The K3 zipline in Caledon is the longest in the world, stretching up to 3km.
Riaan Manser recounts how the world’s longest zipline came to be built in Caledon, the South Africans who helped turn the idea into reality, and why the 3km ride makes you feel like Superman.
Stand by, you’re about to get very high… and fast!
Little South Africa may sit at the southern tip of the world, yet we continue to set benchmarks and do things others have not.
Tourism contributes about 10% to the country’s GDP and, understandably, dominates leadership discussions in the Western Cape – especially when there is something to celebrate.
Still, South Africa is currently only the fourth most popular tourism destination in Africa, trailing far behind Egypt and Morocco, which attract nearly double the number of visitors each year. That’s roughly 20 million people choosing to spend their money there instead of in a country that has it all.
And by “it all”, I don’t mean Table Mountain or Cape Town’s intoxicating beauty and wine farms. I mean the people. People who build tourism. The infrastructure, the steel, the brick and mortar. And then to marry this with determination, perseverance and a sprinkle of business acumen to deliver a product that not only survives, but thrives – creating jobs, and fuelling dreams and futures.
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I experienced that this week, and so did my family.
I met Clint Lerm – an icon in tourism – many years ago in Hermanus at an event I spoke at. He was, like me, enthusiastic and positive, and, naturally, I was drawn to him and his way of thinking. Everything was an opportunity to him – not a problem. Fast-forward 15 years, and I’m standing in front of the now-famous K3 Zipline on a family day out that I’d put off more times than I can remember owing to all our recent international family adventures.
This venue may not be as famous as the K1 and K2 mountains on the northern Pakistan-China border, but it is slowly building a reputation to match. It is the world’s – yup, planet Earth’s – longest (and also fastest) zipline.
The K3 zipline in Caledon is the longest in the world, stretching up to 3km.
The K3 zipline in Caledon is the longest in the world, stretching up to 3km.
The K3 zipline in Caledon is the longest in the world, stretching up to 3km.
The K3 zipline in Caledon is the longest in the world, stretching up to 3km.
The K3 zipline in Caledon is the longest in the world, stretching up to 3km.
Here is the crux of the story I hope to share: This visionary has shown me what dreaming and determination are truly about.
By 2019, Clint had a few zipline sites under his belt and was operating successfully. But the one he was most proud of was the one that takes you over the wild ocean along the southern part of Mossel Bay’s peninsula. He tells me how surprised he was when a tourist informed him that his zipline there was, in fact, the longest over open ocean waters. He was surprised, but quite proud that he had achieved this purely by accident.
“Could I build the world’s longest zipline?” he then asked himself. The record length at the time was 2.8km in the UAE. But he wanted South Africa to have the longest zipline. He then began negotiating with all the parties needed to fulfil the dream. These included grumpy politicians, grumpier environmentalists, and the farmers – the friendly land owners.
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He had three sites in mind and had just completed a final site meeting. The first two sites were wonderful, but he had been feeling uneasy throughout the ongoing negotiations. At the last site, though, the relationships felt more aligned and genuine. But it didn’t make him feel quite as good as the others had in terms of accessibility, the scenery, etc. He decided to drive a slow, alternate route home that afternoon. On the way, he glanced up regularly at the Klein Swartberg mountain range. And then it happened, he says. The sun reflected off the peak of one of the ridges and caught his eye. He slowed down and looked up more purposefully. The mountain continued to draw him in. He decided to stop right there and then.
“What now? This place is perfect! But what do I do now?“ he was asking himself, as he saw a 4×4 vehicle working its way across the rocky land in front of him. Unbeknownst to him, the vehicle was being driven by the farmer who owned that very land, Mr Jan Fick, who stopped to ask Clint if he needed assistance.
“Yes, I do,” replied Clint.
The two connected immediately and, yes, you can now cue the cliché: The rest is history.
The K3 zipline in Caledon is the longest in the world, stretching up to 3km.
The K3 zipline in Caledon is the longest in the world, stretching up to 3km.
Here at K3, you’re not getting a short-lived adrenaline experience; you’re getting a Superman experience. How many of us have never wished we could fly? All of us have!
My eldest son made the comment as he landed: “I now know what it feels like to fly like a bird. It’s just that birds don’t fly that fast.”
It was the most surreal tourism experience I’d had in a long time. And as my wife, Vasti, concluded afterwards: “This mountain will now always represent something else for me! Wow!”
You also get to meet the people who run the operation and experience how one man’s dream fuels and supports a community and their dreams. This is what tourism is really about.
So, I celebrate not this man alone – I celebrate people like this man. Like Jan Fick. Knocking down walls and barriers to make South Africa a better place.
The outdoors is screaming. Time to listen.
*Riaan Manser is a pioneering international explorer with multiple world-firsts and has joined the team as the new editor of News24 Outdoors, driven by Ford.
