Oribi Gorge

The Mzimkulwana River has cut a gorge about twenty-four kilometres long and up to four hundred metres deep through sandstone near the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, and the reserve protects the forested slopes inside it. Walking trails run along the rim and down to the river through subtropical forest with samango monkeys, and viewpoints - the Overhanging Rock, the Baboon's Castle, Hoopoe Falls - look along the canyon. On the private side above it, a commercial adventure operation runs what it bills as the world's highest gorge swing, a rope pendulum off a bridge with a free fall of around a hundred metres before the arc, plus abseiling and a zipline. The two experiences sit side by side: quiet forest birding in the reserve, and screaming from the bridge above. The oribi antelope the gorge is named for is now scarce here.

What you actually see

• The 400-metre gorge - a sandstone canyon cut by the Mzimkulwana River.
• The gorge swing - a pendulum off the bridge with about a hundred metres of free fall.
• The forest trails - subtropical paths with samango monkeys and viewpoints.
• The scarce oribi - the antelope in the name, now rarely seen here.

When to go

April to September - summer is hot, humid and wet in the gorge. A day.

Honest expectations

Trails down to the river are steep and slippery in the wet, with a hard climb back. The adventure operation is a separate private business with its own prices. Summer humidity in the gorge is heavy. Some viewpoints have unfenced edges.

Nearby

Port Shepstone and the south coast beaches are east; Margate is down the coast.