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, about 35 kilometres north-west of Port Shepstone, and the reserve protects the forested slopes inside it; the cliffs are sandstone some 365 million years old, over basement rock more than a billion years old. 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 from the lip of Lehr's Falls with a drop the operator gives as 165 metres, plus abseiling, a zipline and a suspension footbridge. The two experiences sit side by side: quiet forest birding in the reserve, and screaming from the waterfall's edge above. The oribi antelope the gorge is named for is now scarce here.

The landscape

• The 400-metre gorge - a sandstone canyon cut by the Mzimkulwana River.
• The gorge swing - a pendulum from the edge of Lehr's Falls, a 165-metre drop by the operator's figure.
• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts