High adventure in Oribi Gorge

With several adrenaline-fuelled attractions to choose from, Shelley Seid likes lounging best

The 24km-long Oribi gorge, with its high sandstone cliffs, rapids, forests, river and waterfall, is tailor-made for extreme sport. Everything you attempt there is bound to be the highest, longest, roughest and toughest of its kind. The activities are even marketed as the Wild 5 - the wild abseil, wild swing, wild slide, wild rafting and the slightly less ludicrous options of seven-hour hikes or mountain biking along the gorge's edge.

At the other end of the travel spectrum are those, like me, more interested in extreme leisure. We are the people the Classen family had in mind when they built the five-star Gorge Private Game Lodge & Spa, with just five rondavels overlooking the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve and the Mzimkulwana river. And they obviously believed that if you are going to the trouble to construct an engineering feat this impressive, you might as well throw in glass walls, a balcony and an outdoor shower to showcase what is literally a bird's-eye view.

We arrived early and I immediately launched into leisure mode. A spa treatment, 15 minutes in the jacuzzi, an excellent lunch and I was ready for an afternoon nap. This was followed by an outdoor shower so spectacular that it deserves to be marketed as an attraction in its own right.

It was with a sense of misgiving then, that I was tempted to forgo my new relaxation routine to pay a visit to the nearby Cape vulture colony. We took a 10-minute drive across the veld, a short walk, and a trek down the side of the gorge to watch, as the sun set, the vultures returning home. There were dozens of them, playing in the thermals and coming in to land at their roosting spots in the cliff face.

It was the thin edge of the wedge. Encouraged by that outing, I agreed, the next day, to walk the Oribi Gorge suspension bridge. It's 80m long and 70m above ground. This means that if it collapsed under the weight of a person who has had too much of a good time, there would be little chance of survival. I was bullied forward by a gung-ho fellow guest, and managed to shuffle across taking deep breaths to control the motion sickness. I believe some people actually stop and look at the view. I just wanted to get back to my shower.

Completely frazzled, I watched in disbelief as we drove towards the new Lake Eland zip line. At 3.3km, it's marketed as the longest foefie slide in Africa. They say you can reach speeds of up to 90km an hour in your flight across the gorge, which makes it the fastest as well. The course consists of 10 slides, the final one taking you across Lake Eland, where you can actually touch the water.

A group of about 30 people were shrieking their way from platform to platform. "Are you all together?" I asked a big fellow with short hair and a moustache. "Team building," he said. "Where are you from?" I asked. "The SANDF," he said. I suppose it beats running across sand dunes with rocks in your backpack.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time but it was too extreme for me. All I wanted was to go back to my outdoor shower, raise my arms to the sky, shout: "I'm the king of the world," and have a nice cup of tea.

GETTING THERE:

Take the N2 South from Durban, and towards Port Shepstone, take the off-ramp at the Oribi Toll Plaza. Head towards Harding/Kokstad. Turn right at the Oribi Flats East sign, drive 22km and turn left onto the district road D251. After 2km, turn left into The Gorge.

WHY GO THERE:

To indulge all your senses in the lap of luxury. Go on, you deserve it.

WHAT TO DO IN THE AREA:

Great for birding (around 250 species in the area); game drives (where you may spot the rare Oribi buck and Samango monkeys); and the ubiquitous adventure sports.

THE FOOD:

Creative, modern and moreish. Chef Deon Kemp cooks with his heart and presents art on a plate.

RATES:

Bed-and-breakfast midweek: R1250; bed-and-breakfast weekends and holidays: R1650

CONTACT:

Call 0396870378 or e-mail info@thegorge.co.za.