Adventure Travel

SOUTH AFRICA is "adventure heaven"

South Africa offers 3 000 kilometres of coastline along with breathtaking mountains - often side by side. The country's diverse terrain, together with an ideal climate for outdoor activities, make it a rich hunting ground for adrenaline seekers.

SA offers world-class climbing, surfing, diving, hiking, horseback safaris, mountain biking, river rafting - and just about any other extreme activity you can name, all supported by dedicated providers.

You will find some of the best, and most diverse, rock climbing in the world. The cliffs are big, wild - and still being discovered. Cape Town is particularly well endowed, but the action is far from limited to the Western Cape.

River trips range from mostly scenic to grade five whitewater washing machines. The art of canyoning - known as kloofing in South Africa - is another hot favourite, with both self-guided and escorted trips on offer.

There are over a hundred listed paragliding or hang gliding launch sites - and many more less well known - with schools in every centre. Also up in the air, there are many opportunities for helicopter rides, balloon flights, aerobatics, skydiving and microlight flights.

Thousands of kilometres of hiking trails wind around the country in desert, forest, mountain or coastal terrain, many with mountain bike trails adjacent.

There are wonderful easy horse trails through vineyards, on the beach or in the mountains and - for the more adventurous - horseback safaris in big game country.

And if it's a very quick high you're after, the 216 metre Bloukrans bridge on the border of the Eastern and Western Cape has the highest commercial bungee jump in the world.

Or you can abseil over crashing waves at the western head at Knysna, hang out a kilometre high over Cape Town, do a combination abseiling and canyoning trip on the Storms River Gorge, or rapp jump down buildings in Durban or Johannesburg. Gravity pulls in spectacular fashion in South Africa

So for your chosen type of real adventure - look no further!