Those who know us also know we like to take off to South Africa during the colder, darker and danker UK winter months. Our base for the past few years has been Mpumalanga, which is to the north and east of South Africa. This little known area has loads of good things about it, one of them being is it a great location for Extreme Sports. There is quite an industry that has grown up over the past few years around the Sabie area.

Common activities on offer include white water rafting, tubing, canyoning, quad biking, mountain biking, abseiling and loads more.

We have been on a tubing trip and a white water trip. We booked these trips with Sabie River Adventures The trips were very well organised, in small friendly groups with expert river guides.

Depending on which months you take your trip will depend on how high the river is. Our trips were January and Febuary, the river was much higher for our rafting trip (2 man inflatable kayaks).

Our tubing trip was a real chill out trip, what better way of spending a day is there than sitting in a tube in the baking sun whilst travelling down a cool river with plently of shade to the sides, with the odd rapid to keep you pumping, not to mention 3 canyon jumps of 5, 8 and 9 meters.

Of course if the canyon jumps don't get you going there is the other element of danger in hoping the guides get it right when they pre inspect the river for crocodiles and hippos. The same Sabie River runs through the Kruger National Park just a few kilometers up the road.