Adventure travel

Last Updated on Friday, 07 May 2010 17:19 Written by Helga McLeod Sunday, 02 May 2010 17:24

South African holidays - sights and activities - Holiday Types

South Africa is known for its breathtaking nature and loved for its great climate, permitting and inspiring locals and travellers to partake in leisure activities outdoors most of the year.

Those interested in adrenalin-fused activities will find every imaginable adventure in this country.

4x4
South Africa has every trail a 4 x 4 enthusiast could want - stunning scenery and plenty of challenge!

Abseiling
An exhilarating experience! Abseiling gives you the accomplishment of climbing to a certain height, appreciating the spectacular view and then gets your adrenalin pumping afterwards!

Adventure racing
This outdoor sport includes (solo or in a team) navigation, running/trekking, mountain biking, paddling and white water rafting, mountaineering or glacier travel, and other human-powered activities.

Ballooning
This must be the most romantic and finest way to see South Africa. Hot Air Balloon Trips usually takes off just before sunrise, with a glass of bubbly in your hand.

Bungee
Call on the Bloukrans Bungee Jump on the Garden Route and also just outside Mosselbay, the old Gouritz bridge for all your bridge-swinging needs!

Canoe trails
Of the many canoeing options in South Africa, canoeing the Orange River through the Richtersveld is an unforgettable and amazing experience!

Canopy tours
Canopy Tours can be done at:
Tsitsikamma - at Storms River - near Knysna, Garden Route.
Karkloof - KawaZulu-Natal Midlands
Magaliesberg - near Johannesburg / Pretoria, Gauteng.

Dune boarding
Spend a day with a pro for all required tips and guidance, get your board (quite inexpensive) and make your pick of one of South Africa's many awesome dunes (make sure you check out Betty's bay if you are in the Western Cape)!

Fishing
Big Game Fishing is an exciting and popular activity - and releasing the catch after the thrill, always recommended.

Gliding
An utterly free form of viewing beautiful scenery is to fly un-powered aeroplanes known as gliders or sailplanes. These gain speed/altitude from the atmosphere's movements during the flight - uniting the glider with his immediate atmosphere.

Golfing
Western Cape Courses:
Arabella, Atlantic Beach, Bellville Golf Club, Durbanville Golf Club, Clovelly Golf Club, Erinvale Golf Estate, Hermanus, King David, Langebaan Golf Course, Metropolitan Golf Club, Milnerton, Mowbray Golf Club, Paarl, Pearl Valley Golf Course, Rondebosch Golf Course, Royal Cape, Shelley Point Golf Course, Somerset West, De Zalz, Steenberg Golf Estate, Stellenbosch, Strand Golf Course, Westlake Golf Course, Worcester.
Garden Route Courses:
Fancourt Bramble Hill, Fancourt The Links, Fancourt Montagu, Fancourt Outeniqua, George, Goose Valley, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Oubaai, Oudtshoorn Golf Course, Pezulu Golf Course, Plettenberg Bay Country Club.
Eastern Cape Courses:
Bushman Sands, East London Golf Club, Fish River Sun, Graaff-Reinet, Humewood Golf Club, Port Elizabeth Golf Club, Royal Port Alfred, St Francis Bay, St Francis Links Golf Estate, Walmer Golf Club, Wedgewood Golf Club, Wild Coast Golf Course.
KwaZulu Natal Courses:
Amanzimtoti Country, Bosch Hoek, Cathedral Peak, Champagne Resort, • Durban Beachwood, Empangeni Country Club, Glengarry Country Club, Gowrie Farm, Kloof Country Club, Margate Country Club, Maritzburg Golf Club • Monks Cowl, Mount Edgecombe Golf Coures 1, Mount Edgecombe II, Port Shepstone Country Club,Prince's Grant, Royal Durban, Sakabula Golf Club, San Lameer, Scottburgh Golf Club, Selborne Golf Resort, Southbroom Golf Club
Umdoni Golf Club, Umhlali Golf Club, Umkomaas Golf Club, Victoria Country Club, Wild Coast Golf Club, Zimbali Sun.
Mpumalanga Courses:
Badplaas Golf Course, Graceland, Leopard Creek, Nelspruit Golf Club, Sabie River Golf Club, Skukuza Golf Course, White River Golf Club.
Gauteng Courses:
Benoni Golf Course, Benoni Lake, Blue Valley, Bryanston Golf Club, Centurion Golf Club, Crown Mines, Dainfern Golf Course, ERPM, Germiston Golf Club, Glendower Golf Course, Glenvista Golf Club, Goldfields West, Houghton Golf Club, Irene Golf Club, Kempton Park Golf Club, Killarney, Krugersdorp, Kyalami Golf Club, Maccauvlei Golf Club, Modderfontein, Monument Park, Observatory Golf Course, Park View Golf Club, Pecanwood Golf Course, Pretoria Country Club, Pretoria Golf Club, Randfontein Golf Club. More information on golf.

