Hermanus Whale Cruise

The most prominent sea resort at the Overberg coast is Hermanus, one of the oldest seaside resorts of South Africa. Hermanus can call itself the "whale capital of the world". Every year between July and November dozens of Southern Right Whales come to the calm waters of Walker Bay for breeding. At times almost a hundred whale cows with their calves can be found in the bay. The marine mammals come within a few meters of the cliffs and can be watched at close rank.

Gans Bay Shark Cruise or Shark Cage Diving

For those who wish to add this to their list of adrenaline adventures, hop into the cage, be lowered approximately 1,5m (4.9 feet) below the surface into a different world and experience the closeness to these beautiful creatures. Here you make use of a secure, 2 man steel cage, which floats on the surface. Divers are rotated and can do between 2 and 4 dives per day. Tours run daily, weather permitting. Shark Alley is located near Gans Bay, which until a few years ago, was still a sleepy fishing village with a small harbor, a fish factory and a few shops and pubs. The cause of this boom is Dyer Island, 12 kilometers off the coast. There is a large colony of some 30,000 Cape Fur Seals on the island, which make excellent prey for sharks. Hence the waters around the island are teeming with sharks. South Africa and is one of a mere handful of places in the world where the magnificent predator can be found on a daily basis. These Sharks are surface feeders and are happy to come and perform just inches away from the boat. You don't need to be a diver to get close. It is the world's most favorable site for watching this predator fish.

Walking Safaris / Wilderness Trails

Seeing big animals from the security of a safari vehicle is pretty exciting. In fact, it's very exciting. But it is nothing compared to standing on your own two feet, deep in the bush, miles from the nearest road and vehicle, and getting a close-up view of a black rhino, elephant, giraffe, zebra or an impala. All walking safaris are undertaken under the direct supervision of armed rangers and trackers and no unnecessary risks are taken. This is one way to experience Africa as few people have. The most popular areas for wilderness trails are the game parks of KwaZulu-Natal and the Kruger National Park, where there is a choice of seven different trails, each with its own special character and attractions.

Abseiling

It's only recently that abseiling has become an activity in its own right. You could hang out high over Cape Town abseiling from Table Mountain. The actual abseil is only about 100m high, but you are a kilometer above the city. Also with fantastic views, you can do a combination abseiling/kloofing trip on the Storms River Gorge, where you get to jump into deep pools and abseil down a waterfall. There are three abseil routes on the spectacular western head at Knysna - including a really high, very exposed site hanging right out over the crashing waves. There is a wonderful trip on the Storms River, which involves a 100m abseil into the gorge, a tubing trip down the river, a short walk out of the gorge and then a cycle back to the village. You can abseil down buildings in Durban and Johannesburg, or even rapp jump if you like. Rapp jumping is abseiling with the ropes attached to your back instead of your tummy, so you go down facing the ground. It's a tad more extreme.

Bungee Jumping and Bridge Swinging

South Africa has the highest bungee jump in the world - its official. And, at 216 meters, you probably won't want to try anything much higher. The Bloukrans is on the border between the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces. Gouritz River Bridge - here you'll also find South Africa's only bridge swinging operation. With bungee, you jump off a bridge, held on by giant elastic bands - usually but not always tied to your feet. Bridge swinging involves jumping from one bridge, while tied in to climbing ropes suspended from an adjacent bridge.

Scuba Diving

Storms River mouths beauty goes much further than the magnificent scenery. The bay creates the perfect shore dive. Rock reefs form a bay providing opportunities in the Tsitsikamma National Park. The area is protected from all forms of exploitation resulting in abundant fish and invertebrate life. A unique river dive in the Storms River Mouth provides for the ultimate shore dive experience with frequent shark sightings. Most of the fish species are endemic to the South Eastern Cape. Easy access to the sea, bright reefs and fishes provides the perfect opportunity for underwater photographers.

Treetop Tours

The tour is a unique eco-wilderness adventure taking place in the magnificent Tsitsikamma indigenous rainforest. The first of its kind in Africa, the tour involves traversing from one platform to another along a steel cable suspended up to 30 meters above the forest floor. Most platforms are located in giant Outeniqua and Yellowwood trees. The scenery and bird life is spectacular and professional guides provide interesting facts about the forest ecology.

White Water Rafting

An exhilarating white water rafting trip will take you down the river passing through extremely scenic surroundings. Under the guidance experienced guides you will tame the raging waters of the river, in either a 2 man or larger inflatable. Experience the peace and tranquility the river of contrasts has to offer.

