MAY 2018 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA 107
SOUTH AFRICABetween the sky dive and the bungee, Sundeep and
I also try our hands at kayaking and lilos.
The seascape by the Storms River Mouth at
the end of Garden Route is one of the most
spellbinding you will ever see. The ocean drives
against the land in a series of violent waves that crash
and foam relentlessly against the stark black rocks guarding
the coastline. In practical terms, what this means is that we
have to abandon the sea approach and instead lug our paddles
along a short hike through a lush carpet of evergreen forest and
fynbos. This takes us to the put-in point tucked away inside the
river mouth. We clamber aboard the red inflatable kayaks, two
as the parachute opens in a bright splash of colour above us. I
am giddy with delight and the feeling of riding the sky is just as
the Sandman promised, like an “eagle in the eye of a hurricane
that’s abandoned...” We continue to descend in circles, like two
giant butterflies. Mike hands me the controls and I pull the
parachute ropes down and around in an attempt to bank, but
the power of the air filling the canopy takes me by surprise.
With the airfield looming larger by the second, Mike takes over.
Asking me to stretch my feet, he guides me down to a perfect
landing on the soft wind-blown grass. I feel awesome, on top of
the world, like someone who has conquered all before him.
per boat, and slice swiftly upstream through the dark waters.
This calm surface is a cakewalk compared to the big white-
water adventures I have done. But I am enjoying the feeling of
penetrating deep into a river canyon, like my earlier rafting trip
along China’s Yangtze river, Asia’s longest.
The hidden gorges of the Tsitsikamma National Park are a
place of mystery and wonder, filled with the secrets of early
settlers who explored their depths in search of rare woods and
other treasures. Interestingly, in Khoisan (the click language
used by the original aboriginal inhabitants of Southern
Africa), the word Tsitsikamma means ‘where waters begin.’
As our little flotilla of kayaks paddles upstream, we come
across a huge cave with a vaulted ceiling off which reflect
the sun-dappled waters, and a wooden stepladder that leads
further into its forbidding black depths. Our guide Norman
tells us that the cave is home to an army of bats which flies
hundreds of kilometres up and down the coast in search
of food. Further up the river, where the ocean surge meets
the fresh water stream, we switch to red lilo mattresses and
paddle upstream on our stomachs as the water gets shallower
and the gorge narrower. Soon we hit the end point. It is time
to reverse course. More than the adrenaline rush, I’d say that
this peaceful white-water trip makes for a pleasant and scenic
excursion into a remote gorge.
***
Before kick-starting our adventures in Cape Town,
we plunge into the Mother City’s gastronomic
goodness, trying eveything from authentic
African cuisine at Gold Restaurant to Malay
fare rustled up in Cape’s Malay quarter of Bo-Kaap.
As for the adventure, it begins the next day with stepping
off Table Mountain. Literally. We go up the easy way with the
rest of the tourist hordes in a cable car but decide to abseil
down a 370-foot stretch of sheer rock face.
My instructor Chizzy repeatedly asks me to take a step back
as I stand frozen at the edge of the face with my feet about to
slip into nothingness. Far below is the urban sprawl of Cape
Town’s glitzy skyscrapers, long avenues and crowded docks, and
further away lie the sparkling waters of Camps Bay.
I take a deep breath, lean back and trust the rope. As I start
to slide down the uneven pitted surface, I lose sight of Chizzy.
Sundeep is coming down to the left but really we are entirely
on our own, quelling our fears as we struggle down the face
of the mountain. Instead of panicking, I begin to practise my
jumps and quickly gain confidence. But the surface is uneven
and my inexperience causes me to lose my footing on landing.The gorges of the Storms
River Mouth are delightful
to explore on a kayak.The writer abseils down
Table Mountain, high
above Camps Bay.