Surfing down mine dumps, jumping off buildings or rafting down rivers – there are adventures aplenty for excitement junkies in Joburg

NEED a serious way to unwind from the stresses of working and living in the big city of Joburg? No sweat – tune into our guide on how to get the juices flowing, and get your next endorphin rush here. Read on.

Go rock climbing
What about some mountaineering to release the stresses of watching your team not do as well as you had hoped? Joburg's climbers have three favourite spots: Northcliff, Struben's Valley in Roodepoort and the western section of Melville Koppies. All have great rockfaces to climb, with bolts in place, and all are used every weekend. Parking for Melville Koppies is on the corner of Judith and Beyers Naude roads in Melville, with entrance through the gate nearby. Northcliff is fenced and entrance is in the car park below the water tower in Lucky Avenue. Struben's Valley is accessible from the vacant lot in Montrose Avenue - follow the path up to the crag on the left. Contact Tina on +27 83 458 3543 or Dom on +27 82 445 1682 for more details.

Get mountain biking
Mountain biking is a great way to get the endorphins flowing after a heavy session of football watching. There are two major clubs in Joburg - Rock Hoppers and the Johannesburg Mountain Bike Club. Rock Hoppers members meet once a month at different off-road tracks on the outskirts of the city, usually to race laps on a 7-8km course. Phone Richard on +27 83 400 0620 for details or get more details from the website. The Johannesburg Mountain Bike Club has weekly rides of up to 45km at places like Lanseria, Irene or Midrand. Phone Keith on +27 83 775 5871 for more information but you can get all the details from the website. You'll need to hire a bike - the best place is Linden Cycles, give them a call on +27 11 782 7313.

Sandboard the dumps
We don’t have snow, but sand can be almost as good. The city and the East Rand are scattered with mine dumps, the remainders of early deep-level mining. Using a snowboard, you can get up to speeds of 60kph shooting down these dumps. Pure Rush Industries does weekend sand boarding. Call Marco on +27 82 605 1150 or Duncan on +27 72 443 7000 to set up your sandboard ride.

Climb the walls
Feel like climbing the wall because your team is not doing too well? Get to the Wonderwall, where you can clip into a harness and choose one of 15 climbing walls or a bouldering wall to test your skill. It's open Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am to 10pm, and Sundays 10am to 6pm. Wonderwall is at Unit 1, Kya Sands Industrial Village, corner Bernie and Elsecar streets, Kya Sands. Phone +27 11 708 6467 or email info@wonderwall.co.za for more info. The website has all the details.

Rap jump buildings
Ever tried rap jumping, or stepping off a 24-storey building face downwards, like Spiderman? Pure Rush Industries has rap jumps off a Johannesburg building of 24 floors. You don't need any abseiling skills - just a few minutes of training on site. Contact Marco on +27 82 605 1150 or Duncan on +27 72 443 7000 to set it up.

Get airborne - go ballooning
Get a total lift-off with a balloon trip over the Magaliesberg, Joburg's nearest mountain range, some 70km north-west of the city. Bill Harrop's Balloon Safaris will take you on a one-hour flight over the mountains and bring you back to sit you down to a full English breakfast. You'll have coffee and biscuits while the crew inflates the balloon, and sip champagne while gently floating over the earth. You'll have to get up early - it's a 6am start. Phone +27 11 705 3201 to book your flight, or visit the website.

Raft the white water
Go rafting on the Vaal River, Joburg's closest big river. Dimalachite offers various rafting adventures, with some great rapids to get your adrenalin rushing. Dimalachite is in Parys, some 120km south-west of Johannesburg. You'll run the river for around 12km, lasting around five hours, depending on the level of the water. Phone +27 56 818 1860 to book your trip. Visit the website to get more details.

Get kayak, go canoeing
Is canoeing your thing, and you really need to get your fix? Hire a kayak at Emmarentia Dam from Bill van der Walt of the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club. He'll supply you with a paddle and a life jacket and, of course, the boat. The dam is one of the city's favourite training spots for paddlers, and you'll probably have company doing the one kilometre lap in beautiful surrounds. Phone Bill on +27 83 266 7750 and visit the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club website.

Fly like a bird
Fancy a bit of paragliding? Catch the air currents to fly like a bird in Dunottar, 50km east of Joburg. Paragliding Adventures will take you on tandem flights where you need no training. Phone Carlos on +27 82 550 7568 or Hendrik on +27 82 894 0804 to arrange your flight. Visit the website for more information.

Go caving
What about exploring some dark and at times tight places? There are 165 caves in the Cradle of Humankind area, and Wild Cave Adventures offers walks in these caves. There are eight different caves of varying grades, and once you're kitted out with a helmet, torch, hiking boots, some basic instruction in abseiling and rock climbing, plus a trusty guide, you can tackle the starter cave of 4 000 square metres. Phone Sandy on +27 11 956 6197 or +27 82 486 2464 to book your place. Visit the website.

Hike the 'Berg
Joburgers regularly go hiking in the Magaliesberg, the city's closest mountain range.The Johannesburg Hiking Club hikes every weekend in the 'Berg - check out the programme on their website. The two favourite hikes are the spectacular Castle Gorge, with its double tumbling waterfalls and fantastic rock formations; and Foothold, with a challenging chain ladder and stunning views of the area. The club caters for all levels of fitness - it has hikes ranging from slow, medium-, medium+, to brisk. So there's a hike for everyone.

Enter the adventure race
Get adventurous and combine all your skills in an adventure race. Several races take place in Joburg throughout the year, involving disciplines like hiking, canoeing or rafting, abseiling, running and mountain biking, over a range of distances. Check out the events calendar on the website. Phone Lisa on +27 82 936 2509 for more info.