Adventure holidays in Africa

Water, Water Everywhere

Fancy a bit more than paddling, wave dodging and beachcombing? Why not try body or board surfing? There are enthusiasts and clubs on most major beaches who will happily help you get started. Wave skiing and wave sailing addicts also frequent the Natal coastline but one of the world's best locations is the Atlantic swell off the Cape of Good Hope.

The next step is into snorkelling and scuba diving amongst Africa's highly rated offshore reefs and coral gardens, notably from Dar es Salaam down to Natal. Particularly favoured spots are around the East African islands of Unguja (Zanzibar), Pemba and Mafia, off Mauritius and Reunion (Saint Leu) and off Bazaruto and Benguerra islands in Mozambique. Equipment hire and training courses are widely available. Inland, the turquoise lagoons and coral reefs in the Maldives and around Cape Maclear on Lake Malawi are highly rated and popular.

Pulse rates can be lifted by shark diving at the Two Oceans aquarium in Cape Town - or in the open seas! One of the best places to dive for Great Whites is at Aliwal Shoal, off KwaZulu-Natal's coastline.

True adrenaline junkies don helmets for whitewater rafting and, after training, river kayaking. Tops, of course, are the boiling rapids below the Victoria Falls but the Usutu River in Swaziland has challenging grade 4 rapids and few people on its waters. Another favourite is the grade 5 rapids on the Nile in Uganda.

River rafting is a little less turbulent along the Breede, Umfolozi, Lukskei, Orange and Umzimvuba rivers in South Africa - the latter voted by National Geographic as "one of the last unspoilt fragments on earth". Rapids of the Pungwe River in Zimbabwe and the Kunene in Namibia are also rafted but river boarding is largely confined to the Zambezi and in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park in South Africa - the latter the only place in the world where you can see all of the "big five" whilst doing this.

Those preferring a more sedate and mystical experience must take a 3-5 day canoe trip between Kariba and Kanyemba on the lower Zambezi. Alternatively be poled in a pirogue (canoe) along the waterways and lagoons of the Ivory Coast, or in a mokoro (dug out) on the Okavango swamps.

Riding the Waves (Sea kayaking)

Sea kayaking, one of the fastest-growing sports, can be enjoyed by people of all ages and degrees of fitness. The specially designed kayaks have watertight hatches, sealed cockpits and robust rudder systems that make them easy to paddle and ultra stable on the seas. They make excellent platforms for fishing, birdwatching and photography.

Newcomers to the sport are encouraged to complete a basic training course and develop their skills on inland waters and river estuaries before tackling the open ocean. In South Africa there are over 50 accredited routes, of which the West Coast trails are best known and probably the safest. However sea kayaking also takes place off the coasts of Namibia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The sport is also popular on the Red Sea and on Lake Malawi.

Hook, Line and Sinker

Fishing, the world's largest participatory sport, has been a livelihood and pastime in Africa for 20,000 years. Off its coasts, marlin, mackerel and tuna are fished from boats from east coast islands and resorts such as Bazaruto. Over 400 boats regularly hunt big game fish off Mauritius. Fishing along the quieter coastal beaches, from Namibia, round the Cape and up the east coast, for king and queen ignoblis and other game species, has many addicts. You can catch your own crayfish off the South African and Namibian coasts between mid-November and June, but laws governing size and sex of take must be observed.

The Okavango delta, inland dams such as Kariba and Cabora Bassa and rivers (most notably the Zambezi) find anglers seeking bream (tilapia), the famous fighting tiger fish, pike, barbel and carp (one of the largest freshwater species).

The king of freshwater fish, however, is the Nile perch. Specimens in Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria, and below the Murchison Falls in Uganda, commonly weigh 40kg with some topping 100kg. Fly fishing for brown and rainbow trout is pursued in many highland rivers, particularly in the Drakensberg, Mpumalanga escarpment (in South Africa) and the Nyanga Mountains in Zimbabwe, as well as in Kenya's Aberdare NP.

Come Fly With Me

Hot air balloon flights offer one of the most satisfying ways of seeing some of Africa's scenery. Best known are the Serengeti Safari from Seronera or the exhilarating flight over the Namib to a champagne breakfast on the desert sands. A tethered balloon rises above the Victoria Falls but for those looking at ballooning as an active sport, South Africa is the place to visit. Here there are a number of clubs where navigational challenges, Hare and Hound races and other flights of fancy are pursued under the watchful eye of the Balloon and Airship Federation of S.A.

Microlighting is another popular airborne sport, particularly in the subcontinent. Microlights are also used for short "flips" over the Victoria Falls but many visitors prefer the body of a helicopter between them and the rising spray below.

For real fanatics, skydiving and paragliding are sports gaining popularity. The oldest parachuting club in the Commonwealth, at Pietermaritzberg, is one of a number offering skydiving over South Africa and Namibia. Many run tandem free-falls, formation skydives and annual boogies (rallies) as well as training courses for novices.

