After weeks of planning, our Tulbagh weekend was finally confirmed, and at the very top of the list was a zipline tour with Ceres Zipline Adventures. We woke up early and braved the cold on our 35 minute drive from Tulbagh to Ceres with our hearts racing with excitement. Situated in the Schurweberg Mountains, Ceres Adventures offers 1.4km of ziplines varying in length from 100 – 290m. Ceres, known as the “Eden of the Cape” is only an hour and a half’s drive from Cape Town, and well worth the drive for this epic adrenaline-inducing adventure!

If there is one way to experience the beauty of Ceres, it’s by zipline. There is something about hurtling feet first down the mountain on a misleadingly thin cable that makes for an unforgettable experience. The sound of the zizzing zipline, the adrenaline that slowly rises throughout your entire body, and the captivating blur of mountain-rock-river, river-rock-mountain as you speed over the crags and waterfalls.

Ceres Ziplines offers something unique. While other ziplines run as canopy tours and travel through the treetops, Ceres Ziplines run out in the open which gives you the chance to truly appreciate the spectacular scenery you’re passing through. We timed our trip well as we had the added beauty of snow-capped mountains in the distance.

We arrived at 08h00 on the dot and were warmly welcomed by Demetri and his team, Martin and Rachel. After “signing our lives away” with the indemnity forms, we were effortlessly fitted into harnesses, helmets, and gloves, and sent on our merry way in a heated minivan to the start of the zipline tour.

As we trailed through the fynbos towards the starting point of the zipline, my heart began to race. This was it! The view was phenomenal. The valley dropped away in front of us and all we could see was a tiny cable that disappeared towards the safe landing point on the other side of the valley. Martin expertly zipped across as Rachel explained to us how the zipline works. Ceres Adventures has perfected its own patented braking system – a simple pull down on the handle will slow you down. Just don’t pull down prematurely as you may find yourself stuck in the middle of the cable, and your guide will have to winch you back!

The key is to assume a crouching position and when you’re ready to go. You simply lift up the handle which releases the brake and after a few stumbling efforts, we finally caught the hang of it. You then have to keep the handle up while you race across the gorge and wait for Martin to perform the braking signal to indicate when to pull down on the handle.

In the beginning, you’re so busy focusing on staying alive and getting from A to B that you forget to see the view beneath you as anything more than an immense hole into which you could fall to your death. But it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it and your fear turns to pure enjoyment and appreciation. It was hard to bite back the Tarzan yell that seems to come naturally when swinging from platform to platform seemingly out of your own control. There is something truly thrilling about the chance to give over control to the speed of your own body weight, and to put complete trust in your guide to let you know when to put on the brakes.

Once you’ve gained confidence, it’s hard not to fight the queue to jump onto the next one. Then you get to really enjoy your surrounds. As you race along the cable towards your friends on the other side, you can truly absorb the experience – the sound of the wind circling in your ears dulling out the rushing water beneath you, the beauty of the light reflecting off the water, the fresh smell of nature and impending rain, and the mishmash of fynbos colours blur into one as you hurtle past at 50km an hour.

The 8 ziplines each have their own unique thrill. The shorter in length, the faster the zipline. My favourite zipline was the third last one (the only one I was brave enough to do first), which was the longest! This zipline travelled over a rushing river between a break in the rocks, and required a hard break – otherwise, in Rachel’s words, you would be flattened against the rock on the other side “like a bushman painting”.

On the second last zip, Rachel informed us that it was mandatory to scream as we kicked off or we would have to go back and redo the whole zipline tour. She quickly changed her mind when she realised just how seriously we were considering not screaming just so that we COULD go back and do it all again.

The final zipline was a memorable one as we were required to pull down on the brakes for the entire journey. This was not as easy as you may think, as it’s natural to want to fly across the gorge, but it gives you a chance to focus on the scenery at a more leisurely pace.

Once we had completed the final zipline, we were bubbling with adrenaline and disappointed that our adventure was over. As we clambered over the rocks back to the minivan, Martin pointed out a rock face which had a strikingly similarity to Malema. After a quick drive back to the base, we unharnessed with the instruction to “drop it like it’s hot” and helped ourselves to fruit boxes out of the fridge. What a fantastic experience!

We were really blessed with exceptional guides. Rachel was ever-patient when she helped us into our harnesses and was always quick to smile, and Martin helped us up from the other side with constant cheers and congratulations. Martin even went the extra mile and offered to take my camera so that he could photograph and video us as we came down the zipline! Check out our video!

Recommended wear

• Beanies (winter)
• Long or short pants
• Comfortable flat soled shoes (preferably closed)
• Hair ties for long hair
• Camera
• Sunblock in summer

Details

• Cost: R400 per person (includes equipment, guides, and drinks), Special rates are available for 10 people or more
• Website: www.ceresadventures.co.za
• Times: Summer: 08h00 – 16h00, Winter: 08h00 – 15h00
• Duration: 1 hour – 1.5 hours
• Email: [email protected]
• Call: +27(0)79 245 0354 or +27(0)78 063 5134
• Address: 1 Voortrekker Street, Ceres
• GPS: S 33’22.530’ E 19’ 17.881’

We came out with slightly bruised ribs and amazing memories that we’ll remember for years to come.  I cannot wait to go back and do it again in the summer time. Don’t believe us? Give Ceres Ziplines Adventures a try yourself!