THE MENU
Snow skiing to camelback safaris -- the South African activity menu ranges widely. Other options include: adventure athlete's competitions, abseiling, adventure for the disabled, ballooning, bungi-jumping, bridge-swinging, bushcraft and survival courses, canyoning, caving, cycle tours, foot safaris, four by four driving, hanggliding, high-ropes courses, hiking, horse-riding, hunting, gliding, offroad motorcycling, mountain bicycling, paragliding, river rafting, rock climbing, kayaking, shark-cage diving, skydiving, snorkeling, surfing and whale-watching.
Less than three decades ago, South African operators who were selling tours in which roughing it was one of the main reasons for loving it, were discounted as the "lunatic fringe" of tourism. But no more.
Today, "adventure" is mainstream -- and there is no African country that offers a greater variety of adventure environments and activities, or easier access to those activities, than South Africa.
The country has many distinctive adventure regions, although activities may be similar from one to the next.
Presently the choice regions include the Magaliesberg on the northern fringe of Gauteng; the Mpumalanga Drakensberg, including Blyde River Canyon; the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg; the Bushman's River, parts of the Tugela River and the Maputaland coast in KwaZulu-Natal; the Eastern Cape Wild Coast; the Garden Route; the Cape Peninsula; the West Coast, the Richtersveld and Namaqualand; the Kalahari; and the Middle and Lower Orange.
Hundreds of farmers across the country have responded to the need for affordable adventure options, many hosting youth adventure camps. Hiking, horse-riding, 4X4 and mountain bicycling trails have become a common ingredient of the farmstay experience. Community and forestry lands have also been opened up for adventure.
Hiking ways on public, private and community land cover thousands of kilometers, and allow access with various degrees of control into every landscape and ecozone in South Africa.
Scuba playgrounds range from tropical reefs on the east coast to icy kelp forests on the other side of the sub-continent. Several surfing spots are rated among the best in the world.
The mountains -- the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, recognised internationally as one of the most scenically beautiful ranges in Africa, as well as the mountains of the Western Cape -- make South Africa a mountain trekker's mecca.
The country is generally dry, and perennial rivers suitable for rafting, canoeing and kayaking are limited in number. But the Orange is one of the great river adventure destinations of Africa.
Massive thermals over the hot interior favour record-breaking cross-country flights and hot-air ballooning conditions south of the central Magaliesberg are among the best in the world.
And the adventure traveler attracted by the African bush can experience the wildlife on foot, by mountain bicycle, on horseback, by canoe and by hot-air balloon.
A few decades ago, the main adventure activities in South Africa included hiking, hunting and surfing. They are still mainstream, but river rafting, canoeing and kayaking, mountaineering, scuba diving and guided foot safaris are among options that now also enjoy that status. Foot safaris, typically offered at destinations that are home to large and dangerous mammals, have become the norm in national parks and in leading private reserves -- and in some cases trails are filled up many months in advance.
There's an "adventure" to suit almost everyone -- with "value adding" offering unlimited design possibilties.
The same environment may be used to offer one or all three levels of adventure, depending on the level of participation and risk the client is prepared to accept. Discovery rather than levels of risk per se is emphasised In recent years, many companies have been offering multi-activity adventure experiences; some organise self-drives, with clients traveling from one adventure destination to another, doing something different at every one, usually guided by locally-based experts. This may represent the best compromise between DIY and going on an organised adventure tour.
Another fairly recent trend is adventure add-ons for wildlife safaris. And leading game lodges whose stock-in-trade had traditionally been luxury accommodation, sumptuous meals and siestas bracketed by game drives, are also offering variations on adrenalin adventure. A typical example is tracking dangerous game on foot. Sleeping out under the stars, with clients taking turns at night watch, has also become quite common.
As South African kayaking and rafting authority Graeme Addison sees it, "The only justification for an organised adventure trip is that you can provide a value-added experience.
"Many people make the mistake of thinking that going with an operator is merely a convenient choice. Realise that it's more than that. In choosing an outfit, four issues stand out: personal safety, fun and convenience; the guide's knowledge and the strength of the backup organization; and the ecotourism responsibility."
Operators offering the same activitities in the same environment can practice either sustainable or unsustainable tourism. Increasingly, ecotourism sensibilities are influencing the designing, marketing and operating of adventure.
A recently-unveiled "eco-audit", authored by Pretoria-based ecotourism consultant Paul Bewsher and endorsed by the South African Bureau of Standards, could become an important tool to advance the cause of "eco-adventure". A simple DIY audit, based on the main document, has been used to evaluate ecotourism and adventure destinations in southern Africa and Malaysia.
Codes of ethics and operational standard setting have long been issues of critical importance in the adventure industry, and through the years several major disciplines have actually done something about it. But many adventure disciplines still have no generally accepted controlling bodies, and in standard setting -- operational and ethical -- the adventure industry as a whole still has some way to go.
In the ecotourism approach to adventure, the guide is the most important variable in the delivery of a satisfying experience. The largest professional guide bodies in South Africa, the Southern African Rivers Association (SARA), the Professional Hunters Association (PHASA), and the Field Guides Association of southern Africa (FGASA), all encourage all-round professionalism among their members. Over half the professional tour guides specialising in adventure that are registered with Satour are members of these organizations.
Mountain climbing, kloofing and and hiking guides are certified by the South African Mountain Guides Association (SAMGA). Scuba has four different schools: CMSA, PADI, NAUI and SSI. The Hiking The Outdoor Adventure Association of South Africa (OAASA) sets standards for guides involved in aventure-based experiential education. Federation of Southern Africa (HFSA), an amateur body, also has a comprehensive code of conduct.
"Eco-adventure" is the latest conceptual development in "value-adding". This involves far more than carrying out trash during a hike, or burning toilet paper. It is a holistic approach that combines the principles of adventure-based experiential education and ecotourism.
It adds value in several different ways: to the inner journey dimension of the experience and -- through sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage resources and involvement of locals as partners in service delivery -- to the host environment. A few companies have started to offer pre-adventure orientation, typically using ropes courses to give clients an understanding -- in a controlled environment, where risk is perceived rather than real -- of the concept of adventure, and the benefits to the individual of leaving his comfort zone.
Adventure education sets in motion the inner journey even before the adventure proper begins. And it ensures that no participant, no matter how limited his or her previous exposure to outdoor adventure, starts from zero base. For expedition groups, ropes courses have a leveling effect, giving participants from different backgrounds and who may not know each other a common frame of reference.
Says Addison, "Adventure is within you; the world and its possibilities are around, but discovery is always within the self. The best adventures always involve moments of epiphany..."
There can be organised or controlled adventure, but true adventure, however "soft" or "hard", can never be predigested. Discovery -- Addison calls it "surprise" -- is at the heart of adventure.
Tips for adventure travelers in South Africa:
Adding value
Standards
Insurance
Your health
Seasonal choices
General