Canopy Tours, Zip-Lines, and High Ropes Courses in South Africa

Tsitsikamma National Park is one of the most scenic parts of the Garden Route, with a rugged landscape that’s abundant in wildlife, ancient trees, and beautiful indigenous flowers. Stormsriver Adventures have curated a three-hour canopy tour that showcases the best of the region, taking guests on a tree-top adventure 30 metres above ground through the Outeniqua Yellowwoods. Professional instructors will provide safety demonstrations and entertaining commentary throughout the tour, ensuring all participants zip, glide, and climb across the ten platforms with smiles on their faces. There’s ample opportunity to spot rare birds like the Knysna Loerie or Narina Trogon, and even Velvet Monkeys if you’re lucky! Better still, a ticket for the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour includes a contribution to the forest regeneration project, so you’re helping to save the park whilst learning about its fascinating history and ecology – and having the time of your life zipping through the trees!

Find gift certificates for the Garden Route Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour online here.

From Eastern Cape to Western Cape, we bring you Cape Canopy Tour in Elgin. This adventure is definitely one for the thrill-seekers; over four hours of zip-lining across thirteen platforms, traversing slides up to 320 metres, plus a suspension bridge above a double waterfall! Leaving tree-tops behind for a moment, this experience takes place in the Hottentots Holland mountain range, surrounded by the incredible fynbos and plant life that calls the Cape Nature Reserve home. Expert guides are knowledgeable in both local ecology and adrenaline-packed adventure, so you’re guaranteed a safe and exciting experience high above the valleys and rivers. Once the zip-lines are over, your group will hike around 1km across the beautiful landscape back to the 4x4 vehicle which will take you to the Sunbird Café, where a hot homemade pie lunch will be waiting for you. We can’t think of a better way to finish a day of outdoor action!

Purchase gift vouchers for the Cape Canopy Tour in Elgin on the website here.

We promised you a diamond mine zip-line experience, and here it is. Located less than a kilometre from the Premier Mine is Adventure Zone Cullinan, an activity company offering quad biking, archery, abseiling, and of course zip-lining just outside Pretoria. The Gauteng landscape isn’t known for its lush forests or national parks, but Adventure Zone Cullinan makes it work by using the Muningi Gorge as a base for its zip-line extravaganza. With four slides ranging from 265m to 570m at 75m above the ground, this experience boasts some of the lengthiest zip-lines in the country, and a longstanding safety record to go with it. Why do we vote this activity best for kids? Because there’s no minimum age restriction! Anyone over 40kg and under 120kg in weight can take part, making this activity ideal for school holidays or family days out in Gauteng. There’s also a deck serving food and drink at the venue, so even those not taking part in the zip-line adventure can enjoy themselves while they wait.

Experience gift vouchers can be purchased online here.

Back in Western Cape, SA Forest Adventures brings you a tranquil tree-top zip-line experience in the grounds of the Caledon Hotel & Spa. For only R400 per person you can enjoy a sky-high adventure of twelve slides over a total distance of 1.2km, with zip-lines ranging in length from 60m to 200m! The Caledon forest is abundant in wildlife and a variety of trees and flowers, so you’ll be fully immersed in nature as you zoom between platforms – but don’t worry if you’re a bit nervous, the belay system is fitted with a speed control break, so you can slow down if you need to. There are huge ancient oak trees to marvel at, and a serene babbling stream below to add another level of tranquillity to the experience. With anyone under 120kg in weight able to take part, this experience is great for kids, first-timers, and those who want a relaxing but unique tour through the forest without going into adrenaline overdrive.

Check availability and book online at the SA Forest Adventures website.

From the calming forests of Caledon to the exuberant energy of Sun City, we present to you the most thrilling zip-line experience in all of South Africa – and maybe even the world. Located just outside Pretoria at the Sun City resort, Zip 2000 is a 2km high-speed zip-wire starting at 2m above ground and reaching heights of 280m, and speeds of 160km/h – the fastest zip-line on the planet! Participants are harnessed in horizontally so you zoom over the valley head-first, the closest sensation to real flying you can possibly imagine. In just over 60 seconds the ride is over, but this is guaranteed to be an experience you’ll remember for a lifetime, and for only R640 there’s really no excuse! Zip 2000’s safety record is impeccable, and they’ve even had celebrities come along to have a go. If Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore can do it, so can you. Plus, being located at the Sun City resort means you can make a whole vacation out of it!

Rides are by booking only.

We’ve been giving zip-lines a lot of attention, so let’s not forget about the mighty high ropes course. Our top pick is Chimp & Zee Rope Adventure at uShaka Marine World in Durban, and with a name as cute as that, you know it’s going to be a good one. The adventure park includes 34 obstacles, two levels of elevation, climbing nets, and zip-lines over the Rocky Reef, Turtle Enclosure, and Snorkel Lagoon – all for only R170 for anyone over 1.2m tall. The Chimp & Zee Rope Adventure Park makes a fantastic family day out that won’t break the bank, and can be combined with a range of other activities for a truly memorable time together. It’s also a great way of getting kids to exercise without knowing it – a win-win! Did we also mention the park has the longest non-stop belay system in all of Africa? Well it does, so you’re safe in the knowledge that your kids are secure and free to play.

Buy tickets for the Chimp & Zee Rope Adventure Park here.

Situated in Hazyview is Mpumalanga’s longest canopy tour, and South Africa’s first ever continuous belay line high ropes course. When it comes to fun for the whole family, Skyway Trails wrote the book; only R180 for adults and R160 for kids gets you into the Tree Top Adventure, a one hour high ropes experience covering 19 obstacles including rope bridges and climbing nets. For the more adventurous, there’s the Aerial Cable Trail at only R495 for anyone over 3 years old. The zip-line tour covers 1.2km over 2.5 hours, zooming across 8 slides that traverse rivers, forests and valleys in the heart of Mpumalanga. No previous experience is necessary as the expert instructors are on hand at all times to ensure guests are safe and having a great time, so what are you waiting for? At this price, you can treat yourself, your whole family, and your entire group of friends to an action-packed day out!

Find the Tree Top Adventure and Aerial Cable Trail on their website here.