05 Mar 2019

Big Valley Game Lodge on Saturday morning made history by inaugurating the first zipline in Botswana.

The 25 metres high and 250 metres long zip line, was officially opened by permanent secretary in the ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Thato Raphaka.

“This is a facility that we expect will diversify our tourism. Quite often when we think of tourism, we think of the wildlife in the northern part of the country. That is fine, but I think we really need to find a way of diversifying our tourism product such as the wilderness,” Mr Raphaka said.

Mr Raphaka, who experienced the adrenaline pumping moment of swinging through the air at high speed on the zipline, described it as a wonderful life-long experience which everybody would enjoy. “Today we are really happy that this will be another facility that will take people out of our congested areas, maybe for a weekend. It is a wonderful experience which one will probably never forget,” he said. 

The instructor, Mr Xolani Thulare pointed that the zipline was safe and allayed any concerns of people crashing to death while riding on the facility.

He said the safety belts could handle weights of more than 180 kilogrammes, and the speed at which people moved on the zipline was determined by their body weight.

The marketing director at Big Valley Game Lodge, Mr Mason Mosarwa said the zipline was a good addition to their variety of offerings from the sprawling tourism resort, which was owned by well-known hospitality entrepreneur Mr Ivica Puskas and his family.

Mr Mosarwa said their facility also offers game viewing to a wide variety of wild animals including giraffes, camels and two caged lions. He further said they offer peddle boating activities, horse riding, and free swimming, a fully-fledged camping site, as well as accommodation and conference facilities.

A zipline is a cable or rope stretched between two points of different heights, down which a person slides for amusement by means of a suspended harness, pulley or handle. ENDS