Abseiling & rapp jumping in SA
It's only recently that abseiling has become an activity in its own right. Really it's just the method climbers use to get off mountains - or special services forces use to descend deserted buildings into enemy territory in adventure movies - but it's fun, and so it's become available as an activity in its own right.
You can hang out high over Cape Town abseiling from Table Mountain. The "long drop" is 112m high - and about a kilometre above the city - making it the world's highest commercial abseil.
Bungee jumping
Weehah! South Africa has the highest commercial bungee jump in the world - it's official.
There are three abseil routes on the spectacular western head at Knysna, further up the Cape east coast - including a really high, very exposed site hanging right out over the crashing waves.
Not far from Knysna, and also with fantastic views, you can do a combination abseiling and kloofing (canyoning) trip down the Storms River Gorge, 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 front, so you go down facing the ground - and at a run, if you're in a hurry.
To find out more about the above abseils, and a whole lot of others around the country, check out our list of abseil operators - most of whom offer plenty of adventure activities besides.
OPERATORS
Abseil Africa offers abseiling off Table Mountain, including a 112-metre controlled descent off the famous landmark, and Kamikaze Kanyon, which features a 65-metre cascade of water. Other options include the Table Mountain Summit Walk and team building.
Ashanti Travel Centre and Lodge has a nice selection of adventure activities. They include abseiling on Table Mountain and kloofing in Kamikaze Kanyon. Other activities on offer are diving with Great White Sharks, hiking and sleeping on Table Mountain, downhill mountain biking, paragliding, sandboarding, scuba diving, sky diving, and surfing.
GoVertical Mountaineering Adventures offers some exciting options, including abseiling in the Magaliesberg and near the Hartebeespoort Dam, rock climbing in the Magaliesberg and at Eagles Rock near Harrismith. They lead tours in the Drakensberg and to Mount Kilimanjaro (the highest mountain in Africa), as well as offering mountaineering in the Drakensberg. Other activities include trekking, kloofing, and caving.
Intrapid presents adventure tours and specialises in rafting, which takes place on the Orange, Doring, and Palmiet Rivers. In addition, they offer abseiling, creeking and kloofing.
The Oribi Gorge Hotel, Conference and Adventure Resort presents a number of adrenaline-filled activities, including white water rafting, the wild slide, the wild swing, hiking and bike trails, and abseiling. The abseiling includes the highest natural abseil in the world at 110 metres. It's an experience for the adventurous and the brave.
Over the Top Adventures offers abseiling at the Howick Falls, the second highest waterfall in South Africa at 107 metres in height. The abseil takes place next to the thundering falls and you're met at the bottom by an inflatable two-man kayak. Over the Top also presents rock climbing, hiking, rapp jumping, white water rafting, and team building.
Perlemoen Escapes offers various tours, including for golf, game and bird viewing, leisure/health and hydro, and extreme sports. The extreme sports options include bungee jumping, rafting, abseiling, kite surfing, surfing, and sky diving. The bungee jumping takes place from the Bloukrans Bridge over the Storms River, the highest commercial bungee jump in the world.
Purerush Industries, based in Johannesburg, offer something different. Rapp jumping takes place at the massive Orlando Towers in Soweto, while they also offer freebording which, they say is like snowboarding on the street; street luge and butt boarding; mountain boarding; sandboarding; and adventure trips of up to four days in duration.
Roc 'n Rope Adventures is based in Waterval Boven in the Mpumalanga Highlands. It's an awesome place for rock climbers and recognised as one of the best rocking climbing destinations in South Africa. Roc 'n Rope also offers abseiling, mountain biking, fly fishing, and horse riding. In addition, they present a good number of rock climbing and abseiling courses.
The Simonskloof Mountain Retreat features kloofing and abseiling in the Nuy River Gorge. Rafting and boulder-hopping are also on the menu. Small groups, consisting of six to eight members are hosted, for anywhere from one-day to two-and-a-half day adventures.
Stormsriver Adventures is an adventure company that places a premium on enriching the environment and the communities in the areas in which it operates. They offer a unique eco-wilderness adventure with the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours that takes place in the Tsitsikamma indigenous rainforest. It involves travsering from one platform to another along a steel cable suspended 30 metres above the forest. Most of the platforms are located in giant Yellowwood trees.
Article last updated: April 2009
SAinfo reporter and South African Tourism
