I am on a narrow ledge, my hands atremble and breath, shallow. Above me is the arch of Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium, below, a grassy pitch.
My goal: to swing in the air above this pitch and try to avoid thinking of crashing into it.
“It’s completely safe. It will be over before you know it. Trust me, the most difficult bit is climbing 550 stairs to reach the ledge,” says Ben, our instructor at the stadium shop. He helps our group into harnesses, gives us instructions and even makes us ‘jump’ from a bench onto a mattress. As we head out, his parting words are, “Remember, this is a world record jump. Do it and you can brag about it for the rest of your life.”
- 1. Abseil down Table Mountain, Cape Town
- Get to 1000 metres above sea level, and lower yourself down a cliff off Table Mountain, while enjoying panoramic views of Camps Bay, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Twelve Apostles.
- 2. Shark Cage Diving, Gansbaai
- Come face-to-face with these predators, but from the safety of a floating cage. Gansbaai has one of the highest concentrations of great white sharks in the world.
- 3. Motorbiking, Baviaanskloof
- On the border of the Eastern Cape, Baviaanskloof is 200 km of untarred road surrounded by wilderness, making it one of the world’s best adventure motorcycle routes.
- 4. Bungee jump, Soweto
- The colourful Orlando Towers in Soweto, Johannesburg, is the site of the world’s first bungee jump between two cooling towers.
- 5. Kloofing, Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve
- Go kloofing (following a mountain stream down its course by floating, jumping and swimming) at the stunning Suicide Gorge. It takes about the whole day.
It’s true. The Big Rush Big Swing holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest swing in the world, since 2011. After a deep breath, I jump. It’s a 60-metre free fall. Initially, I can only feel my stomach lurch, but as adrenaline kicks in, I enjoy the rush of wind and the sensation of swinging under a clear sky.
South Africa offers the perfect adrenaline fix for thrill-seekers. The country’s USP lies in the varied adventure activities it has on offer, numbering over 300.
Climb a mountain, ride the raids, dive with great white sharks or crocodiles, go kite surfing or fly fishing, snorkel or scuba dive: there are adventure options for all fitness types.
Leap of faith
Another record awaits me at the Bloukrans Bridge in Nature’s Valley, Western Cape: the highest commercial bungee jump in the world. I am not surprised to find Indians in the group, including children, who show no sign of fear. It is the most popular adventure activity amongst Indian travellers. In 2017, 12,000 Indians visited the Bloukrans Bridge, making us the third-highest participating nationality for the activity.
A tad unnerved, I decide to skip this activity. Besides, I’ve already had my thrill for the day, the Bridge Walk. To get to the jump point and back involves traversing a metal walkway below the road bridge. It’s a unique experience: Bloukrans is the world’s largest (and highest) single span concrete arch bridge.
Walking under the bridge allows me to appreciate its engineering and the fact that the river below is the border between the Eastern and Western Cape. Looking down — we are 216 metres above the ground — is terrifying, so I focus on the natural beauty around me, the dense Tsitsikamma mountains and indigenous forests and the Bloukrans river mouth.
My next stop is the Karkloof Forest Reserve, near Howick. This time, the precipice is a small wooden ledge crafted on the branches of one of the many trees of the reserve. Our challenge is to navigate 10 zip-lines in the forest canopy, swinging past waterfalls, giant ferns and birds. There are three guides from Canopy Tours, led by Africa — tall, wiry and witty. “This is the best zip-lining experience,” he says. “Where else can you fly through trees, past waterfalls, with birds around you? And it’s so easy.” He does have a point. So, we hide our fear and fly, breathing in mountain air. At the end of two hours, I bless Africa for taking the time to make me do something I never had.
Garden of Eden
At Wilderness, another picturesque region on the Garden Route, our adventure for the day is canoeing. We are three women, canoeing virgins, but eager to battle the water with the same intensity we would patriarchy.
We suit up in life vests, place our valuables in a bucket, get a quick lesson on the basics, and are pushed off.
Minutes later, we crash into reeds. Failure doesn’t dampen our mood, and we’re laughing as we paddle back into the middle of the Touw River, only to crash again. The fifth time it happens, our instructor arrives and guides us back: he doesn’t think we are capable of canoeing.
We ignore his warnings and head out again. This time, after some trial and error, we make it. Our reward is a scene of idyll: clear skies, a tranquil river, forests in the distance, banks lined with quaint wooden homes; and our paddles slicing through water is the only sound.
There’s no record broken here, but this experience is certainly one for the books.
