CANOPY
TOURS SOUTH AFRICA - LOCATIONS
Canopy Tours South Africa consist of the following
Canopy Tours - Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour, (in Tsitsikamma
Forest near Stormsriver on the Garden Route), Karkloof
Canopy Tour (Karkloof Forest Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal
midlands), Magaliesberg Canopy Tour (in Gauteng / North
West, Magoebaskloof Canopy Tour (in Magoebaskloof, Limpopo),
Drakensberg Canopy Tour (Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal)
and Swaziland Canopy Tour / Malolotja Canopy Tour (in
the Malolotja Nature Reserve, Zwaziland).
THE EXPERIENCE
Experience the thrill of sliding through the forest
on a 2½ hour Tarzan and Jane adventure! Enjoy
the unequalled beauty of indigenous forests, or ancient
river gorges, while traversing 30 metres above the forest
floor.
The canopy tour experience begins with a safety briefing
at the reception centre. Here the canopy tour guides
will first demonstrate how to slide on the cables and
the safety procedures to be followed on the tour, before
kitting clients up with full body harness, pulley, climbing
equipment and safety helmet. Groups are then transported
into the forest or up to the mountain in an open vehicle
to the start of the canopy tour. All groups are escorted
by a lead guide and safety guide at all times while
on the Canopy Tour.
Each canopy tour ends with a short walk out of the
forest to the waiting vehicle. Upon returning to the
office you will then be shown into the restaurant to
enjoy a well-deserved meal and refreshments.
THE CANOPY TOURS
Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour®
The Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour® takes place in the
magnificent Tsitsikamma Forest with most of the platforms
built around giant Outeniqua Yellowwoods up to 700 years
old. Standing within the crown of these giants and looking
down at the lush forest floor thirty metres below is
an unforgettable experience. Hold your breath as you
slide from tree to tree through the forest, stopping
at each new platform while your guides tell you a little
more about the surrounding ecology. If you are fortunate
you will spot a pair of Knysna Loeries or the brilliant
red plumage of the elusive Narina Trogon.
We are located at Storms River Village on the Garden
Route, 45 mins from Plettenberg Bay and 1hr 30 mins
from Port Elizabeth.
Contact details
Tel: +27 42 281 1836
Email:
Web: www.tsitsikammacanopytour.co.za
Karkloof Canopy Tour®
The Karkloof Canopy Tour® has been built in a spectacular
valley of the mistbelt podacarpus Karkloof Forest Reserve.
The tour includes long swooping slides over the treetops
of the forest, stops below a 15m waterfall and takes
in wide views across the Karkloof valley. This was the
second canopy tour built in South Africa and has been
designed for the more adventurous nature lover. Expect
to hear the loud calls of the Samango monkey, see a
rare orchid or catch the flash of an Emerald cuckoo
as it flies past.
We are located at Karkloof in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands,
10 mins from Howick and 1hr 30 mins from Durban.
Contact details
Tel: +27 33 330 3415
Email:
Web: www.karkloofcanopytour.co.za
Magaliesberg Canopy Tour®
The Magaliesberg Canopy Tour® takes the whole canopy
tour concept one step further as eleven platforms have
all been individually designed and built within the
cliffs and rock faces of the ancient Magaliesberg Mountains.
This tour takes people on a journey through the ecology
and geology of one of the oldest mountain ranges at
the world - estimated to be 2,500 million years old.
The Magaliesberg Mountains are home to a wide variety
of plant, animal and birdlife – watch out for
the shy klipspringer jumping from rock to rock below
you or look up to spot an endangered black eagle circling
above.
We are located located at Magaliesburg in Gauteng /
North West, 1 hour 20 minutes from Johannesburg / Pretoria
and 30 minutes from Rustenburg.