Helicopter flights
Helicopter flights are a popular means to see the country as it offers best-angle-views and every province will have its hot-spots covered by an extraordinary helicopter ride.

Hiking
Safety tips for hikers:
Always climb in a group of 2 or more and never venture off alone. Tell an outside person where you will hike and stick to the route.
Select fitness-relative routes of everyone in your party and hike as slow as your most un-fit person.
Take a fully-charged cell phone with emergency numbers stored.
Ensure you know the way by means of taking a guidebook, map or guide.
Pack for bad weather.
If you get lost, retrace your steps and if not sure of anything, find shelter, call someone and wait. More information on hiking trails.

Emergency Numbers when Hiking in Cape Town
Emergency Table Mountain 0861 106 417
Emergency CT Emergency Services 021 480 7700
Emergency – CT Central OPS Centre 021 467 8002
Emergency NSRI 082 911
Emergency TM Cable Car Company 021 424 0015
Emergency observing a cigarette tossed out of a car 021 424 7715

Horse trails and safaris
Horse safari options range from rides through mountains and among game, on the beach or savannahs and even vineyards.

Kite boarding
Top Kite boarding locations include:
Blouberg Strand, Swartriet, Langebaan Lagoon, Yzerfontein and Melkbosstrand, Big Bay, Sunset Beach, The Strand and Macassar. Scarborough, Witsands and Outerkom, Boardsailing Club of Durban plus Vetchies Pier. The Trafalgar and Palm Beach, Swartvlei, Knysna, Grootdraai Dam plus Sterkfontein Dam plus Vaal Dam, Midmar dam and Bronkhorstspruit Dam.

Micro lighting
Micro lighting is another way to get the bird's eye view of this gorgeous country. Get your own licence or simply go for the tandem ride!

Mountain biking
Almost every loved landscape of South Africa can be explored on a mountain bike, including mountains, forests, and savannahs, alongside rivers and more.

Mountain/rock climbing
Every province in South Africa has many rock-climbing-perfect cliffs and mountains and fellow enthusiasts to team up with.

Ostrich riding
Head for Oudtshoorn to ride a 120kg bird that have a super long neck, small eyes and head and run up to 70km/h. If that's your thing...

Paragliding
Take a tandem flight with a professional or opt for a solo flight (if you are licensed!) and see a most beautiful destination from the ultimate angle!

Quad biking
Quad biking trails takes you to secluded scenery of nature and rare plants, such as a trail through the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve in Elgin Valley, Western Cape.

River rafting
Popular River rafting trails include:
Alleyway - Orange River rafting near Hopetown.
Country Roads Trails - River rafting in the Underberg
Egerton - River rafting near Hopetown
Sunwa - River rafting near Parys
Great Zambezi - White river rafting in the Zambezi Valley

Sailing
In your (waterproof) Grab Bag, ensure you have packed:
A First Aid Kit with 6 anti-seasickness tablets for each person which the life raft is deemed fit to accommodate and enough anti-seasick suppositories plus a tube of antibiotic cream. Large bottle of 100%+ sun screen. 1 fishing gear (vacuum packed), 2 safety tin openers, 1 large plastic drinking vessel, 1 daylight signalling mirror and 2 red parachute flares, 2 red hand flares and 1 pair old gloves for working with flares and fishing. 1 Waterproof hand-held VHF Radio and hand-held GPS, 1 hand held compass, 2 space blankets and watertight floating flashlights with spare batteries and bulbs, EPIRP for 406MHz, 5 days food ready-to-eat plus a large bag of boiled sweets, nylon string, polythene bags and a cutting board, 20m ski rope and orange fabric (to use as signal or a sail). A planning chart, 2 rolls of toilet paper (sealed in bag) plus a lighter.

Scuba diving, snorkelling and sea kayaking
South Africa’s large coastline is dazzling and diverse with intricate reefs and sea life. Snorkelling and scuba diving takes you to a mystical world you will want to visit again.
Get your kayak out and you will get up and close with seals, dolphins and other sea life and see the world-famous views from the front-row seat of your kayak.

River rafting
South Africa's awesome rivers are popular for rafting as they are gorgeous and offer some fun rapids.
Major rafting rivers include:
The Orange River -
The Vaal River - close to Johannesburg, Gauteng
The Crocodile River - near Johannesburg, Gauteng
The Blyde River - Mpumalanga.
The Sabi River - Mpumalanga.
The Olifants River - Mpumalanga.
The Doring River - Western Cape
The Palmiet River - through the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, Western Cape.
The Breede River - near Worcester, Western Cape.
The Kowie River - near Port Alfred, Eastern Cape.
The Buffalo River - KwaZulu-Natal.
The Tugela River - KwaZulu-Natal.
The Umgeni River - near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Umkomaas River - on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.

