At the Lebombo and Sweni lodges in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, you can explore the park via mountain bike. A guide will lead bikers into the wilderness.
All activities are included in the rate of R8,850 (near $1,152) per night, double, at either lodge (the 2009 rate will be R9,950, or $1,295), as are all meals, all drinks except champagne, two Land Rover safaris per day, walking safaris and transfers to/from the airstrip.
Bonza Bike Tours (30 Harrington St., The Rocks, NSW 2000, Australia; phone +61 2 9247 8800, www.bonzabiketours.com) offers daily bike rentals plus four bicycle tours of Sydney.
Most popular is the 3½- to 4-hour “Sydney Classic Tour,” visiting Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanical Gardens, Chinatown, Sydney Harbour and more. At AU$89 (US$84) per person, including bike rental, it is available Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Renting a bike on your own costs AU$15 (near US$14) per hour; AU$35 for four hours, or AU$50 for 24 hours.
In Paris, the self-service bicycle rental service Velib allows anyone to pick up and drop off any of more than 20,000 bikes at 1,450 automated stations.
Using a Navigo pass or credit card, a person can buy a one-day access card for €1, a weekly card for €5 or an annual card for €29 ($45). After the access card purchase, riding for the first half hour is free, but a supplement of €1 is charged for the next half hour, €2 for the next half hour and €4 for every half hour after that. Five hours cost €31 and 10, €71. Rates increase sharply to keep bikes available for others to rent.
Explore Portugal’s Costa Azul on a one-, 3- or 7-day self-guided bicycle tour with Blue Coast Bikes (Setúbal, Portugal; phone +351 96 819 8872, www.bluecoastbikes.com… or write P.O. Box 837, Twin Lakes, WI 53181).
On a 2-day/one-night “low-intensity” bike tour in Thailand, ride in Khao Yai Park (with a short jungle trek) and through Asoke Valley to two wineries for tastings. Day two, bike to a restaurant, then back to the resort for a swim before the 2-hour drive back to Bangkok.
Departs every Saturday. 6,750 baht (near $209); single supplement, 900 baht ($27). Spice Roads (14/1-B Soi Promsi 2, Sukhumvit 39, Klongtan Nua, Wattana, Bangkok, Thailand 10110; phone 66 02 712 5305, fax 5306, www.spiceroads.com).
7-day/6-night cycling tour (level A/B, flat terrain and some hills, 4-12 miles per day).
Highlights: Transfer from Shannon airport to Cong, cycle to 12th-century Cong Abbey/ride along Lough Nafooey, Maam Turk Mountains and a fjord to Leenane/cycle Sky Road to Clifden, capital of Connemara/ferry to Aran Islands, bike and hike on Inishmore/in Galway, music in pubs.
Land only, $3,980. Single supplement, $800.
Bike Riders (Boston, MA; 800/473-7040, www.bikeriderstours.com).
9 days/8 nights, Sept. 4-12, 2009. Highlights: Embark MV Princesse de Provence in Lyon/wine tasting in Burgundy, Beaujolais and at Châteauneuf-du-Pape/six cycle excursions, including Arles, Avignon, Vienne. From $3,467. Bike & Cruise Tours (Naples, FL; 239/431-6219, www.bikeandcruise.com).
8-day/7-night cycling tour of IRELAND (“moderate” — four to six hours of cycling per day). Highlights: From Ennis, cycle to Spanish Point/Cliffs of Moher/stone crosses at Kilfenora/cycle coastline with views of Galway Bay and Aran Islands/5,000-year-old dolman at Poulnabroune on the limestone moonscape of the Burren/Burren Perfumery/Corafin, site of the battle of Dysert O’Dea. Land only, $1,395 (bike rental included). Single supplement, $400.
Active Journeys (4891 Dundas St. W #4, Toronto, ON, Canada M9A 1B2; 800/597-5594, www.activejourneys.com).
Two- and four-hour guided bike tours of Beijing’s sights, including the city’s hutongs (narrow streets with traditional housing), are offered by The China Guide (Building 7-1, 8th Floor, Rm. 81, Jianguomenwai Waijiaogongyu Diplomatic Compound, Beijing, China; phone +8610 8532 2274, www.thechinaguide.com).
Two-hour tours, including bike and helmet rental, a guide and pickup/dropoff at your hotel, cost $81.50 per person; four-hour tours cost $93.50. Two people minimum. Payment may be made in advance by credit card or at the start of the tour in cash.
With its self-guided cycling and hiking tours in 2010, Discover France (8502 E. Via de Ventura #124, Scottsdale, AZ 85258; 800/960-2221 or 480/905-1235) is including the use of Garmin GPS units.
Thirty-plus itineraries from four to 14 days are offered, with baggage transfer and emergency support. Example — the six-night “Alsace Wine Country” bicycle tour, from Strasbourg to Colmar, costs €898 ($1,170) per person, double occupancy, for two-star hotels and €1,125 ($1,591) for three- and four-star hotels.