Gooderson puts some zip into the Natal Spa

Nestled between the Cambrian granite boulders of the Bivane River between Vryheid and Paulpietersburg, the Gooderson Natal Spa is legendary for hours spent relaxing in its healing hot mineral waters, bird watching and even catching up with the interesting history of the area.

While the addition of a Supertube and a Mountain Bike Trail as well as a few more lively activities such as quad biking, hiking, horse riding, and a paintball arena might have added a little more pizazz to reclining in the country, the addition of a breathtaking 370-meter-long zipline known as The Flight of the Eagle has now injected plenty of adrenaline into the mix.

Guaranteed to attract adventure tourists, the Flight of the Eagle achieves just what the legendary bird of prey takes for granted – it soars out 50 meters over the Bivane River, taking in the beauty of the rocky countryside below. The views from the zipline’s halfway stop are particularly breathtaking.

The zip line is headed up by Wandisa and Linda, professional and knowledgeable locals who are happy to share their knowledge of the region, its flora and fauna as well as the history of the resort. They are also great at reassuring less daring guests who may not have tried this method of thrill-seeking before. Just what is a zip line?

Generally known as a zip line in global tourism circles, this is also been called an aerial runway in the UK, a flying fox by the Aussies and New Zealanders and a free slide in good old South Africa.

The technicalities are the same, though. It is essentially a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. A harness is attached to the pulley for a rider and the incline enables this rider to be pulled by gravity along the line.