Unique and Unusual Gifts For Adrenaline Junkies in South Africa

Kicking things off is the Virtual Reality Box 2.0 Headset, available from Takealot for only R154. Even adrenaline junkies need some downtime, but a VR headset means they can keep the blood pumping and experience their favourite action videos all from the comfort of a sofa. The stylish and comfortable headset is compatible with both iOS and Android smartphones, bringing games and movies to life with high-tech 3D glasses. A thrill seeker might not be able to take this gadget with them on their next adventure, but it’s definitely something to look forward to when they get back – especially with all the incredible videos they’ve no doubt taken!

Add some thrill to your food with Veri Peri Hot Sauce, a South African-made Portuguese-style birds eye chilli sauce that’s guaranteed to knock your socks off. Veri Peri was voted Product of the Year in 2012, and continues to grow its range of products so you can get your heat fix from marinades, sachet mixes, and different flavoured sauces. A bottle of Veri Peri is a totally unique gift idea for adventurous cooks, and can even be taken on trips round the world to add some spice to bland camping food! We love the idea of ‘adrenaline’ in food form, and hopefully your thrill-seeking friend will feel the same.

Table Mountain is a haven for thrill-seekers, full of steep hiking trails and zig-zagging mountain bike routes. What many people don’t realise, however, is that you can abseil 112m down the side of the mountain – without any previous experience! Abseil Africa are an outdoor adventure company who offer a range of Table Mountain trips and activities, but none as exciting as the ‘Dope On a Rope’ experience, taking place at 1000m above sea level. Expert instructors will show you the ropes (excuse the pun) and make sure you’re feeling confident, before you start the long descent into vertical space down a sheer cliff face. This is a must-do experience for all adrenaline junkies, and makes a fantastic gift for Cape Town dwellers!

Purchase gift certificates for the Table Mountain Abseil here.

If you’re searching for the perfect gift for someone who has an extreme need for speed, then a Rally Driving Experience in Pretoria is just the ticket. RallyStar are South Africa’s only authenticated rally driving school, so there’s nowhere better in the country to receive expert tuition, quality car models, and purpose-built tracks, suitable for a range of abilities. Each session starts with a briefing and a theory-based lesson on what makes rally driving unique in the motorsport world, before you’re put in the driver’s seat of a powerful rally car and given the opportunity to tear around the track with a professional instructor beside you – plus the day finishes with a hot lap from the pro driver, so you can see just what these cars are made of!

You can find gift certificates for Gauteng rally driving experiences here.

Thrills come in all shapes and sizes, but let’s be honest, the best ones take place in the great outdoors. If you’re going to be gallivanting around mountains and nature reserves, then you need to have the right gear, and we can’t think of any company better than Hi-Tec for all your outdoor adventure needs. The Altitude V Ultra hiking boot is the Lamborghini of hiking boots; waterproof leather, i-Shield hydrophobic technology, OrthoLite sockliner, and an MDT rubber sole are just some of the features on these bad boys, perfect for all types of terrain and built for maximum comfort. They may be a little pricey for a pair of boots, but these will last a lifetime, and are well worth it!

What could be better than spending your days leisurely kayaking around the beautiful oceans, rivers, and lakes of South Africa? Doing it in your very own inflatable kayak of course! A lot of people don’t realise just how easy and affordable it is to own a kayak, and think the only way of achieving their dream is through rentals or private lessons. Not true! The Intex Challenger K1 Kayak is only R1,599.90 and can quickly be deflated for efficient transportation, so you can simply chuck it in the back of the car and kayak wherever takes your fancy (within reason). A portable kayak is the ultimate gift for watersports lovers, trust us.

Tattoos tend to divide people, and many have a love/hate relationship with the idea. We, however, are all for expressing yourself visually with artistic body designs, and believe getting a tattoo can be one of the most thrilling experiences possible. NinjaBreadBoy is an artist from Palm Black Tattoo Co. in Cape Town, specialising in traditional handpoke styles that range from delicate flowers to bold abstract pieces. Palm Black will happily put together a gift certificate for you if you know someone who needs just a little persuasion, then you can see how much of a thrill-seeker they really are! A tattoo gift voucher is a fun and thoughtful gift – one that they’re guaranteed to never forget.

Getting fit and staying fit can be tough, but keeping on top of your progress and comparing results over time can be hugely motivational and help get you to a goal. The DoFit HR Activity Tracker from Action Gear does just that; it has a multitude of features that help the user track distances, calories burned, monitor heart rate and sleep patterns, count steps, share data, plus regular features like an alarm, a clock, and SMS alerts. Fitness tracking wristbands are ideal gifts for thrill-seekers because they quantify the action and adventure and allow users to see improvement week on week, and the DoFit HR Activity Tracker is currently on special offer for R519 down from R599!

When it comes to experience gifts for adrenaline junkies, the obvious choices are always skydiving, bungee jumping, shark cage diving, etc… But, as experience gift experts, we know that if you’re going to get an intangible present for a thrill seeker, it has to be something really cool. That’s why we’ve picked the Multiple Rifle Shooting Experience in Somerset West, which is something both men and women can enjoy – because who doesn’t love firing powerful guns at inanimate objects? The experience takes place at Lourensford Wine Estate, and allows guests to choose five rifles from an impressive line-up for an hour of shooting. Instructors are on hand at all times to ensure safety and to give you tips, so by the end of the session you’ll be firing like a professional marksman!

Find gift certificates for the Multiple Rifle Shooting Experience here.

If you’ve ever heard the phrase ‘pics or it didn’t happen’, then you’ll know that sometimes the most important part of being a daredevil is to make sure you catch it on camera. This may sound shallow, but capturing a moment on film means you can relive it again and again, making sure the memory lasts forever. It’s also helpful if you’re training for a stunt or practising a hobby, as you can watch yourself back and pick up tips! GoPro are the industry leaders in compact durable action cameras, and the Hero 7 is their latest product to hit the shelves. With TimeWarp Video, Live Streaming, Voice Control settings, improved waterproofing, and HyperSmooth Video as just some of the features, the Hero 7 is the ultimate action cam for adrenaline junkies.