Adventures in Africa – Adrielle and Robin

After going on a three day hike up Rhino Mountain this past week, we decided it would be a good idea to give you a summary of some of the adventure activities we have done in the last 2.5 months. We started off our adventure activities on Feb 4^th by running off a mountain with a pilot, and a chute… aka paragliding. After a 2 second run we found ourselves floating above a coastal city looking on a breath taking view. Then on February 20^th those who chose to found themselves in a small cage off the side of a boat. This was a moment in our lives when a shark encounter was a good thing. Though the water was murky, it made the sharks that much more mysterious. As we traveled to Bonnievale on February 27^th, we made a short stop at an irrigation canal. We thought we were going to be getting a lesson on the irrigation systems in the area but little did we know that we would be floating down one of them into a tunnel. This tunnel was 5 feet tall with 4 feet of water and bats everywhere! It was a little freaky at the time but when we came out the other end, most people loved it. At Bonnievale we relaxed on a river with a rope swing and boats. On March 2^nd we headed off to Jeffrey’s Bay. On the way we stopped at Bloukrans Bridge to do the very thing we’re taught not to… jump off. As the world tallest commercial bunjee jump it was 216 meters to the ground. Adreille and I thought it was the best adventure activity but it was such a unique experience that each person will tell a different tale of how they felt on the bridge and on the way down. In Jeffrey’s bay we had a packed 2 days filled with adventure. We went horseback riding on sand dunes and galloped along the beach, got surfing lessons in the salty Indian Ocean, and a few braved the wind to go sand boarding. On March 12^th we got the chance to go on a 3 hour coastal hike in Mdumbi. On March 20^th during our Durban homestay we went to a water park. A memorable moment was when we managed to get 17 people ‘on’ a giant tube going down a slide… rules are flexible in Africa. The next day on our way to Pietermaritzburg we stopped at a waterfall to go abseiling or repelling as we call it down 107 meters. The hike we just did up Rhino Mountain was 4 km to the cave we slept in on the first night. The second day was when we climbed 10 km up the mountain to have a foggy lunch. It cleared up for a few amazing minutes and then we went down the same 10 km for another nights sleep in the cave. The third day was 4 km back to base. Adrielle and I were put in group one. As we write this after the switch at noon today we hope that group two has better luck with the clouds on top of Rhino Mountain. All together the adventures we have done in the last 2.5 months have been amazing and the memories and sights will last forever! As the trip comes to an end, we can look back on our time here and remember some of the crazy things we’ve done. The only thing left to do is brave the heat and animals in Kruger National Park.

Adrielle Krahn and Robin Taves