Karkloof Canopy Tour

Love nature, check. Love adrenalin, check. Okay with heights? Then we have lift off because zipping across treetops includes all those aspects. All you have to add is a healthy dose of trust in your guides and equipment. And the perfect place close to Durban is the Karkloof Canopy Tour.

Start the tour with a nice cappuccino from the coffee shop located at the reception. But only one cup, there are no toilets 10 meters up in the air. Add the harnesses into the mix and that would make a tricky situation for anyone.

Safety First.

As with all adrenalin sports, you start off by signing your life away. It never instills a deep sense of security when that is your first point of contact. Sign here if you die, we don’t want you to sue us. Pretty hard to come back from that. Actually, can you even sue when you are six foot under?

Fortunately a safety talk that includes donning delightfully hairnets puts you at ease. I mean, who wouldn’t trust people that want to keep your long curly locks from being ripped from your scalp? We giggled at how ridiculous we looked but hey, safety first and the Karkloof Canopy Tour experts certainly placed great emphasis on this.

Next you step into a harness, don a helmet and get a pair of gloves to brake with. Yes, those precious digits that you use for everything are also your braking equipment for this activity. Check that grip and bicep action, because they are about to be put to the test. This is the point where your nerves wreak havoc with your insides and you begin to wonder why you were the crazy person to instigate this. (Hey Michelle?)

To Zip or not to Zip?

Short trip up a mountain (it may be considered a hill to others) followed by a mini hike between beautiful trees and you reach the first platform. This one is called Shorty. Why? Well um…Because it is short and it is the only practice you get before you hit a long zipline. Get ready to use your savvy because next up is you, a harness and a slide made of steel.

Hardly a moment goes by where you are not clipped in and secure. The guides never miss an opportunity to direct your actions and are even willing to tandem with you if the nerves are too much.

That first long zipline is a total rush. Clip in, sit down into that harness, check the braking system and let your feet slip off the safety of the platform. The line takes your weight and suddenly you are flying through air. The rush of air against your face, the world skimming past at your toes and the sound of metal sliding on metal satisfy every sensory aspect of your mind.

Before you get too comfortable, the line comes to an end. Some jerk to a stop with mild whiplash from the safety stop (especially when you get so soaked in the moment you forget to brake). Others come to a gentle halt by the power of their own strength.

Every slide is unique. The views, the length, the natural obstacles to avoid. There is a camaraderie that develops with strangers that experience the same sweat, butterflies and relief at the end of the zip line. It’s a day of eyes wide open, pure bliss and fear mixed into the sweet acknowledgement of ‘look why I just managed to do’.

I recommend a nice cold beer somewhere in Howick afterwards. A great way to calm the nerves and recount the experience.