It’s Father’s Day this Sunday and in the spirit of all things manly, rugged and wild, we’ve compiled a list of adventure musts for the man of the house to enjoy on this day – or any other occassion the desire to beat your hairy chest while swinging on a vine in a loin cloth arises. Or something in that vein.
Whether you take the wife, family or mates or go it alone, Bear Grylls-style, Africa has plenty on offer to bring out the man in you. Or at least that feeling…
10 Mancations for Father’s Day
1. Go Glamping on a Mobile Tented Safari
– It’s camping but not the way you did it as a kid. Spend nights in a luxury tent in the African wild while lions roar around you and hyenas come in for a sniff! Read more about luxury camping in our blog.
Think Mozambique, Botswana and the Serengeti… Follow the Great Migration across the Serengeti, experience a walking safari in South Luangwa Park, learn how to track wild animals in the wilderness (it’ll impress your lady and the lads), and see plains game and predators in the heart of bush.
>> Alternatively sleep under the stars and ditch the tent – take a look at our photo album on Facebook here.
2. Man VS Ape – Go Gorilla & Chimp Tracking
– Think you have anything on Tarzan? Meet the guys he grew up with – man’s closest relatives – in the forested slopes of the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda and Uganda as well as Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. You’ll have a guide so don’t worry if it takes a while to find your inner ape. Read more here!
3. Prove yourself and climb Mount Kilimanjaro
– Wild landscapes, wild animals and wild memories… if you survive.
Mount Kilimanjaro really is one of the iconic images of Africa. Who would have thought that a mountain almost 6000m high could exist so close to the equator? Formed by massive volcanic eruptions some 750 000 years ago, Kili is a dormant, rather than dead, volcano. There are a number of routes up though the most popular is the Marangu Route – at least 5 days of climbing. Celebrate the achievement with an ice cold bottle of Kilimanjaro beer.
Do you have what it takes?
4. Fly in a Helicopter – We dare you to take the wheel
Always wanted to play army soldiers as in Black Hawk Down or Forest Gump and jump out of a chopper, guns adding bulk to your uniform and bombs going off in the palm tree jungle around you? Now’s your chance – fly in a Huey from Vietnam over Cape Town. There’ll be no guns or bombs, thankfully, but it’s a thrilling experience all the same.
Read more here and find out about other African destinations to fly over in a helicopter – from the Okavango Delta to the Victoria Falls.
5. Cast Your Rod in Africa
Go fly fishing in KwaZulu Natal’s Drakensberg and Midlands or catch and release in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, which is great for catching tiger fish! For a list of Delta properties offering fishing, visit our website.
6. Swing your club
Go on a golfing holiday! If your idea of fun male bonding is hitting the green with your golf club and mates, then South Africa is for you. It’s one of the world’s top golfing destinations. Follow in the footsteps of golfing legends such as Gary Player, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Louis Oosthuizen.
7. Chase white water rapids
Get your heart racing on a white water rafting trip down the mighty Zambezi River! This one-day low water trip is considered the best one-day white water experience available in the world. Stay near the Victoria Falls on either the Zimbabwean or Zambian side and let your guard down with several white-knuckle adventures in the area!
8.Visit the Battlefields
The history of Kwazulu Natal is one of bloodshed and conflict. It’s peaceful now and you can explore the famous sites of Isandlwana, Rorke’s Drift, Spionkop and Blood River and relive these epic battles between the Boers, British and Zulus! Find our more on out website.
9. How about a Man Spa?
Hey, it’s the metrosexual generation… If you’re keen for some pampering after all this Grizzly Adams adventure, visit Cape Town‘s exclusively-for-men Glasshouse Rejuvenation Spa and enjoy several treatments.
10. Surf’s Up in J-Bay
– Jeffreys Bay is one of the five most famous surfing destinations in the world and hosts the annual Billabong Pro ASP World Tour surfing event in July. The Jeffreys Bay surf break is a fast, powerful, hollow and consistent wave. Don’t talk about surfing until you’ve ridden your board here.
Jeffreys Bay is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, just off the N2 Highway, about an hour’s drive southwest of Port Elizabeth.
Ready for your Mancation?
Contact one of our expert travel consultants to discuss these adventures in more detail and to start planning your manly trip of a lifetime! There are several other exciting options and our consultants have been, seen and done it all, so you’ll be in experienced hands.
Gives me itchy feet!