I was part of a group of journalists and social media influencers who were recently invited to a mega hosting to showcase some of Mzansi’s great destinations as part of the ‘Sho’t Left -Travel Week' campaign.
For the first time, South African Tourism hosted two groups at the same time. One group was headed to the Free State Province, while the other explored Gauteng.
I was excited about this trip, I mean for two years, we couldn’t travel but as soon I glanced at the list and saw my name on the Gauteng group, my heart dropped because I thought I live in Gauteng…born and bred…why not take me to another province.
Trust me, that pity party didn't last long. As soon we left SA Tourism’s Sandton offices, I realised that I was headed for an adventure of a lifetime as I discovered some of the hidden gems right in the heart of Gauteng, the 'Place of Gold’.
Our first stop was Adventure Zone Muningi Gorge, in Cullinan, which is considered one of the best adventure spots in the country.
Here, adventure enthusiasts can work up an appetite with South Africa’s longest and fastest ziplining slides ranging from 260m to 570m, heights of 80m and speeds of up to 100km/h.
“This activity draws is adrenaline seekers from all over the country,” and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.
All geared up with a helmet and a harness, I chickened out. I can see you judging me. I judged myself, too. I took a walk of shame and stood for over half an hour waiting to be fetched while my peers were having a jol. Would I attempt the ziplining again? Absolutely!
The place also offers quad safari or quad trail, abseil or rap jump, amazing race, djembe drumming, horse riding and hiking for the less bold like myself.
The adrenaline rush continued the next day as some of my colleagues fulfilled their bucket lists. Terrified as some of them were, they went on and plunged 50 meters off the Kings Kloof Bridge in Krugersdorp Mogale City.
By then I had not built up the courage to even try the gorge or bridge swing, which many opted for…Let me paint a picture for you. Try imagining a child’s swing in the park…but this one is 320m over a body of water. The guides are very professional and encouraging. If this is part of your bucket, stop imagining it, just go for it!
While travelling is exciting, learning ad discovering new destinations is exciting too.
So, as an art lover, visiting art galleries ad museums are usually on top of the list whenever I travel, so if you’re like me, I bet you will enjoy the Nirox Sculpture Park, in Krugersdorp.
The park hosts more than 50 permanent and long-term installations by artists from across the globe; and at least one annual large-scale curated exhibition of new and temporary installations and performances. Nirox is also known for hosting residencies for local and international creatives.
After the mini tour around the park, we headed to Farmhouse 58 and it was exciting to learn that we had to pick our own vegetables that will form part of our dinner.
If you’re into wellness, organic food or caring for the environment, this place is for you.
After the tour of the garden, I sat down with the general manager of the Farm House, Jamie Lee Brophy for a quick chat on the history of the farm.
“The entire project is called Project 58 and the Farmhouse is just one component of the entire project. It's the accommodation component of the project,” Brophy.
“The idea of the project is focusing on wellness, well-being, and understanding of the landscape we are in. The fact that we're on the Cradle of Humankind plays an important factor in the curation of the entire space,” he said.
Brophy further explained that they conduct workshops and projects around mindfulness, conscious eating, conscious cooking and regenerative farming.
“Apart from regenerative farming, we have community projects that are run through the space. So the idea around regenerative travel in its essence is not to just come into a space for leisure, but it's also about understanding the environment that you're coming into and interacting with.
“What's really great about regenerative travel is also that it's leaving the space better than you found it.
“So it's not just about leaving a negative footprint on the ecosystem, but also understanding that the type of travel you're doing is conscious and considered.
“So it's like, what's the carbon footprint of the establishment? How are they working towards creating a more sustainable future?
“Where do you source your linen from? Is it local? Is it sustainable? Is it a female-owned company?
“So it's all things that we try and engage with in order to make better choices,” he said.
The rooms are rustic and exude that bohemian look and feel. There are no TVs in the room. The place is perfect to retreat with family and friends or if you’re me, you prefer travelling alone, you will enjoy the serenity of the place.
Another highlight of the trip was the Johannesburg Skydiving Club in the small mining city of Carltonville.
The weather conditions weren’t favourable for the jump, and only three members of our crew managed to tick that bucket list box.
But while we were waiting for the clouds to clear I grabbed Eugene Potgieter, the chairperson of the Johannesburg Skydiving Club, to give us a bit of background on the award-winning skydiving club.
“What we do here is, we introduce sky diving to everyone. We do this through tandem sky diving where you are attached in a very strong harness to an instructor.
“The harness is designed in such a way that you cannot fall out of it,” explained Potgieter.
Potgieter added that the system is designed to have two parachutes on board...“if there’s a problem with the one parachute, we have a reserve’.
Skydiving takes about five to seven minutes from jump to landing, plus 30 minutes in the aeroplane beforehand.
“The aircraft take up to 20 minutes to reach the top, which is approximately 11 000 feet we open the door and that’s when reality kicks in. We jump out, then we free fall for 35 seconds and the parachute gradually opens.
“The most dangerous part of doing skydiving is driving here,” he said.
So, as we get ready to welcome spring, take a ‘shot’left and enjoy some of he best spots this country has to offer.
Read the latest issue of IOL Travel digital magazine here.