- Golden Gate Highlands National Park has unveiled a seven-cable zipline, with the longest stretch running 650 metres over emerald pools and the park dam.
- This new adventure joins the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre, hiking trails and horse riding as part of the park’s growing tourism scene.
- SANParks says the zipline aims to make Golden Gate an adventure hub while creating opportunities for local communities and small businesses.
The Maluti Mountains were covered in snow after a recent cold front, with a pale sky above sandstone cliffs still touched by frost. Below, the air was crisp, the valleys stretched out wide, and for the first time, a thin cable crossed the landscape, carrying people who laughed, screamed and soared.
The South African National Parks (SANParks) officially opened the Golden Gate Zipline, with seven cables and platforms that let visitors glide through the mountains like an eagle while safely strapped in a harness.
This is the park’s newest adventure, joining attractions that already make Golden Gate unique in South Africa. There are 200-million-year-old fossils at the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre, scenic drives, hiking trails and horse rides across the highlands.
The zipline begins at around 1,300 metres above sea level and finishes near 1,200 metres. The hour-long experience takes you across seven cables, with the longest stretch running 650 metres above green pools and the park dam. It is open to anyone aged eight and up, with a maximum weight limit of 120 kg, and costs R650 per person.
The cables are designed to blend into the mountains. Zipline owner Mika Lutchman said the goal was to complement the other activities already happening in this majestic park. From the ground, you can hardly see them. From the air, they become a line that draws you into the landscape.
SANParks wants an adventure hub
The launch took place under the theme Experience Golden Gate from a Perspective, but for SANParks, it is about more than just adrenaline. Kaula Nyilenda Mphaphuli, Managing Executive for Tourism Development and Marketing at SANParks, said the park needed a zipline.
"It is a spectacular addition and fits perfectly with our strategy for this area. We want Golden Gate Highlands Park to become an adventure hub," Mphaphuli said.
"Golden Gate is a place built on cultural heritage and conservation. This zipline was developed in partnership with the Golden Gate Zipline Management Company. For us at SANParks, it is crucial to support small and medium businesses, unlock opportunities, and create more jobs for people in the area," Mphaphuli added.
That focus on small businesses is already clear. Guides on the platforms, hospitality staff, and maintenance crews all come from nearby communities. The zipline joins horse-riding concessions and hiking guides as new ways for locals to earn an income in the park.
Golden Gate’s story starts 200 million years ago
But Golden Gate’s story does not begin in the sky. It began 200 million years ago. Just down the road from the launch platform, you will find the Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre, which opened in June 2025.
In its first year, the centre welcomed over 100,000 visitors, hosted 272 schools, and inspired more than 40,000 learners and teachers. Inside, digital displays and immersive exhibits bring the Free State’s Jurassic past to life.
Park Manager Paddy Gordon said the centre, with its interactive displays and educational material, helps bring the ancient landscape to life and lets schoolchildren discover the history beneath their feet. School groups enjoy fully guided tours and a 10-minute documentary that reconstructs the ancient world.
For Gordon, the centre does double duty. "The centre is a powerful tool for education and for local economic growth," he said. "Local guesthouses are seeing a spike in bookings, and hospitality and guide jobs at the centre go directly to community residents."
That ripple effect reaches Clarens and other nearby towns. More visitors mean more beds to fill, more meals to serve, and more crafts to buy. "This is where Golden Gate’s attractions become more than just places to visit," Gordon said. "They connect tourism, education, and local livelihoods, allowing communities to benefit from people coming to experience the area."
From fossils to flight
Golden Gate does not have the roar of lions. Instead, it offers sandstone cliffs that glow at sunset, hiking trails winding through grasslands, horse rides along old Basotho paths, and now, a flight over it all. What starts as a drive through a seemingly endless landscape quickly becomes something more.
There are mountains to explore, heights to conquer, ancient fossils to discover, and communities whose livelihoods increasingly depend on the people arriving at their doorstep. The zipline fits right in with all of this.
After a morning learning about dinosaurs, a family can hike to Brandwag Rock in the afternoon, book a horse ride at dusk, and the next day strap into a harness to see the same mountains from 1,300 metres above the ground. "We are committed to meeting international safety and environmental standards for the new zipline," Lutchman added.
SANParks says this strategy is intentional. Golden Gate may not be a traditional safari destination, but it has its own way of showing visitors that South Africa’s natural treasures go far beyond wildlife. The park is building a model where conservation pays for itself. Tourists come for the dinosaurs, stay for the zipline, and in the process support local jobs and businesses.
"Golden Gate sparks curiosity about our planet’s past and helps build a sustainable future for the people who live here," Gordon said.
From fossils to flight, from hikes to horses, Golden Gate is no longer just a scenic stopover. It is becoming just what Mphaphuli described, an adventure hub where you can touch prehistory in the morning and fly over it in the afternoon.
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