Cape Town for Adrenaline Fans: Paragliding, Quad Biking, Abseiling or a Mountain Hike?
6 min read
If you can only book one: the WILDX quad dune adventure in Atlantis from €26.25, 4.6 stars from 2,738 reviews, is the cheapest and the one with the most reviews. For the biggest view, take the tandem paragliding flight from €93.93, and for a rope and a cliff edge the Table Mountain abseil from €59.04.
See prices and dates for the quad dune adventure
Cape Town gives you air, sand and rock within an hour of each other, and the choice mostly comes down to money and nerve. Prices are starting prices per person on GetYourGuide. The age limits are stated here only where an operator states them itself.
Four Adventures Compared
| Adventure | Duration | Price from | Stars | Reviews | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quad dune adventure, Atlantis | 1 hr | €26.25 | 4.6 | 2,595 | the cheapest thrill, no head for heights needed |
| Guided hike, Lion’s Head or Table Mountain | 2.5–3.5 hrs | €48.31 | 5.0 | 2,206 | fit walkers who like a scramble |
| Table Mountain abseil | 1 hr | €59.04 | 4.7 | 222 | people who want to go over the edge |
| Tandem paragliding, Signal Hill | 45 min | €93.93 | 4.7 | 1,954 | one big memory over the coast |
Dunes: The Cheapest Thrill, With Rules
The quad adventure runs one hour in total, of which about 50 minutes is riding and a 10 to 15 minute photo stop is part of that, according to the booking page. The dunes are up to 50 metres high. Three details change the real cost. The nature reserve permit of R300 per person is not in the price and is payable on arrival. You must arrive 30 minutes early, and late arrivals forfeit the booking, with a rebooking fee of R250 per person for same-day latecomers. Children aged 12 and younger ride only as passengers with an adult. Pregnant women and people with back problems are excluded. We cover the detail in our article on the Atlantis dunes quad tour.
If you also want to try sandboarding, a separate sandboarding session is listed from €15.89. Look at the adventure activities page for the full range.
Mountain: Hike or Abseil
The guided hike is the best-rated of the four at 5.0 stars from 2,374 reviews, starting at €48.31. You choose at booking: Lion’s Head at sunrise or sunset, or Table Mountain by the direct Platteklip Gorge route (about 2.5 hours) or the more rugged India Venster route (about 3.5 hours), which involves rock scrambling. The page says the tour needs a good fitness level and lists people with low fitness, heart problems, mobility impairments or a fear of heights as unsuitable. The Lion’s Head start time follows sunrise and sunset, so the booked time can shift. More on routes in our hike comparison.
The abseil is a 112-metre descent down the side of Table Mountain, with views over Camps Bay and Clifton, for groups of up to eight. After the descent comes a 30-minute hike back to the top. The price includes helmet, harness, safety briefing and the return cable car ticket, according to the page, which makes the €58.47 more reasonable than it first looks. It is affected by bad weather, so do not leave it to the last day.
Check availability for the Table Mountain abseil
Air: Paragliding From Signal Hill
The tandem flight is the most expensive at €93.02 and the one people remember longest. It is listed at 45 minutes, but the page is clear that the flight itself is 5 to 20 minutes, depending on weather and thermals. The rest is briefing and transport. Groups are limited to six. Participants must be at least 14 years old and know basic English, and the date and time may change because the activity is weather dependent. You can steer the paraglider briefly with the pilot’s help. Weight limits and other conditions are covered in our article on tandem paragliding in Cape Town.
Check availability for the tandem paragliding flight
What a Double Day Costs
Quad biking in the morning and an abseil in the afternoon are possible in one day if you leave the drive north to the dunes first: Atlantis and Table Mountain are on opposite sides of the city. For one person that is €82.34 at the starting prices, plus the R300 reserve permit. Quad biking plus the paragliding flight comes to €116.89 for one person, again before the permit. Starting prices apply to the cheapest date.
When It Is Not a Good Idea
A fear of heights. The abseil, the paragliding and the hike all put you above a drop. The quad is the only one of the four with the ground beneath you.
Back problems or pregnancy. The quad page excludes both.
Windy days. The south-easterly wind can stop the cable car, and the paragliding and abseil pages both warn that the weather can change or cancel the trip. Book them early and keep a spare day.
Last-minute arrival. The Atlantis quad page is strict about being on time, and the dunes are a drive from the centre. Plan the drive with a buffer.
Our Recommendation
For most visitors: the quad dune adventure from €26.25. Lowest price, 2,738 reviews and no head for heights required. Budget the R300 permit on top.
For the view of a lifetime: the tandem paragliding flight from €93.93. It costs €69.15 more than the quad, and you are paying for 5 to 20 minutes in the air.
For fit walkers: the guided hike from €48.31. The best rating of the four, and you pick the route when booking.
Not for everyone. If you suffer from vertigo, skip the abseil and the flight. If it is mainly for the children, our overview for teenagers sorts the options by age.