Canyoning/Tubing/Kloofing

Canyoning, or kloofing as it is called in South Africa, is the art, science, fantasy or obsession of following a mountain stream down its course by floating, flopping, jumping and swimming. We have a number of wonderful rivers which are regularly kloofed, with or without additional floatation. The Tugela Gorge, in the Drakensberg and some of the gorges in the Magaliesberg near Johannesburg can be kloofed. In the Western Cape, Suicide Gorge and the Riviersonderend Gorge, both of which involve quite high compulsory jumps, can be done as an escorted trip. Stormsriver, on the Garden Route is absolutely beautiful with towering cliffs, wonderful plants and lots of birds. The best way to do this river is on an escorted tubing trip which ends at the river mouth in the Tsitsikamma National Park. Closer to Cape Town, the Kamakaze Kanyon trip is a combined abseiling/kloofing trip.

Sea Kayaking

One of the most peaceful yet thrilling adventures to experience while visiting the Cape is kayaking. It is in the waters of Cape Town, among few other places in the world, where the adventurous can enjoy kayaking alongside Whales and Dolphins while taking in the amazing scenery of the Cape coastline.

Mountain Biking down Table Mountain

Cape Town provides the perfect setting for mountain biking, descending down Table Mountain to the city. Halfway along the ride there is also the opportunity to cool off and take a swim. Mountain biking is definitely the best way to take in the views of Table Bay, Robben Island, Lions Head and the city with the added bonus of experiencing nature and the mountain firsthand.

Horse Riding

You can do a brisk canter along a beach, a leisurely amble through the vineyards, trot off through the forest or meander through magnificent mountain scenery. If you're pretty comfortable on a horse, you can even ride among some big game.

Wine Route and Orange River Canoe Adventures

One hour from Cape Town, the Wine Route offers an idyllic getaway on the Breede River outside Worcester. The bird life is abundant and the vegetation lush. A river adventure on the Orange River is more than merely a river ride. The Richtersveld area with the majestic Orange River flowing through is awesomely beautiful flora.

Breede River Rafting Adventure

Spend an exciting and relaxing weekend exploring the beautiful Breede River, just 2 hours from Cape Town. Spend your days paddling the tranquil waters of the Breede, and your nights socializing around the campfire. You will experience 5 star bush cuisine, comfortable beds, hot showers, flushing toilets and all the adventure and serenity you can handle.

Sand Boarding

We're not well endowed with snow, but we do have some wonderful sand dunes where you can slide your feet into a sandboard and head down lots of quite steep, snow-white slopes. This sport is most organized near Cape Town but there are some wonderful spots in the Eastern Cape. Travel in a tour vehicle to either Betty's Bay on the East Coast or Atlantis on the West Coast and enjoy the rush of boarding down the sandy dunes. For the snowboard enthusiasts ready to hit the snow, sandboarding is the perfect stepping-stone to acquiring the skills needed at a fraction of the cost.

Quad Biking

The quad bikes are four wheel motorbikes. It gives you the opportunity to view wildlife while experiencing the fresh air of the wide open space around. Most four wheeled motorbikes have automatic gearing so that even beginners can be assured of a great day out. Be prepared to get dusty & dirty, or muddy & wet!!!

Hot-air Ballooning

There is nothing to beat the experience of slowly floating above the African bush in a hot-air balloon. There are two excellent operations in the Magaliesberg and Crocodile River Valley areas near Johannesburg, where you can escape the city before dawn and watch the sun rise from the vantage point of your improbable craft as you greet the new day with a sip of bubbly. You could also do a game-viewing flight at Pilanesberg, near Sun City or a scenic flight at Hazyview in Mpumalanga. In summer, you could fly over the beautiful Paarl vineyards, near Cape Town. 

Skydiving

If you're a skydiver, you'll already know how addictive adrenaline is and just how attractive gravity is, so you won't want to miss the opportunity to have a quick jump while you're here on holiday. We have clubs in the major centers and in even some unexpected little places. And if you've never skydived, you should seriously consider doing your first jump here. Two reasons. The first is that, with our favorable exchange rate, you'll find it a lot cheaper than at home. You could choose between a standard static line jump or a tandem jump. If you think you might get serious about skydiving you could do an accelerated free-fall course while you're here and save a bit of money, as it is the most expensive part of your skydiving career. The second reason, of course, is the scenery. Even if it's your first jump and you think you'll have your eyes closed the whole time, don't worry, you will see the view. Many drop zones are in very pretty locations and do a tandem (or single) jump in Cape Town and get a picture of you hurtling earthwards in front of Table Mountain.

