After my less than ideal experience at Tsitsikamma Falls Adventure, my already shaky self esteem took a huge knock. To follow it up immediately with another new “extreme sport” thing took some serious mental gymnastics. The voices in my head alternated between, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” to “I can do this!” Only one of the voices could win so…which one would it be?
I’ve heard all the horror stories about Segways falling over and people getting hurt so, I was super nervous. I actually have a really good sense of balance (how’s that for a yawn worthy super power?) and, in theory, this should have been a piece of cake. The instructors at Tsitsikamma Segway Tours were super amazing. They were friendly, professional and helpful. After our 20 minute training session in the obstacle course in the yard, it was time to hit the road.
Now, you train on “tortoise speed” which is half speed but also half responsive. It did nothing to instill confidence that I could go up and down curbs and over speed bumps – let alone navigate the forest and come out alive. The thing is that once you “pass” your training and you get promoted to the normal setting, things get a whole lot easier. Suddenly the Segway does what you want it to without the white knuckle, teeth gritting effort it takes in tortoise mode. And the normal setting isn’t even that fast. So no need to worry about how much facial reconstruction you might need by the end of the session.
This was easily the most fun I have had in ages. Your feet will feel super weird after your first time. I think it’s because you engage different muscles but gently shifting your weight from side to side on the Segway helps to alleviate any cramping.
We did the one hour dorpie tour which our guide Chester, who kept very informative and interesting. He filled us in on the history of the town and after exploring the forest a bit, he took us home the long way around so that we could see more of the town itself. It’s one thing to be living it up in Tsitsikamma Village Inn but poverty is real and there are people who live in very dire conditions.
The kids spent the rest of the week asking how much pocket money they would need to save to buy a Segway of their own. There is something about R88 000 that is very hard for an 8 and 11 year old to wrap their minds around. It is A LOT of money!
This is a great way to see the little town of Storms River and I would highly recommend it. Sure, R350 per person is a little painful for a 1 hour tour but it is worth every cent. It will be an experience you never forget. We are saving up for the 2 hour Segway Tour so that we can visit The Big Tree again. It may take a while but I’m sure we will get to R500 per person eventually.
Disclaimer: We were invited to review the Tsitsikamma Segway Tour but weren’t asked to write a blog post. As always, all words and pictures are our own.
I want to do this at Spier! Looks amazing Tami 🙂
It is so much fun Tandy. Really worth doing! 🙂 xx
it is an amazing tour of swegway hoverboard. we never forget this tour.