Best Adventure Activities for an Adrenaline-Fueled Holiday in South Africa

Many travelers visit South Africa for its diverse safari experiences, but the country offers plenty of other adventure activities, too.

South Africa's 1,740-mile coastline is dotted with world-class locations for wind- and watersports, while its interior’s stunning mountains, valleys and forests boast exceptional hiking, biking and ziplining opportunities. Adventure-seeking clients won’t be disappointed with this selection of exhilarating outdoor experiences across South Africa.

Canoeing and Kayaking

The lush Garden Route National Park, located a five-hour drive east of Cape Town, is the place to go for canoeing and kayaking. Within the vast park, Eden Adventures arranges canoe rentals and guided canoe tours along the Touw River, which can be paired with a short hike through the forest to a beautiful waterfall. Farther east in Tsitsikamma National Park, Untouched Adventures offers invigorating kayaking tours that venture deep into the sensational Storms River Gorge. If your clients can’t make it that far, Cape Town Kayaks has guided kayaking tours around picturesque Hout Bay.

Hiking

Visitors can savor South Africa’s incredibly diverse landscapes on hikes lasting anywhere from an hour to several days. The dramatic Drakensberg mountains, found in the northeastern KwaZulu-Natal province, are crisscrossed with hiking trails ranging from family-friendly routes to multiday adventures for serious hikers. Drakensberg Hiker can assist with arranging a guide and tented accommodations for hikes along the route.

The Western Cape province’s Cederberg Mountains, located some 120 miles north of Cape Town, have dozens of hiking trails through windswept plains filled with otherworldly rock formations. These trails are suitable for all levels and last from an hour to a full day.

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Garden Route National Park also offers a range of hiking experiences through forests and along coastal trails that feature sweeping views of the sea and rugged cliffs. The most popular hike is the five-day Otter Trail, which requires a medical examination certificate and advance reservations.

Clients can also do day hikes within the Cape Town area, such as on Table Mountain and Lion’s Head; advisors might arrange a guide for hikes in both locations through Hiking Tours Cape Town.

Biking

There are some great biking trails across South Africa and for all levels. Serious mountain bikers will love the challenging trails in the Drakensberg and Cederberg mountains. Mountain bikers visiting Durban can get their fix at Giba Gorge mountain bike park, while those heading to Johannesburg might like the Braamfontein Spruit mountain bike trail. For day rides around the Cape Town area, iRide Africa can assist with rentals and itineraries. Alternatively, Bikes ’n Wines organizes more leisurely rides that combine guided cycling through the vineyards of the Cape Winelands with wine tasting.

Ziplining, Canopy Tours and Bungee Jumping

In business since 2001, Canopy Tours was the first company to offer ziplining treetop canopy tours in Africa. Its flagship experience takes brave travelers soaring through the ancient Tsitsikamma forest at heights of up to 100 feet. It has six different sites across South Africa, including in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve near Cape Town, and another in the Drakensberg mountains.

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If these experiences weren’t exhilarating enough, South Africa is home to the world’s longest zipline. Located an hour’s drive from Cape Town, the 2-mile-long zipline at SA Forest Adventures takes courageous travelers flying over the Caledon countryside at speeds up to 90 miles an hour. The company has shorter (yet still exhilarating) ziplines on the edge of Cape Town as well, in Knysna and Mossel Bay. If clients are more interested in daring heights, they can head to Garden Route’s Bloukrans Bungy, South Africa’s highest bungee jump, which descends 700 feet over the Bloukrans River.

Shark Cage Diving

The most heart-pumping of South Africa's adventure activities is arguably shark cage diving. A leading destination for the activity is off the coast of Cape Town. With nearly 30 years of experience, Apex Shark Expeditions organizes year-round half-day trips for small groups; participant safety and respecting marine life come first. After a 30-minute boat ride to a strategic spotting location, clients will be able to see sharks straight from the boat while they work up the courage to descend into the waters within a galvanized steel cage for a close encounter with sharks, dolphins and schools of fish.

Windsurfing, Kitesurfing and Surfing 

South Africa’s windy west coast is ideal for kitesurfing and windsurfing. Kitesurfers from around the globe gravitate to Bloubergstrand, just north of Cape Town — especially in November and December, when the beach hosts the Red Bull King of the Air competition. The turquoise Langebaan Lagoon, some 80 miles north of Cape Town, is another popular kitesurfing spot. Coastline Kitesurfing offers lessons in both places. A little farther north, the wide bay of the pretty seaside town of Paternoster attracts both kite and windsurfers.

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South Africa’s best surf spots, meanwhile, are mostly located on the south and east coasts. Within the suburbs of Cape Town, Muizenberg Beach is the country’s original surfing spot, where beginners and intermediates can take lessons or buy equipment at Gary’s Surf School. The Eastern Cape province town of Jeffreys Bay is one of the top surfing locations in the world, attracting intermediate and advanced surfers from May to September (clients can hang ten with Jeffreys Bay Surf School). While the warmer sub-tropical waters around Durban offer year-round surfing for all levels, beginners can learn the ropes at Xpression surf school.