Throw yourself off a cliff!

Does throwing yourself over the side of a cliff or down the edge of a waterfall with only a rope and harness appeal to your sense of adventure? Then abseiling in South Africa is for you. You can enjoy South Africa's spectacular scenery, while experiencing the adrenaline rush of making your way down a steep cliff.

Abseiling is quite different from rock climbing – you are attached to a harness and rapple down a cliff to land safely on the ground. It is a very safe sport and no previous experience is necessary. It's only recently that abseiling has become an extreme sport in its own right. Previously, it was just the way climbers would get off mountains, but mountaineers realised it was a fun activity on its own, and South Africa offers some great locations to do this exhilarating sport.

Qualified abseil guides will demonstrate the correct techniques and give you full instructions, and then it's up to you to go over the edge! All the necessary gear is provided by abseiling operators, so you'll only need to bring walking shoes, comfortable clothes and, of course, a pinch of courage!

Cape Town – Abseiling Paradise

South Africa boasts the highest commercial abseil in the world – a whopping 112m off the top of the stunning Table Mountain. The drop is also about a kilometre above the city, so expect breathtaking views of gorgeous Cape Town and the deep blue Atlantic. Cape Town, lying between the sea and spectacular mountains, is rated as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and abseiling Table Mountain will definitely give you an awesome new angle on the famous city. The abseil off the Mountain is a controlled descent, and no climbing experience is necessary: you can either walk or cable-car your way to the top of the mountain and then join the operators for the incredible journey down.

Really get your adrenaline pumping by abseiling off Chapmans Peak, which is South Africa's most famous and dramatic coastal drive. You can dangle above crashing waves while 'freefall abseiling', or if you're brave (or crazy!) enough, you can even try 'rapp jumping'. Rapp jumping involves abseiling with the ropes attached to your back instead of your front, so you go down facing the ground – and you can actually run down a cliff face-first!

Kamikaze Canyon in Cape Town lives up to its extreme name – this is definitely one for the adrenaline-junkies. You hike into a magnificent river gorge where you can test your nerves with kloofing – which involve s cliff jumps into rock pools, ranging from a sedate 3 metres to a crazy 22 metres high. You can then attempt the 60m abseil down the cascading Thunderfalls.

Other incredible abseil spots

In the heart of the Garden Route is Knysna, with its spectacular 'Heads' - two sandstone cliffs which form the Knysna River Mouth and guard the Knysna Lagoon’s entrance to the sea. It's considered one of the most treacherous stretches of water known to sailors, but it's also one of the most scenic, and is the perfect location for an incredible abseiling experience. You can cross the lagoon in an Indian canoe to start your abseiling adventure on the Heads. There are three abseil routes on the impressive western head including a very high, exposed site hanging right out over the crashing waves. You can also try rapp jumping here – running face-forward while gazing into the turbulent ocean will be an unforgettable experience!

Not far from Knysna, you can do a combination abseiling and kloofing trip down the scenic Storms River Gorge, which involves a range of adventure activities, including an 100m abseil into the gorge, a tubing trip down the river, a short walk out of the gorge and then a cycle back to the village.

Several abseiling sites are concentrated around the Drakensberg mountain range and Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands. In addition to abseiling, these areas offer hiking and rafting trips through stunning scenery, with the opportunity to view birds and wildlife along the way. Oribi Gorge Resort near Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal offers the Wild Abseil, which comes close to Table Mountain's measurements at an impressive 110m. The first part is a 45m cliff abseil, with your feet planted against the cliffside, and the remaining 65m is an exhilarating free abseil.

Coastal regions do not disappoint, with abseiling companies operating out of Coffee Bay on the Eastern Cape's Wild Coast and Margate in Kwazulu-Natal. If you're not able to get out of the city, and would still like to try this extreme sport, you can abseil or rapp jump down skyscrapers in Durban and Johannesburg – a really unique way to get an aerial view of the city.

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