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Adventure Tourism |
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| South Africa is rapidly developing as an adventure tourist hot-spot. The
mountains, rivers and endless coastline provide the ideal playground for this
aspect of tourism. The country offers many inspirational adventures and
experiences, led by highly professional guides. Hiking trails, mountain-biking,
4 x 4 trails, climbing and abseiling can be enjoyed in the country's numerous
wilderness areas. |
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| Hiking |
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| The
Drakensberg
in Kwazulu-Natal and the
Cederberg in the
Western Cape are spectacular
mountain ranges offering many adventure opportunities, as does the Table
Mountain range, renowned backdrop to the city of
Cape Town. There are a number of
diverse hiking trails in the country. The Otter Trail, Outeniqua Hiking Trail
and Tsitsikamma Trail along the Garden Route all have well-maintained huts and
clearly marked routes. The Whale Trail in De Hoop Nature Reserve near
Agulhas, which combines a fynbos
mountain experience with a coastal route, is also very popular. The
Wild Coast offers a more adventurous
hiking experience, but facilities are a bit limited. |
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| Water sports |
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| Adventure tour
operators run river and white-water rafting trips throughout the country. Along
the Whale Route in the Western Cape, ocean safaris are offered, where whales and
dolphins can be viewed in their natural habitat. Water sports include surfing
at world-famous Jeffrey's Bay, wind-surfing and scuba-diving. |
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| Bungi-jumping |
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| Bungi-jumping is
available from the bridges over the Gouritz and Bloukrans Rivers on the N2
highway, as well as from the Table Mountain cable car. |
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| Mountain Biking |
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| The Garden Route and the area around Sabie in
Mpumalanga
have world-class mountain-biking trails. |
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| Golfing |
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| For golfers, South Africa offers a large
number of championship courses, and is a popular venue for golfing holidays and
tours. Sun City is home to the Gary Player Country Club, venue of the Nedbank
Golf Challenge, as well as The Lost City Golf Course, with its famous
"crocodile-pit" 13th hole.
Fancourt,
a resort estate on the Garden Route, is a golfing mecca and has three
championship courses and a golfing school. There are beautifully maintained
golf-courses throughout the country, with most incorporating the natural habitat
to stunning effect, including the Wild Coast Country Club in the Eastern Cape
and Sparrebosch, located high up on the Knysna Heads. |
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| Sport in General |
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South Africa, a country with a rich sporting tradition, is ideal for visitors
who are either active participants or avid spectators. The climate and wide
open spaces are conducive to many sporting and outdoor activities.
The country
has excellent stadium facilities for soccer, rugby and cricket. In 1995 South
Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup, beating New Zealand in a closely fought
final, and in 1996 Bafana Bafana, the national soccer team, won the African Cup
of Nations in South Africa.
In 2003 the Cricket World Cup was hosted in South
Africa. Cape Town narrowly missed out to Athens in hosting the 2004 Olympic
Games, and the country lost out to Germany in hosting the 2006 Soccer World
Cup.
In June 2004, South Africa was selected as the host country for the FIFA
Soccer World Cup in 2010. All the popular sports have introduced development
programmes to promote sport in underprivileged communities and to redress the
imbalances of the past. These development initiatives are starting to pay
dividends, with a number of previously disadvantaged athletes now breaking into
the traditionally white dominated sports.
Road running has a long tradition in
South Africa. The two premier road-running events are the Comrades Marathon, a
grueling 89-km event run annually between
Durban and
Pietermaritzburg,
and the scenic Two Oceans marathon in the
Cape Peninsula. Triathlons are becoming more and more popular.
There are many exciting canoe races, including the challenging Berg and Duzi
canoe marathons. |
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