A South African summer is all about having fun in the sun! Smart holiday makers make their plans around what summer activities they’re looking to do – so we thought we’d help you on your way to finding some extreme ways to keep cool this summer:
Natural Airconditioning
Skydiving isn’t for the feint hearted, but sometimes the only thing that can cool you down is jumping out of an aeroplane! Okay, sure, there are probably hundreds of other things you could try before getting to this, but we know there are some daredevils out there that are looking for any excuse.
There are many great places across South Africa that offer training and skydiving adventures, but arguably one of the best places to do this is in Cape Town. A little north of Stellenbosch you will find Diermerskraal Airfield and using this as your “launch pad” for your dive will mean you have beautiful views of both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean when you step out of the plane. What you look at after that is up to you!
If you’re travelling, we can recommend any of the six hotels we have based in the Western Cape – ranging across our four brands to get you a holiday that suits your budget.
Gliding Above It All
Skydiving may be a bit wild for you, but there are other activities that you can think about that involve a parachute as well. Paragliding is pretty much the same thing, except you glide gracefully instead of plummeting downwards. This gives you more of a chance to take in your surroundings and appreciate the change in altitude. Another benefit is that you can launch from land or from the coast, which makes it a very versatile summer holiday activity.
Paragliding in the Drakensberg is a great way to take in the sprawling peaks without sweating it out on a trail for hours. Wild Sky Paragliding would be more than happy to make this dream come true for you! We can recommend starting off in Durban and making your way up to the mountains – getting the best of both the coast and the peaks!
Taking a Dip
Most of the time, people do everything they can to avoid seeing the world through bars. For our next suggestion, you’ll come to love and embrace the bars! Shark cage diving is available for the majority of the year, but what better time than summer – where you’d be wanting to get in the water anyway?
This is certainly more of an adventure than just taking a dip in the pool, but can help you appreciate our country’s vast ocean life and the apex predators that patrol it. Sharks are often very misunderstood and hated, so a trip like this, with a knowledgeable instructor, can help heal the bad reputation that they carry.
Of course, you’ll need an ocean, of which South Africa has a great deal. Gansbaai is considered the Great White Shark capital, and the White Shark Diving Company excels at showing you what they have to offer. Good quality accommodation is a bit scarce in the area though, so be sure to check out our nearby Cape Town hotels.
Bobbing Around
Maybe you like a bit less fear while you’re out on the water, but still want the adrenaline – we’ve got a suggestion for you too! Jet skiing and water sport is a growing industry, with spots popping up everywhere that there’s a big enough body of water. You can choose whether to rent the gear for the day, or just a few hours of it, so you can fit in some other summer activities as well.
Hartbeesport, or Harties as its affectionately known, is well known for its dam, and the Harties Watersports Centre is well equipped to help you have loads of fun out on the water. It is a short 40km drive away from central Pretoria, meaning you get to have all the fun splashing around without the long drive to the coastline!
Even if Harties is close to home, you might want to get out the house all the same to make it feel like a proper holiday – we’ve got you covered as well, since we have a number of great hotels in and around Pretoria to choose from!
Making Summer Funner!
Even if you aren’t a thrill seeker, we’ve got some great news – we’re doing our part to make summer funner! How are we doing that exactly? Any stay that you book for between 16 December 2021 and 9 January 2022 qualifies for a discount of up to 30%! This is a big deal, since more affordable accommodation frees up some extra budget to do more, see more, buy more and just experience more! We have a wide range of hotels conveniently placed across the country – meaning there’ll be a hotel near you for just about any summer activity you can think of! So what are you waiting for? Get booking!