Let the adventure begin. Whatever your preference, South Africa has all the adventure your adrenalin can handle.
Introduction
South Africa has some of the best rock climbing in the world, with Cape Town particularly well endowed. There are literally hundreds of bolted and natural routes on excellent quality Cape granite or Table Mountain sandstone within the city limits. There are climbing schools and mountain guides in all the main centres, and route guides are available from climbing shops.
River trips range from mostly scenic to grade five whitewater washing machines. 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 coast, and many have mountain bike trails adjacent. Some hikes are a bit more luxurious - you walk from hotel to hotel and have your luggage taken round.
There are wonderful easy horse trails through vineyards, on the beach or in the mountains and, for the adventurous and more experienced, horseback safaris in big game country.
We have the highest commercial bungee jump in the world (at 216 metres), as well as lots of pretty abseiling and bridge swinging.
For something combining adrenalin, peace and tranquility, and sheer beauty, try the treetop canopy tour in Tsitsikamma.
The art of canyoning - known as kloofing in South Africa - is another hot favourite, with self-guided and escorted trips.
Abseiling and rapp jumping
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.
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.
Weehah! South Africa has the highest commercial bungee jump in the world - it's official. At 216 metres, it's not for the faint of heart.
Run by Face Adrenalin, the Bloukrans is on the border of the Eastern and Western Cape.
The same company also offers a range of jumps on the much lower Gouritz River Bridge. Here you'll also find South Africa's only commercial bridge swinging operation, run by Wildthing Adventures.
Not sure of difference between bungee jumping and bridge swinging? With bungee, you jump off a bridge (or other high fixed platform) with giant elastic bands usually, but not always, tied to your feet.
Bridge swinging, on the other hand, involves jumping from one bridge while tied in to climbing ropes suspended from an adjacent bridge.
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