Zip Line

Zip line adventure activities have been around for a while, but are only now rapidly becoming a popular holiday activity. As well as providing participants with an excellent vantage point from which to take in the scenery, it also reaches speeds of up to 120km per hour, all in complete safety. With zip line tours being offered in Hazyview (Gauteng), Tsitsikamma (Garden Route), Oribi Gorge (KZN) and at Sun City in the North West province, anyone can experience this thrilling ride!

The zip lines can be of any length and set at any angle, so you may find yourself subject to gravitational pull and hurtling down the side of a mountain at 45 degrees or soaring from one side of a canyon to the other. You will be strapped into a full body harness which is then clipped to a high-speed pulley that hangs from the cable. Take a deep breath, step off the platform and enjoy an exhilarating ride through the tree tops, alongside waterfalls or high above a scenic gorge.

The Pronutro Zip 2000 is the line in Sun City and is the world’s longest (two kilometres) and highest (280 metres) zip line, while the lines across Oribi Gorge and in Hazyview are 120 metres and 450 metres in length respectively. The Tsitsikamma zip line is actually ten zip lines in one trip, and is located within the Tsitsikamma National Park. The lines are positioned about 90 feet above the ground and vary in length, with the longest line being 300 feet. It takes just a few seconds to get from one platform to the next, but since you do it ten times there is ample opportunity to take in the majestic surrounds. This activity is offered by an eco-tourism company that employees people from the local communities, thereby contributing to their social upliftment. No nails have been used in the construction of these platforms. The wires and platforms have all been attached to the trees using ropes with pieces of wood inserted in between the ropes and the trees to avoiding damaging the trees.

If you want to experience a flying feeling rather than a falling feeling (such as is associated with bungee jumping and sky diving) then experience on of these zip line tours and enjoy the solitary bliss of flying without wings.