Contact details
Tel: +27 14 535 0150
Email:
Web: www.magaliescanopytour.co.za
Magoebaskloof Canopy Tour®
The Magoebaskloof Canopy Tour® opened in December
2008 between the towns of Haenertsburg and Tzaneen in
Limpopo province. This canopy tour may well be the most
spectacular as it traverses down a deep narrow gorge
crossing three magnificent waterfalls that each tumble
nearly 20m into the river below. Cliffside platforms
provide birds-eye views of the waterfalls and gorge
and allow clients to experience this previously inaccessible
environment for the first time. The river gorge is adorned
with wild flowers and orchids, and provides the perfect
setting to see a host of colourful butterfly species.
The Giant Kingfisher too is a common sight as it flies
up the river. Guests of the Magoebaskloof Canopy Tour
will certainly not fail to discover something new every
time they visit this unique tour!
We are located between the towns of Haenertsburg and
Tzaneen in Limpopo province. 30 mins from Polokwane
and 3 hours from Pretoria.
Contact Details
Tel: +27 83 866 1546
Email:
Web: www.magoebaskloofcanopytour.co.za
Drakensberg Canopy Tour®
The Drakensberg Canopy Tour® is set within the
towering cliff faces and trees of the beautiful Blue
Grotto forest in the central Drakensberg and promises
an unforgettable adventure as you glide along a series
of eleven steel cables and platforms built within and
above the upper forest canopy level. Tour groups are
escorted at all times by a lead and safety guide, who
not only ensure the safety of each client but also provide
an interesting narration on the fauna, flora and ecology
of the surrounding forest. A first for South Africa,
the Drakensberg Canopy Tour includes an elevated rockface
walkway which will offer clients uninterrupted treetop
views over the forested valley below. The new tour include
spectacular slides over the forest combined with the
enjoyment of tranquil surroundings and bird sightings
from each of the platforms.
We are situated opposite Drakensberg Sun, Central Drakensberg,
KZN.
Contact Details
Tel: +27 83 866 1546
Email:
Web: www.drakensbergcanopytour.co.za
Swaziland Canopy Tour - Malolotja Canopy Tour®
Swaziland - The Malolotja Canopy Tour® is situated
in the pristine Malolotja Nature Reserve in north western
Swaziland alongside the popular Piggs Peak route. The
reserve boasts an abundance of game animals and birdlife
and is well known for the prolific display of wild flowers
in spring. This tour is set in one of the last truly
remote mountain wildernesses left in Southern Africa
and takes place alongside the rocky crags and sheer
mountain slopes of the reserve.
We are situated on the Piggs Peak road, less than 45
minutes from Mbabane and half an hour from the Oshoek
/ Ngwenya border post.
Contact details
Tel: +268 7697 5704
Email:
Web: www.malolotjacanopytour.com
ABOUT CANOPY TOURS SOUTH AFRICA
Canopy Tours South Africa are found at 5 locations
throughout South Africa and one in Swaziland - in Tsitsikamma
Forest, Karkloof Forest Reserve, Magaliesberg, Magoebaskloof
and the Drakensberg, while the sixth canopy tour is
located in Swaziland in the Malolotja Nature Reserve.
Canopy Tours® consists of several long cable slides
that are joined together by platforms built high within
the canopy level of a forest.Slides of up to 175m long
provide unforgettable rides and spectacular views. The
platforms can accommodate up to ten people at a time
and all provide a unique perspective on the surrounding
environment.
The concept originated in the lush rainforests of Costa
Rica where adventurous biologists, desperate to study
the diversity of animal life that habituates the upper
canopy level of forests, devised a system of cables
and platforms that would allow them to explore this
previously inaccessible ecosystem. It wasn't long
before this developed into a breathtaking eco-tourism
activity that not only allowed people to enter and experience
the upper realm of a rainforest, but raised awareness
to the plight and beauty of the world's endangered
indigenous forests.
After constructing a canopy tour in the cloud forests
of Costa Rica civil engineer Mark Brown returned to
South Africa in 2000 to begin the search for the country’s
largest trees. These were found in the Tsitsikamma Forest
along the popular Garden Route and in partnership with
Ashley Wentworth of Stormsriver Adventures the internationally
acclaimed Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour® was opened as
Africa’s first Canopy Tour in 2001.
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