Situated on a farm side village, the Pretoria North Acrobranch is one of our flagship branches, offering so much more than first meets the eye. Visitors of all ages can slide, crawl and balance their way along some of the most challenging, yet thrilling courses that Acrobranch has to offer. At the helm of the Pretoria North branch sits our manager, Cornelia Brits. Her job revolves around establishing a fun, safe and exciting adventure and we caught up with her to find out what exactly is going down at her branch.
What makes your branch special?
WOW, there are so many awesome things that makes my branch special, but I will give you a few of the many indicators!
1. My branch has the first specialised continue safety line system that was imported from France which enables the customers to be safer on the course than at any of our other parks. This system allows the customer to hook onto the safety line before the start, climbing up the ladders and remaining on the safety line until they are back on the ground.
2. My branch has the longest zipline ever built at Acrobranch. It is 300m long and it also starts at the highest platform ever build by Acrobranch, which is 14m high.
3. One of our courses has a zipline of 150m that is extended over a beautiful wetland that gives you the feeling of freedom and relaxation as you zipline your way across it.
4. The obstacles on our courses are more advanced, new and even more challenging, yet everyone will be able to complete the courses, from the young ones to the elder and less adventurous people.
5. The courses are situated in a lush forest with the most beautiful trees and various birdlife that gives you a great calmness and a break from the stress of the everyday city life.
Tell us about the new additions to your park
We have just launched a kiddies course (Acro-twigs course) that is suitable for the 3-6-year-old kids. This course is perfect for kids’ birthday parties together with the restaurant we have on the premises that cater for all your birthday party requirements. We started operating of this course in the first week in July 2016.
We are also in the process of developing a mountain biking trail that will be operated by Musaiek. There will another mountain biking trail for the little one’s so that while mom and dad are having their outing on the advanced track, the kids are in a save designated area also busy practising their skills for one day when they can join mom and dad.
We have made a few changes to the structure of our park. While we initially had an overall fee for a course, we realised that this might not be viable for the everyday household, so we decided to split this course up into 3 different courses, offering packages to suit your budget. We have the option of the Tree Hugger course (R120, green course), the Swinging Tarzan course (R180, blue course) and the High Flying course (R260, red course). Also, on top of the course we have for the kids, we are going to build a big zipline just for the kids that they can go on if they only want to do to the ziplining.
At the moment our big zipline is incorporated into the red course, which mean people are unable to do only a slide down the big zipline like at the other parks. So we are also going to split this so that one can simply just pay and do a slide down the 300m long zipline.
Who would you recommend Acrobranch to?
I would recommend Acrobranch to almost anyone. Since all the different courses are designed specifically for each different age group, you can bring the whole family and there will be something to do for everyone. I would also suggest it as the best way to get your corporate team to work better together by building trust, co-operation, teamwork, team spirit and motivation within your team through our courses.
It is also the perfect place for children’s birthday parties as you get to leave them in the hands of our experienced guides who will keep them busy for 2 hours and make sure that they have a good night’s rest.
Tell us about your experience as a manager at Acrobranch
Before I start telling you about my experience as a manager at Acrobranch, I think I must first tell you that it was a big dream of mine to be working in an environment where I can balance my love for the outdoors with my organising and managerial skills inside an office and this a dream come true for me when working at Acrobranch, because I am able to do just that and I love it!
I have been the manager at the Pretoria park since February 2015 and the best part about this is that I am the first manager of this park and I grew with the park to where it is now. I was also part of the last part of the construction section of the park and that makes it even more special and exciting for me. Since I started working at Acrobranch I met so many different types of people from all over the world. Meeting new and different people every day and seeing how people change throughout their time at Acrobranch while enjoying our courses is the most rewarding part of my job for me. I have a passion for making a difference in people’s life’s and I can do just that here.
What has been your favourite experience at your branch?
One of my favourite experiences was when I had a young boy at my park with an arm that was amputated at his elbow and he wasn’t scared to do anything. He just went through it all without any help from anyone or any guide. He finished the entire course and even climbed up the net to get to the big zipline at the end. I was so inspired by this little boy that it made me realise that it doesn’t matter what life throws at you, you have the decision to let it take you down or let you stand out even higher and do what you want to do.
With all the excitement and thrills coming up at Acrobranch, Pretoria North, why not join us for a day of fun in the trees? We offer the perfect spot for birthday parties, team building events and even bachelor/ette parties. Make your booking today to avoid disappointment.
