The ultimate spectacle is a bait ball, when hundreds of dolphins working together sculpt thousands of sardines into a giant ball, which they drive to the surface where it?s easier for them to feed. Meanwhile sea birds dive in from above and sharks smack in from below. It makes for an exhilarating show, provided you stay firmly at the top of the food chain.

When & Where: The Sardine Run occurs between late May and July. A six-day, all-expenses-paid trip based at Mbotyi, organised through African Watersports, will cost R13 980. Call Walter or Sandy on 039-973-2505.

Abseil Semonkong Falls, Lesotho
The small, rugged kingdom of Lesotho is the highest country in southern Africa. Fittingly enough it?s also home to the world?s highest abseil, with the 204m descent down Semonkong Gorge dwarfing all rivals, as confirmed by Guinness World Records.

The view from the top is spectacular, if stomach-churning, with the abseil dropping alongside the tumbling cascades of the Maletsunyane waterfall. With bolted anchors, a belay rope and a full-body harness, you?re very safe ? although that?s scant comfort when it?s your turn to step backwards off the precipice and drop into the dark, gloomy gorge. No: then you?re in for a heart-thumping, lonely, 15-minute ride ? plus a 200m scramble back out of the gorge to collect your certificate.

When & Where: Any time is good. Semonkong is 130km from Maseru, Lesotho?s capital, with the drive taking three hours. Unless you?ve got a 4x4 it?s a journey best done in someone else?s car. Once there, the abseil costs R750 per person. This includes half a day?s training. Call +266-6202-1021. (If you don?t get through, it may be due to snowfalls, so keep trying). Visit www.placeofsmoke.co.ls.

Camel Trekking, Jordan
The camel or, more specifically, the single-humped Camelus dromedarius, has very few features that suggests it is suitable as a form of transport. Not only is it as stubborn as a mule, it smells worse and is less likely to be taken for a ride. The saddle is an enormous wooden structure that is mounted on top of its hump, so the riding position is miles from the ground, giving the rider not only nausea but vertigo too.

I thought ?the ship of the desert description? aptly described the feeling of seasickness I got as the beast reluctantly swayed back and forth while we plodded through the desert. Yet somehow, like a stubborn old pet, you soon find the constant grunting, snorting and lack of personal hygiene quite endearing. Strangely?

Trips through the area generally start at the small village of Wadi Rum, which is the gateway to the desert. Giant sandstone towers form natural passages and a labyrinth of mazes to explore. It?s an area time forgot, and it?s where Lawrence of Arabia united the Arabs against the Turks. Even today Bedouin tribes wander the desert on their camels. Nothing has changed much. The area is peaceful and, despite being sandwiched between Palestine, Israel and Iraq, it remains unaffected, peaceful and timeless. Like the stubborn beast of the desert, I would want it no other way.

When & Where: It?s in the northern hemisphere and likely to be unbearably hot in the summer. November to February is the best time, but still brutally hot. Trips are well-coordinated by local tribes and range from day trips to trips lasting up to a week. Attayak Aouda of Wadi Rum Mountain Guides charges R1500 for a three-day tour and speaks fluent English. Fares to Jordan start from R4700 excluding tax.

Traversing this barren landscape is tantamount to touching down in an alien world ? and will be as close as you can get to a hallucinatory experience without the help of a few mind-altering helpers. Occasional basalt outcrops spiked with 10m-tall cacti mirage into view every so often to hover upon the horizon of this virtual whiteout.

Pitch camp on this Nowhere Land and wait for an amber sunrise to blow your mind. Or pop into Playa Blanca, carved out of salt blocks, for a shot of 80 percent proof tequila in an establishment where the salt always comes free of charge.

When & Where: Visit between August and November, otherwise it will either be too hot or too cold. There are many tours to choose from ? Colque Tours, Tonito Tours or Tunupa Tours ? but four-day trips cost around R600. Flights to Bolivia start from R6 000. Book through Paramount Travel on 021 439 6660.

Dog-sledding, Spitsbergen
Whoever coined that quaint little homily about a dog being a man?s best friend patently hadn?t battled to control six fighting, somersaulting Alaskan huskies with his sled tilted up on one runner trying to make a turn.

However, when you do get it right, and the dogs are running in unison, it?s sublime; being far out in the white wilderness with your sled racing across the snow and the cold air washing your face. Then you?re as close to nature as you can get. Mind you, you have to watch out for pieces of dog droppings that come flying your way. And bear in mind that if you do tip the sled, these dogs will run off and leave you foolishly stranded in the middle of nowhere.

When & Where: Between 76 and 80 degrees North lies Spitsbergen. You can fly to Oslo, Norway, for about R5 200, then make your way to Longyearbyen. A three-and-a-half day dogsledding tour costs from R1075. Visit www.svalbardhuskies.com.

This excerpt courtesy of Horizons, BA/Comair's in-flight magazine published by Touchline Media