Hang gliding and Paragliding

Well, there are very few places that don't have sky, but we have lots of it - and very good quality it is, too. In the hot interior we see thermals like you would not believe, and many paraglider and hang glider pilots have done record-breaking distance flights, particularly from the Northern Cape. But, of course, this flat, hot area doesn't have much in the way of relief - for that you need to head towards the coastal provinces, or Mpumalanga. There's loads of excellent ridge soar and some fantastically scenic flying near the coast. In Cape Town, you can launch off Lion's Head in the evening, literally flying into the sunset to land at one of the most popular beachfront pubs. Further up the coast, near the Garden Route town of Wilderness, you can fly over the sea, often seeing dolphins and whales. And, of course, the high-lying areas of the Western and Eastern Cape, the Drakensberg and Mpumalanga offer spectacular mountain scenery. There is even reasonable flying on the outskirts of Johannesburg near Hartbeespoort Dam, where you can take a cable car to the launch site and fly under the controlled air space of a number of medium-sized airfields and Johannesburg International.

Climbing

South Africa has some of the best climbing in the world. There is something worth climbing almost everywhere but some areas do stand out. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is a fantastic venue near the small town of Waterval Boven in Mpumalanga. With literally hundreds of bolted routes ranging from easy to a superhuman 33, there is something for everyone here. Outside Durban, there are also a lot of sport climbs, and a few close to Johannesburg. En route between these two major centers you'll find some wonderful bolted routes in good hard sandstone in the eastern part of the Free State. If you're more of a traditionalist, don't worry. You can revel in miles of unbolted rock in the fantastic, virtually pristine Blouberg in the Northern Province, the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal or in the miles and miles of fantastic mountains in the Western Cape. But for a close-to-city experience nothing can possibly beat Cape Town. The city is built around Table Mountain, which is now a national park and consists of two great, hard rock types - Table Mountain sandstone, which gives nice positive edges, and Cape granite, which offers fantastic friction climbing. There are hundreds of sport and traditional routes within the city limits.

Hiking/Trekking/Tramping/Walking

There is no better way to experience wild places than to put your boots on and put your feet on the ground, one in front of the other. We have some awesomely wonderful, fantastically scenic hiking trails. The Otter Trail along the Tsitsikamma coast is probably the most popular hike in the country. If you want the scenery and walking with a bit less slog and a lot more luxury, you have to try the Dolphin Trail. It traverses similar terrain to the Otter but instead of staying in hiking huts, you stay in fully catered guest houses with wonderful views and excellent cuisine. Your pack, of course, is transported to your next overnight spot by vehicle and you carry only a day pack with lunch, water, camera and a swimsuit. You can do a similar thing on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape. Once part of the nominally independent bantustan of the Transkei, this coast is so beautiful. It's very different to Tsitsikamma - miles of deserted beaches and then perhaps a small community. And you stay in coastal hotels instead of huts. There are miles and miles of unspoiled hiking trail traversing high mountains, deserts and forests where the accommodation is the usual hiking hut, and the cuisine whatever you decided to carry with you. For an even wilder experience, you can hike for days in the Cedarberg, near Cape Town, or the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal, without seeing a hut or a route marker. These are designated wilderness areas and you simply take a map and a permit and set off, sleeping under the stars or in convenient caves.

Parasailing

The Para-Sail is a parachute that goes up!  It is designed to be towed behind a boat or 4-wheel drive vehicle.  The passenger snaps into the para-sail's comfortable harness, signals the driver of the tow vehicle, takes a few steps -- and soars into the air!  Depending on the length of the tow rope, your para-sail can carry you hundreds of feet into the sky.

Skiing and Snowboarding

We don't have a lot of snow but what we do have, we make good use of. Our lone ski resort is high in the Drakensberg Mountains in the northern part of the Eastern Cape. It's a wonderfully scenic drive to get there. Once there, you'll find little Alpine-style ski chalets, chair lifts, a good après-ski environment in the cosy pub, and ... snow. Perhaps natural and perhaps courtesy of the snow machine, which keeps the level up to standard, at all times from the beginning of June to the end of August.

Gliding

South Africa is fantastic gliding country. The hot, sunny, highveld produces fantastic thermals in summer and the escarpment and Cape Mountains produce excellent wave. And, of course, all year there is great ridge soaring in the mountainous and coastal areas. There are gliding clubs all over the country, and a number of private gliding operators. At Plettenberg Bay, on the Garden Route, you may do a scenic glider flight which very often flies over the sea to spot whales and dolphins. The area around the Gariep Dam in Free State Province is absolutely fantastic flying terrain.