From around the mid-2000s, ziplines started to pop up in several of South Africa’s most scenic locations. With their relatively low cost and novelty factor for visitors and tourists alike, they made for great franchises to open in unlikely, often remote but painfully scenic locations. However, after a few early projects proved their popularity, more companies have started to tap into this potential.
Sun City’s Zip 2000 has the self-proclaimed title of the world’s fastest zipline (with recorded speeds of up to 160kph). And this month, SA Forest Adventures announced it would open the world’s longest zipline. At 3.
2km, the K3 zipline in Caledon, outside Cape Town, will beat its nearest competitor by nearly 400 meters. Although the titles of longest and fastest make for great marketing slogans, there’s a lot more to a successful zipline excursion - more important than both, at least for the softer adrenaline junkies, is the location. Central to most zipline operations in South Africa is the scenery, and although it’s a thrill to cruise on nothing but a high-altitude wire, when combined with an epic view, it’s an even more memorable experience.
Here are six of the most scenic ziplines to harness up for while you wait for the K3 to open its record-setting operation. Cape Canopy Tour, Western Cape Cape Canopy Tour is located in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, 90 minutes from Cape Town. It is perhaps one of the country’s most dramatic zipline operations as far .
