has to spend all day trying to round them up again.
- Be alert and be careful. If you see riders coming towards you, make sure you signal how many are behind you and that you understand how many are behind the rider/s that you pass. If your group is big and you are in the lead it's even better if you stop until the other group has passed all of you. If you are on your own and the oncoming rider and/or you are going to fast to stop, head LEFT into the bush. Much better to hit a shrub or small tree (if anything) than an oncoming bike.
- If you open a gate. Close it behind you!
- Pay the tolls at 3-Fences (actually 4-fences now). R10 per group is an acceptable fee.
Google Earth File
Download De Wildt Google Earth File
Garmin GPS File
Friends of De Wildt
There is a committee called Friends of De Wildt to arrange projects to create and maintain harmony between locals there and the riders. Visit the Friends of De Wildt wiki page to find out more about the committee and projects and everyone is encouraged to get involved and support this in any way they can.