Hang-gliding and Paragliding Associations in South Africa and Namibia strongly regulate these sports and license all operators. Again there are many clubs spread across these countries, most of whom offer full training courses and, thereby, preparation for the ultimate "ride" off Table Mountain. The record for the highest woman paraglider in the world was set in Namibia in 1991. Paragliding is also a local passion on Reunion Island.

Then there are the realms of the totally insane - bungee and base-jumping. Falling for fear from the Victoria Falls Bridge certainly has its converts. Amongst them are those that strap themselves into a white water raft before being thrown off the bridge. Equally certifiable are those who leap off high rise buildings in cities like Johannesburg. Base (Building, Antenna, Span (bridge) and Earth (cliffs)) jumping, parachute on back, from the cable car on Table Mountain or the Carlton Centre are ultimate "musts" - so they say.

Wheel Deals

For the strong-thighed there are road cycling and mountain biking clubs in most of the southern and in some East African cities. Fun rides are regularly advertised in the press and BMX tracks for youngsters are to be found. Ndabushe Wildlife Sanctuary near Johannesburg is one of very few reserves that allows pedal pushers in. Keen mountain bikers in South Africa should contact Forest Flyers or WILD (Women In Love with Dirt). Amongst the best trails in the country are Devil's Peak on Table Mountain, Cathedral Peak in the Drakensberg and Knysna Forest. The mountains of Reunion are also much favoured by mountain bikers, and there is growing interest in cycling safaris in East Africa, especially among the lakes in the Great Rift Valley.

There are a few companies in South Africa which offer motorcycle safaris, some stretching into East Africa. On tour, 4x4 vehicles are used in wildlife reserves where bikes are prohibited.

Quad biking (riding four-wheeled motorcycles) is a fast-growing pastime and an excellent way of exploring areas such as the dunes outside Swakopmund and in the Namib as well as the Natal and Mpumalanga countryside. Rides of 1-4 hours and multi-day tours are on offer.

Those preferring petrol and padded seats may find hiring a 4x4, or joining a safari using such vehicles, an excellent way of exploring off the beaten track. Several companies cater for both preferences and there are a series of good trails in southern Africa. There is, for example, a 20-day desert trail safari that may be done in a 4x4 vehicle or on a motorbike. There are also shorter trails such as the 70km Pongola and slightly longer Richtersveld and Namib-Naukluft trails. DIY explorers may enjoy the run from Isiolo in Kenya across some of the harshest desert in Africa to, and then through, the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia.

For all you need to know, read A Complete Guide to Four-Wheel Drive in Southern Africa, by A. White (Waterman, Johannesburg 1994).

Luxury Train Journeys

If you're looking for en suite facilities, black tie dinners and air conditioning there are five options in southern Africa. Rovos Rail's Pride of Africa trains serve champagne on trips between Cape Town, Knysna, Pretoria, Victoria Falls, Swakopmund and Dar es Salaam. There's the famous Blue Train that links Cape Town and Vic Falls through Pretoria and offers excursions in Bulawayo and Hwange NP. The Train de Luxe, carrying three classes of accommodation, also runs between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls, where steam locos and pre-war coaches are used on the Safari Express.

Union Limited also boast first class steam luxury on their journeys from Cape Town, through the garden route (Knysna) to Oodshoorn and back. Take in the Namibian desert by riding the Desert Express between Windhoek and Swakopmund, or take the Shongololo Express running between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Etosha. Their packed itinerary includes sightseeing in safari vehicles and a variety of more active diversions such as rafting, horse and balloon riding.

Real Africa by Rail

If you want to see slices of the real African bush, its inhabitants and their daily life routines, step aboard "local" trains. The nearest thing to luxury will probably be a bowl of chicken and rice and a clean toilet - if you can find either. Departure delays, frequent stops and periodic breakdowns are all part of "getting to know you". The beauty is they're cheap - often dirt cheap - real eye-openers, and you don't have to book.

Try the Xai-Xai flyer running inland from the Mozambican coast - all three days for 50km. The Zambezi Express from Livingstone through Lusaka and onwards by a domba-domba (picking up) puffer to Kitwe is a great way to see rural Zambia.

For the really hardy, the Kilimanjaro Express that traverses the 1600km Uhuru (freedom) or Tazara railway between Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia to Dar es Salaam is the ultimate African rail adventure. The Sugarloaf train crawling through the debris of war-torn Mozambique to Liwonde in Malawi is another spectacular experience for the truly adventurous.

For more details, consult Southern Africa by Rail, by P. Ash, (Bradt Publications, 1998).

For further information on travelling in Africa, visit Travel Africa Magazine.

Published in Travel Africa Edition Thirteen: Autumn 2000 Text is subject to Worldwide Copyright (c)