AWOL Tours is is welcoming guests back to Cape Town after two long uncertain years. After a busy winter season with record number of visitors and longer sunnier days ahead of us, we are gearing up for summer on our customised hiking and cycling adventures with the largest-ever flight schedule.  As we celebrate 20 years of operation, we are proud to have hibernated through covid and reemerge from the ashes with our familiar team in key roles to create memorable holidays of a lifetime for our guests.

Sally Petersen – Founder

Sally Petersen (nee de Jager), the founded  AWOL Tours  in 2002 and has managed to grow the company from strength to strength to become Cape Town’s leading cycling and hiking tour company.  She has been fortunate to maintain the core team of liked minded individuals who are dedicated and passionate to manage the daily operations of the Cape Town day tours, as she now embarks on furthering the aims of AWOL Tours to create memorable holidays as she expands to create multi day hiking and cycling adventures in Southern Africa.

She is an intrepid and experienced adventurer herself, having spent many years travelling and working in Europe, Asia and Africa. She was a finalist in Out There magazine’s ‘Adventurer of the year’ competition after completing an epic cycling journey from London to Cape Town. (Raising funds for Survival International) This inspired her to found AWOL Tours in 2002, not only to share her experiences, but to give back to the community too.

With 20 years under her guidance, AWOL Tours has consistently exceeded customer expectations on AWOL’s wide variety of scheduled and private tours. We are proud to still be holding the number one spot as Cape Town’s leading hiking and cycling tour operator on TripAdvisor.

Sally likes to go AWOL herself when she can, and has built up an amazing team of professional guides who all share the AWOL vision, integrity and ethos. When not out on her mountain bike, she can be found using her vast local knowledge perfecting unique and authentic AWOL Travel packages for guests to South Africa.

Bevan Hope Bailie – General Manager 

Bevan is a born and bred South African; He has been leading cycle tours across Southern Africa since 2010. Originally from Durban, he learned his profession on the trails in the Valley of a thousand hills and now he knows all the best off the beaten tracks in Cape Town; he is a skillful mountain biker and seasoned road cyclist. Bevan loves combining his in-depth wine knowledge with scenic cycling on the AWOL Winelands cycling tours. Bevan is currently the General Manager for AWOL Tours ensuring all tours run smoothly at a world-class standard.

Niels Moorlach

Niels left the Netherlands in 1998 to do some sightseeing around the world; After touring the Americas he went over to Africa, where he was quickly upgraded from tourist to tour leader. For some years he traveled by overland truck between Nairobi and Cape Town, showing tourists the sights and how to live in a tent. When he wasn’t on the road, Niels a qualified scuba dive instructor spent his time teaching people to scuba dive in the Indian Ocean. After settling in Cape Town, he soon started guiding river rafting and sea-kayaking tours; in October 2015 Niels joined the AWOL team, introducing tourists to the beauty of the Cape.


Lucas Jones

Lucas Jones joined Awol Tours in 2019 as an intern, assisting guides and learning bike maintenance. He earned the nickname “the sweeper” for cycling at the back of the group, gaining valuable insights from experienced guides. By 2020, he transitioned to a sales consultant role, focusing on selling tours and logistics. As of December 2023, he qualified as a Tourist Guide and now leads tours through the heart of the Mother City, sharing his passion for South Africa with visitors.

 

 

Wendy Purdon

Wendy returned to Cape Town in 2008 after living abroad for many years; The call of Africa was too strong. She has been involved with Corporates, SME’s and NGO’s and is a strong team player with a marketing and admin background. She joined the AWOL team in 2022. Her role combines Wendy’s love of people and sharing the beauty of Cape Town. When she is not coordinating the AWOL office Wendy enjoys walking with her pack of over-loved and under-disciplined Labradors and raising pups for #SA_GuideDogs.

 

Helen Baker

Helen joined AWOL Tours as an intern in 2011 after traveling and working abroad; she loves connecting with the Cape Town tourism community and has a passion for responsible tourism. AWOL Tours is the perfect environment for this social and organised adventurer;  when she is not chatting to clients, juggling logistics, organising guides, tour schedules, and writing AWOL blogs, Helen usually escapes to wild and cold places to reset.

Megan Wolff-Piggott

Megan’s passion for South Africa’s natural beauty and her love for hiking led her to join AWOL Tours in 2024. With a background in operations and logistics across various industries, she ensures the smooth day-to-day running of the AWOL office, from managing bookings to coordinating with guides. When not coordinating operations, Megan can be found exploring Cape Town’s trails, scaling rock faces, or training for her next half marathon. She also enjoys delving into books and spending quality time with family and friends.​

Lutho Silwana

Lutho first encountered AWOL Tours at Ukanyo Primary School in Masiphumelele when he as a young child won a bicycle donated by AWOL in a poetry competition at school. This inspired him to apply for a position as a bicycle tour guide back in 2018 and has been guiding for AWOL Tours around his local community ever since.  He has contributed greatly to the success of the Cape Town Masiphumelele Cultural Bicycle Tour and his knowledge and intimate connection with Masi gives guests insight and a greater internal understanding of how and why things work in his community the way they do.

Our professional and experienced AWOL Team looks forward to creating your #Highlight Cape Town experiences. Please join our adventures and stay up to date by following us on Instagram and  Facebook.