ADVENTURE SPORTS SOUTH AFRICA - Adventure sports and activities.



	ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES

For adventure sports and outdoor pursuits, South Africa leads the world. This page is designed to give the visitor a general idea of just some of the activities and adventure sports that can be included in a tour to South Africa. The fixed tours offered by Oceans Africa may include some of these activities as standard. Should you wish to design a custom tour of your own, we hope that this page will give you some ideas.

AERIAL FLIPS AND BALOON FLIGHTS - can be arranged over almost all regions and game reserves, providing fantastic photo opportunities, excellent game viewing and an alternative to land or boat based whale watching.

BUNGY JUMPING. For adrenaline junkies, the Garden Routes' Bloukrans river bridge, spanning one of several spectacular gorges in the Tsitsikamma National Park, boasts the highest commercial bungy jump in the world - 216m. The Gourits river bridge near Mosselbay also has a 65m jump and a death defying bridge swing. Special arrangements can be made to jump naked.

CAGE DIVING. The seal colonies in Mosselbay and Gansbaai attract a lot of attention from the Great White community in S Africa. Diving qualifications are not required. - See cage diving

CANGO CAVES - In the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, the scale and extent of the Cango caves makes them truly one of the worlds natural wonders. Several tours are available but if you take the trouble to go there we can only really recommend the adventure tour which takes you along a challenging 1.2km tour of all the chambers open to the public.

GAME RESERVES. There are still vast wild areas in almost all regions of southern Africa where game can and do roam free. Leopard though elusive and even elephant (now only two remaining ) can still be found in the forests around Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. The Klein and Groot Karoo regions also support leopard, caracal and many of the smaller species of buck.The larger and more endangered species are only to be found in any numbers in protected areas or reserves, the best and largest of these are to be found in the northern and eastern regions of the country, whilst smaller reserves to the south preserve the local stock as well as re-introduce lost species to the area.

The Kruger National Park extends from northern Swaziland to the border of Zimbabwe, with plans to double its size into Mozambique. This is a truly vast area encompassing a diverse range of habitats that will give the visitor a true feel of what much of the continent must have once been like. If you're planning a visit allow yourself a minimum of three full days to appreciate the full scale and diversity.
St Lucia Wetland Park. Not surprisingly the focus of the St. Lucia Park is Lake St Lucia itself - one of the largest estuaries in Africa. The lake - now a world heritage site - is a marine nursery ground as well as a home to 800 hippos, 1200 crocs and countless species of bird life. The park encompasses Sodwana Bay National Park and the Mkuzi Game Reserve amongst others - see KwaZulu Natal.
Hluhluwe and Umfolozi - formerly two separate reserves they have now been combined and support the largest population of white rhino in the country - see KwaZulu Natal.
Addo Elephant park - Only 50km north of Port Elizabeth , Addo preserves a naturally occurring population of over 300 elephant - these animals have not been introduced to the area - as well as black rhino, Kudu, Eland, buffalo and a host of birdlife. Exciting plans are afoot to link Addo with surrounding reserves and farms to encompass an enormous area extending as far as the Alexandria dune fields just south of Port Alfred.
Shamwari - Practically next door to the Addo elephant park. Shamwari is a private game park and the only reserve in the Eastern Cape hosting the big five.
Mountain Zebra Park Little known and underrated, the mountain zebra park - set in the magnificent Karoo country near the town of Craddock (inland from Port Elizabeth) - has succeeded in bringing the Cape mountain zebra back from the brink of extinction. The park is also host to eland, hartebeest, kudu, wildebeest and over 200 species of bird.

FISHING. Where there's water you can throw a line into it. There are fantastic rock and surf opportunities and many deep sea charter companies in all coastal regions The warmer waters of KwaZulu Natal are best for large gamefish whilst yellowfin tuna are seasonally caught offshore from Port Elizabeth and Cape town - Oceans Africa encourage a policy of catch and release and one for the pan on most species - see flyfishing

KLOOFING - is a bizarre cross between hiking, swimming and cordless bungi-jumping. Popular in the garden route we're not sure if it's on offer in other regions. The idea is, that dressed in a wetsuit, you navigate down a river gorge by jumping off waterfalls or any other means available.

NATAL SHARKS BOARD. The sharks board are responsible for maintaining shark nets along KwaZulu Natals swimming beaches. They also conduct valuable research into shark behavior. Their base in Umhlanga, near Durban offers video presentations and a daily shark autopsy that will fascinate divers and non-divers alike.

OUTENIQUA CHOO TJOE. An absolute pleasure for all - especially steam enthusiasts. The train winds it's way along the coast from George to Knysna. The 3hr trip takes you through indigenous forest and the Wilderness lakes area. - see Garden Route.

ROCK CLIMBING and ABSEILING. All regions offer abseiling and rock climbing of some description The serious climber will want to do his own research into the challenges available in any particular area.

SKYDIVING and PARAGLIDING - are both popular sports in South Africa. For the untrained, tandem jumps are available in almost all regions and courses are available at a very reasonable price although a number of days is required for proper training.

STEAM TRAINS. For more than just a touch of luxury, travel by steam train in the style and opulence of a bygone era. Rovos rail offer a 24 hr, silver service tour between Cape Town and George with a stopover along the wine route. They also run a 55 hr tour between Pretoria and Durban which includes 2 game drives in either Kruger National Park, Mkhaya Reserve in Swaziland or Hluhluwe in KwaZulu Natal. Both are an ideal way to either start or end a tour with Oceans Africa. For budget steam travel see Outeniqua Choo Tjoe

SURFING. Surf is something we have lots of. Classic reef breaks in Mosselbay, Victoria Bay near George and of course the world famous Jefferys Bay, whilst Kwazulu Natal offers excellent surf throughout. Bring your board or hire one. - you won't regret it.

TOWNSHIP TOURS. It's all too easy to pass through South Africa and turn a blind eye to the informal settlements on the outskirts of practically every town and city. South Africa is a world of contrasts and none are so apparent as those between rich and poor - we are still struggling to overcome more than a century of undemocratic rule. Whether you drink in the shebeen, listen to jazz or simply share a meal, a visit to any informal settlement will increase your understanding of the current issues faced in the new South Africa. More importantly will leave you with great optimism for our future.

WALKING AND HIKING. Established hiking trails are found throughout the country. Walks can vary from any easy one hour stroll to the more strenuous 5 day hikes like the Otter trail. Oceans Africa can recommend suitable hikes in all areas and take you on some of our personal favorites.