National_Geographic_Traveller_India-May_2018

MAY 2018 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA 109

SOUTH AFRICA

After the high-adrenaline adventures in Hermanus
and the Garden Route, the toboggan run, on
the Long Tom Pass in Panorama Route in
Mpumalanga province, pales in comparison.
The Panorama Route is a superb self-drive
which explores the northeastern section of the Great
Escarpment of the Drakensberg, traversing spectacular views
of canyons and waterfalls. In snowless, sub-tropical Africa,
tobogganing however takes the form of riding a yellow cart
on a single red monorail down a hillside with only gravity as
your accelerator. It is certainly a giddy feeling as I hurtle down

the 1.7-kilometre track at 45 kmph but I am quite blasé about
it, having been spoilt by all the extreme stuff I have done in
the past week. My overconfidence, however, manifests itself
in applying the brake too late and I end up overshooting the
alighting platform which ends with an undignified exit from
the cart.

Back at Bloukrans, I am the day’s last jumper.
Everything seems to be falling into place—it
feels like my whole life has come full circle to
this moment, this unfinished business. I chat
with a reassuring young German woman and her

father who bungeed minutes before. The interaction offers

some solace.

I step into a full-body harness. The crew straps my ankles

firmly into bright red padding, carrying me like a baby to the

edge, distracting me with meaningless chatter all the time.

I take a moment, bend my knees, look out unseeingly at the

horizon, and then, I am over and off and falling and falling.

I scream as the air rushes past me. When I reach the end of

the tether, my body snaps back in a giant arc before I start

to fall again. Up and down, I bounce in smaller and smaller

oscillations, hanging like a rag doll.

I grin foolishly at the inviting carpet of green below me. I

am ecstatic, happy beyond measure, free at last.¾

If you want to come down Table Mountain the

hard way, there is no better option than abseiling

(www.abseilafrica.co.za; R1100/`5,900). For the

world’s highest bridge bungee experience—525

feet in less than five seconds—head to Bloukrans

Bridge in Tsitsikamma , Garden Route (www.

faceadrenalin.com; R1000/`5,400). South Africa

is also great for skydiving, and it is cheaper to

skydive here than Dubai or Europe. Skydive Plett

in Plettenberg Bay claims to have the world’s

most scenic drop zone (www.skydiveplett.com;

R2600/`14,000).

For fun water activities, the Storms River Mouth

is your best bet. You get to paddle upstream in

a kayak before switching to a lilo to explore the

narrower recesses of the beautiful gorge (www.

untouchedadventures.com; R550/`3,000).

The forests behind Hermanus offer zip lining,

and quad biking over dirt trails and through

lush vineyards (www.saforestadventures.com;

R450/`2,400 for zip line; R500/`2,700 for quad

bike s). For a thrilling three-minute toboggan-rail

ride, the set up at the start of the scenic Panorama

Route in Mpumalanga province is quite good

(www.longtomtoboggan.co.za; R250/`1,300).

ESSENTIALS

A thrilling three-minute

toboggan-rail ride

The writer takes a giant leap

off Bloukrans Bridge, the

world’s highest bridge bunjee.