Challenge: Canopy touring

Location: Drakensberg, South Africa

Month: January 2010

Woo hoo... 12 cables across a gorge, some being 100m high and wide!  Strapped in harnesses, the guides walk you into another world, a world they call a forest.  Surrounded by lush greenery, dappled shade and a sense of vertigo, you grasp the monkey within you and let go.

Trust plays a huge part.

Using your left hand to slow yourself down (and using a leather glove to avoid chafe), the rest of your body hangs off the cable,as you release yourself into the green unknown. It’s a speedy descent with an astounding view that makes it all worthwhile. It’s like the feeling of standing on the top of a huge building, looking down, except here you’ve chosen to sit like that and just dangle, mid air.

I also felt a rush of appreciation for the beauty that is South Africa, especially the Drakensberg Mountains. Drenched in history, the region itself plays home to many of the legendary Voortrekker tales. There is also an energy whilst suspended mid-air, and gazing over the undulating hills, it seems to take you back in time.

You, nature and controlled adventure! Oh, and there are no toilets in the bush, so a proper ‘bos’ lavatory experience is almost guaranteed.  Rocking.

Emotion: Universal trust.

Outcome: I loved it! Anyone keen to do something wildly adventurous, yet not life threatening. I’d recommend this for a bulls party, a romantic outing or just another chilled day hanging out in Africa!

Details of challenge:  Run by Four Rivers Adventures.

Next month: A daring dip into the world of fetish.