[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Bucket list adventures in South Africa
So yes it’s no secret!!! South Africa is definitely my favorite place in the world especially if you are looking for the ultimate bucket list adventures. If I had a choice I would move there in a heartbeat. I love absolutely everything about the ‘Rainbow Nation’, from its stunning beaches to mystical forests to majestic mountains to chilled out and friendly vibe. South Africa is definitely the perfect destination for adventure travellers the world over.
I have traveled to the country with South Africa Adventures 5 times and yet I still find some incredible things to do on every visit. So when the owner of South Africa Adventures invited me to help promote the country to other travelers based on my previous experience I really didn’t have to think twice about it.
So to help inspire you and give you some ideas for your next vacation to South Africa I’ve put together a list of what I think are the ultimate bucket list of things you have to do.
Bucket list adventures #1: Hike to the highest mountain in South Africa
Hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains is one of the bucket list adventures ‘must thing to do!!!’ These mountains just ooze awesomeness, majesty and serenity. This incredible hike is not only mind blazingly beautiful but is also one of the most challenging hikes I have done in a long time. But as is the thing in life and mountains, the summit needs to be earned. No such thing as a short cut to the top. And man did I earn that right to stand on the highest mountain in South Africa.
The hike took us 4 days and 3 nights and covered nearly 60km. The route up is via what is known as Corner Pass (a steep ascent of nearly 100m over 1.5km). We spent the second night in a super dooper little cave known as the Upper Injasuthi Cave, the highest in the whole Drakensberg. We summited on the morning of day 3. The descent route was down via Leslies Pass with a night at the Marble Baths Cave-a really epic spot for a swim!!!
6 Day Hike Mafadi-Highest Mountain in South Africa
Bucket list adventures #2: Scuba diving in Sodwana
So yes I probably more of a mountain girl but I am also a sucker for a good beach, especially when there’s some other activity involved besides sitting around. And that is when I discovered Sodwana and immediately knew it is a bucket list adventure. This spot has been rated as the number 1 dive site in South Africa and within the top 10 in the world. And it’s no wonder why!! The unspoilt reefs and abundance of marine life is crazy. I spent 4 days in this tropical paradise. A typical day involved an early morning dive followed by a late afternoon dive.
The afternoons were set aside for siesta by the pool with an ice cold beer. Dreamy walks along the remote beach in the late afternoon watching the sun setting over the blue waters of the Indian Ocean was something I could do every day!!!-So incredibly good for the soul. The diving conditions in Sodwana are world class. There are various reefs to choose from.
They are named according to their distance from the boat launching area at Jessers Point. (2 mile, 5 mile and 7 Mile). One of the definite highlights of my diving trip to Sodwana was swimming with wild dolphins. They appeared out of nowhere on route to our dive site. The skipper stopped the boat, we donned our fins and mask and plopped unmajestically into the ocean right next the pod. We swam with the dolphins for about 20 minutes before they got bored with us and disappeared into the deep dark blue.
5 day Sodwana Bay Diving Tour Adventure including transport from Johannesburg
Bucket list adventures #3: Surfing Safari on the South Coast of Kwazulu Natal
Surfs Up!!!! And when you hear that primal cry from the lesser spotted surfer dude you know it’s time to follow suite and get wet. This surfing ‘surfari’ is one super awesome bucket list adventure!! And let me tell you from the start that I had never touched a surf board in my life and was a tad apprehensive try this fast paced sport out. But…taaa daaah…South Africa Adventures to the rescue.
The first few days I was introduced to the sport of surfing by Brad, who took me through the training regimes and ultimate pinnacle of surfing nirvana as I stood up for the first time. And there is no way to describe that incredible feeling of power as you get pushed along on a wave through the surf. It is super addictive!!!! In fact, poor old Brad had problems getting me out of the water after that.
I just wanted to catch every wave possible. For the next 4 days we traveled down the South Coast of Kwazulu Natal finding suitable surfing conditions. Surfing times were early morning and late afternoon. In the evenings we would chill out around a fire with an ice cold beer reminiscing about the waves and the ‘noo-noos’ ( local term for sharks) that we avoided.
Surfing Safari Adventure Tour in Durban South Africa
Bucket list adventures #3: Walking Safari in the Kruger Park
This is a huge bucket list adventure must! A wimba whe, a wimba whe the lion sleeps tonight. And maybe that’s a good thing because I don’t want to bump into the King of the African jungle while walking through the African bush. I mean why would anyone be crazy enough to do that hey? Well I must have swallowed a crazy pill because the team at South Africa Adventures had convinced me to do just that. And wow….what an experience!!!
We spent 3 days and 2 nights walking through the Kruger with armed game rangers. There is no better way to get your primal senses so finely tuned. We were constantly aware-Aware of sounds, smells, wind direction and movements. The hunter was now the hunted. Okay so maybe I’m over dramatizing it a tad. It did feel like that at first but after a few hours you adapt and learn to relax.
The rangers are super-efficient and know what they are doing. They got us close to a herd of elephants and even a male lion. Although we did not obviously get tight up close and personal we were definitely close enough to raise a pulse or two. What I really enjoyed about the walking safari was that the ranger showed us all the small things like how to identify and track and animal based on its spoor. He identified and described the various tree species and even their medicinal properties.-Things that you would never see on a game drive.
Pilanesberg Walking Safari Adventure
So there you have it!! A few of the adventure activities that I think should be on every travelers bucket list. Kilimanjaro is next on my list of epic things to do.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Comments