Shark cage diving
Feel like heading 12km offshore from Gansbaai towards 2 islands to view the great white shark (and their prey Cape Fur Seals and Jackass penguins), whales and dolphins? Great White Shark sightings are very successful here due to the many penguins found here.

Skateboarding
Popular skate parks include Johannesburg's Brightwater Park and Monte Casino, Durban's Beach Front Skate Park and Wave House Skate Park.

Skydiving
Major Drop Zones include North West’s Rustenburg and Mpumalanga’s Witbank, Gauteng’s Johannesburg Skydiving Club and Pretoria Skydiving Club, the Garden Route’s Mossel Bay and Pletternberg Bay, KZN’s Durban, Western Cape’s Cape Town and Ceres, Free State’s Bloemfontein and also Eastern Province Skydivers.

Snowboarding
The 2,5 hectares of Tiffendell is a popular South African snowboarding destination for ski enthusiasts - between May and September.

Surfing
Get the weather forecast for today and the next 3 by SMS'ing 34010 and more on surfing in South Africa.

South African nature and game reserves for the hiker or 4 x 4 enthusiast and lovers of animals-, birds- and nature!

Addo Elephant National Park with plus-minus 500 elephants and game such as some rhinos, buck and many bird species. Situated in the Eastern Cape, near Port Elizabeth.
Augrabies Falls National Park comes with stunning waterfalls and rhinos, is an 820 sq km nature reserve and hugs both sides of the Orange river – offering gorgeous hiking and mountain biking.
Bontebok National Park which conserves the rare Bontebok in the small Western Cape Reserve.
De Hoop Nature Reserve with 60,000 ha of dunes and reserve, offering sights of the Southern Right Whale, a magnificent 200+ bird species, eland, zebra and bontebok.
Giant's Castle Game Reserve is a mountain park, great for hikers, in the southern Drakensberg where the Cape and Bearded vulture breeds.
Golden Gate National Park is a mountain reserve with beautiful sandstone and Bushmen paintings, zebra, eland and wildebeest observed from trails loved by hikers and mountain bikers.
Ithala Game Reserve offers its visitor plenty of game on its 30,000 ha of savannah, plateaus and river valleys.
Karoo National Park is a nature-lover's paradise of 32,000 ha with springbok, kudu and klipspringer and tortoises.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park offers excellent lion viewing in the malaria-free 20,000 sq km desert reserve.
Kruger National Park is world-renowned for its game count of 147 mammals, over 500 bird species and 20,000 sq km bushveld of exquisite beauty.
Madikwe Game Reserve at the Groot Marico River on the border to Botswana with savannah, mountains and all big game species.
Mapungubwe National Park is situated on the Limpopo River and has cultural plus archaeological importance.
Marakele National Park in the Waterberg area of the Limpopo Province where the Cape Vulture breeds. Excellent 4x4 trip.
Mkhuze Game Reserve with game such as giraffes, zebra and blue wildebeest, nyalas and kudus, birds and a mere 5 hours from Durban.
Mountain Zebra National Park is protector of the Cape Mountain Zebra, situated near the Karoo town of Cradock.
Ndumo Game Reserve in Northern Zululand is a stunning 10,000-hectare game reserve with wetlands, lakes and grassland, hippos and crocodiles.
Pretorius Game Reserve is an African savannah around a dam offering game viewing and hosting rhino, buffalo and giraffe.
Richtersveld National Park is a stunning mountainous area with desert vegetation and excellent 4 x 4'ing.
Royal Natal National Park sits at Mont-aux-Sources (3280) where you will find streams with waterfalls and stunning trails for hikers and mountain bikers.
Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park with its lagoon and dunes, swamp forests and mangroves, the richest bird and fish life, crocodiles and hippos. Paradise to nature- and animal lover, bird-enthusiast and fisherman.
Table Mountain National Park is stunning with fynbos, buck and birds, streams and waterfalls and gorgeous trails for hikers and mountain bikers.
Tembe Elephant Park is situated in Northern Zululand, with 30,000 ha of sandy bush land, elephants and other plus great 4 x 4'ing.
Tsitsikamma National Park is a hiker’s paradise, offering 80 kilometres of coastline at the Storms River, a rainforest and waterfalls.
Umfolozi & Hluhluwe Game Reserve is known for excellent game viewing with many rhinos, giraffes, elephants and lions, leopards and buffaloes. Where: a 2/3 hour drive from Durban.
West Coast National Park is a must for its rich bird life of which sometimes over 100,000 migratory birds. The lagoon and swamp plains offer great canoeing and hiking opportunities.
Wilderness National Park is another great water bird reserve with lagoons and lakes, rivers and swamps.