Five Of The Best Micro Adventures Out Of Durban

by | Nov 10, 2023 | Adventure, Featured, Outdoors

KwaZulu-Natal offers adventurers a wide range of opportunities for micro adventures. Read on for a handful of our favourites.

Micro Adventure: Wild Gorge Swing

Micro Adventure
Oribi Gorge (c) Gordon Beeming / Unsplash


Flying off Lehr’s Falls into the spectacular Oribi Gorge on the Wild Swing is akin to experiencing a free fall from the height of a 33-story building. Take a moment to let that sink in. It’s undeniably lofty and, according to many, more exhilarating than bungee jumping. The Wild Five Extreme Adventure Company is unwavering in its commitment to the highest safety standards, rigorously testing all equipment and ensuring its personnel are extensively trained.

Micro Adventure: Take Flight

Micro Adventure
Tandem Paraglide (c) Arno Senoner / Unsplash


Humans weren’t designed for flight, but the desire to soar through the skies is universal. Paragliding offers you the chance to fulfil that dream without the need for wings or childhood playground leaps. Experience the thrill of paragliding as a passenger alongside a certified tandem instructor near Bulwer, a charming town nestled in the KwaZulu-Natal’s Midlands region, South Africa. Positioned on the R617 regional road between Boston and Underberg, Bulwer sits approximately 50 minutes northwest of Ixopo on the R56, shadowed by the Amahwaqa (the misty one) mountain.
Sky Adventures offers paragliding flights from either the Bluff or Bulwer. Given the reliance on wind conditions for paragliding, securing a specific day and time can be challenging. Opting for the Bluff location means the instructor will get in touch to schedule your flight when weather conditions are favourable. If you choose Bulwer, consider making it a day or weekend excursion, taking advantage of on-site accommodation.

Micro Adventure: Dive With Tiger Sharks


If you’ve cage-dived with great whites and crave a bigger thrill, head to Aliwal Shoal on KZN’s South Coast. Pack your wetsuit, leave the cages behind and get ready for an adrenaline rush like no other. Aliwal Shoal is a rare spot where you can dive with Oceanic Blacktip sharks year-round and Tiger Sharks in summer. Led by a highly experienced Shark Diving Divemaster from Aliwal Dive Centre, you’ll embark on a cage-free adventure including a detailed briefing on the morning’s events, and learning about the habitat, feeding habits, and behaviour of Oceanic Blacktip and Tiger Sharks. *Featured tiger shark image (c) Gerald Schombs / Unsplash

Micro Adventure: Step back in time


There are over 500 recorded rock art sites in the Drakensberg. Most of these are kept secret (for conservation) or are simply too remote for the everyday hiker to get to. Of the “tourist” sites, it’s at Game Pass Shelter in the Kamberg where you ‘feel’ the past. It’s home to the panel known as the “Rosetta Stone”, from which historians first made the connection between the art and the metaphysical. If the experience isn’t trippy enough (Waterfall Cave on the way up is amazing), maybe the three-hour guided walk into the heady peaks above the misty valley will be. More info, here.

Micro Adventure: White Water Rafting


The Mkomazi is regarded as the prime white-water destination in South Africa, with the section from Daisy Chain to Lower Nkonka regarded as the biggest runnable white water south of the Zambezi. It’s also on this river that Tim Biggs, the only man to have paddled all three of the Amazon’s major tributaries (read about it in Three Rivers of the Amazon), leant to run rapids. Experienced guides lead all Umko Rafting trips, so no experience is necessary. Enjoy the mighty river as it froths its way down to the Indian Ocean through the largely untouched mixed woodland and subtropical forest. Just 90 minutes from Durban, a rafting trip on the Umko makes a great corporate team-build or day-trip adventure.

Inspired? Check out some micro adventures in your area, here.

https://www.active-escapes.co.za/activity/rafting/

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