Creating magical memories with family: Milanie’s story
18 July 2022
18 July 2022
Self-proclaimed South African bushbaby, Milanie brought her whole family to monkey about in the treetops with our Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour crew – an adventure that took almost 2 decades years to arrange. We spoke to her after she posted this really cool video on Instagram:
Her love for the great outdoors was fostered by her parents: she grew up in a game reserve and went on her very first game drive when she was only 8 days old!
“Ever since I can remember we have spent our family holidays in Plettenberg Bay. Seeing that I was such an energetic and curious young girl, my idea of a holiday was doing as much as possible. Most of my family did, however, not share the sentiment. At the start of each holiday I would collect all of the pamphlets I could find relating to activities in the area, take it home and show my parents the possibilities. The Canopy Tour pamphlet featured prominently every year but alas no one was ever very keen to commit.
In May, however, my sister and brother-in-law came to visit us from Abu Dhabi for the first time in two and a half years. This visit called for celebration, so we decided to spend quality time together in Plettenberg Bay. Seeing that it was such a momentous occasion, the entire family finally agreed to do a #flyAirNature experience together (only a mere 18 years later).”
Magaliesberg Canopy Tour: Milanie in flight
But long before the family were ready to ‘hang out’ on the cables, she and her now husband made plans to celebrate one of her birthdays in thrilling fashion. She explains:
“Ernst and I are both very adventurous, we love spending time in nature and at that stage, we were still in a long distance relationship, using our weekends to do anything and everything bucket list worthy, together.… To my surprise Canopy Tours had a branch in the Magalies and I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to spend my 23rd… Ziplining had always been on our bucket list, so it was a no-brainer!”
Since Milanie is clearly an intrepid explorer and knows some of our country’s ‘wildest’ spots, we asked her to recommend her favourite hidden gem to our readers, the Tankwa Karoo National Park and why she loves it so much:
“Ernst and I did a road trip through the Karoo all the way to George in 2019. We tried to stick to dirt roads & small towns, and avoided planning ahead at all costs. It was all about “spur-of-the-moment” decisions.
We spent one night in the Tankwa Karoo National Park and it was magical. The epitome of peace & solitude, vast open spaces and spectacular landscapes. If you need to get away and replenish, there’s no better place to go.”
View of Tankwa Karoo National Park (photo supplied by Milanie)
And finally, we were super curious to learn what’s next on the couple’s bucket list. Melanie answered:
“I would LOVE to hike the Drakensberg mountains and make a stop at the Drakensberg Canopy Tour. As for traveling, next year Ernst and I are planning an overlanding trip to Namibia. A country I have never visited before but one that Ernst knows quite well.”
We can’t wait to see what they think of the magnificent central Berg with its iconic Champagne Castle and Cathedral Peak mountains… and how they’ll find the ‘red ferrari’ and ‘mini cooper’, fast paces slides on our Drakensberg Canopy Tour system!