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Parsons Pursuits
18 June 2023
"Sometimes the most extraordinary adventures hide beyond the ordinary." This thought echoed as we left Durban's familiar coastline for Oribi Gorge. The 120km drive south to Port Shepstone gave no hints, but turning inland, each bend in the road revealed another surprise. What began as a simple autumn day trip became an encounter with raw South African beauty we never expected.
Our first stop was for breakfast. We had heard about the Leopard Rock Coffee Shop and wanted to try it for ourselves. Visitors have the option of sitting inside or on a deck overlooking the gorge. We chose to sit out on the deck, and quite frankly, I would have been happy to sit there all day. Apart from the spectacular view, we watched as birds of prey soared across the vast, clear skies, and some gorgeous hornbills flitted from the nearby trees to our table every so often, hoping for some fried chips!
The coffee was fabulous, the breakfast superb, but it was the view that kept us longer than we had planned.
After breakfast, we made our way to the view site, and as good tourists do, posed on and off the yellow photo frame, as well as on the overhanging rock.
We chose to drive on to the second place to visit, Lake Eland Reserve. The Reserve is perfect for day visitors, campers and those wishing to stay in chalets.
We were keen to conquer our fears and traverse the suspension bridge. The suspension bridge is 80 m in length and 110 m above Oribi Gorge. Walking across is definitely not for the faint-hearted! Alison and Tim marched forth bravely, while Gary and Hannah cheered them on.
With the suspension bridge challenge out of the way, we were left with other more relaxing activities. Next, we climbed down the 383 steps of Hell’s Gate (more like Heaven’s Gate in our opinion) – the actual start of Oribi Gorge. We had great fun in the caves alongside the stairs, listening to the terrified screams of the zip-liners overhead, and enjoyed reading about San culture and history in the display in the main cave. Of course, if we walked down 383 stairs, we had to walk back up 383 stairs!
Then it was back in the car to find the perfect spot to enjoy our picnic lunch. As we drove towards Lake Eland, we passed giraffe, eland, warthogs and zebra, all looking pretty satisfied with life.
We had the picnic sites on the small island in the centre of the lake to ourselves. It was a fresh afternoon, but the area was peaceful and pleasant. People were camping on the side of the lake, and the sites looked well-maintained and had bamboo partitions for extra privacy.
Although we didn’t go zip lining, we were impressed with the facilities. The reserve offers the longest zip line tour in Africa, spanning an impressive 4, 35 kilometres. This incredible journey takes you across Oribi Gorge and even includes sections over the lake, comprising a total of 14 thrilling slides. The exhilarating Zip X-treme Tour slides you down the side of Oribi Gorge at speeds of up to 160 km/h! This is not for children.
As the sun began to set, signalling the end of a remarkable day filled with delightful surprises, it was time to bid farewell to the wonders of Oribi Gorge. The memories created and the adventures we had will forever hold a special place in our hearts.