ACTIVE ESCAPES
Tours in Howick

Active Escapes is a small business that has been fine-tuning naturally good getaways since We offer a wide range of excellent hiking, slackpacking, cycling, trail running and adventure based holidays, all fully customisable to your interests and energy levels. Whether it's a fast-paced mountain biking holiday, or a break with a cooler of beers and a fly rod, we have a place in mind or a tour to suite. Our offices are in Hilton, and we're a stones throw from some of South Africa's best mountain biking, an hour from the hiking trails of the Drakensberg, and 90km from the warm water surf of the Indian Ocean. Our Team Active Escapes is made up of a few permanent staff, and we rely on a few hand-picked freelance guides for certain tours. Left to right: Kath Fourie, Sarah Drew and Matthew Drew Sarah Drew Sarah is the founding member of Active Escapes. She completed her Masters in Geography, case studying different models of community based tourism along the Pondoland Wild Coast and then worked as a tourism researcher for Haley Sharpe SA. A fervent traveller, she spent many happy months backpacking around SE Asia and South America with her eccentric sister. These travels provided first-hand experience with many eco and adventure-based tourism operators and inspired thinking on the untapped potential that existed back home. It was cruising down the Beni River in central Bolivia that she decided it was time to trade in her blackberry for bicycles, and start her own active holiday operation. Matthew Drew Matthew is Sarah's husband, and they met while Sarah was scouting accommodation options for a Midlands MTB Tour in We offer a wide range of excellent hiking, slackpacking, trail running, biking and adventure based holidays, all fully customisable to your interests and energy levels. Whether it's an extreme mountain biking holiday, or a break with a cooler of beers and a fly rod, we have a place in mind or a tour to suite. Our offices are in Hilton, and we’re a stones throw from some of South Africa’s best mountain biking, an hour from the hiking trails of the Drakensberg, and 90km from the warm water surf of the Indian Ocean. We hope that you able to easily pilot your way to the adventures in the destinations you are after. Sarah Drew: Director Sarah is the founding member of Active Escapes. Sarah is passionate about the outdoors and is prepared to try most things. Kath has travelled all around the world in pursuit of fun and adventure, and has a Masters in Environmental Education. She has worked in market research, freelance journalism and environmental education. Kath works with Matthew on a day-to-day basis, and assists Active Escapes with social media and the growth of MTB tours. Kath rides competitively in the Enduro and Downhill scene, but loves to take long winding rides with clients in the beautiful KZN Midlands. Matthew has a background in business management and strategy development, however he is a passionate birder and mountain biker which often directs his work. Together with Sarah, Matthew offers strategic direction of Active Escapes, while focussing on the growth of MTB offerings. With his knowledge of the Midlands highways and byways, Matt assists with guided MTB tours and is a regte braai master- always much appreciated by our all-male MTB groups. Originally from Johannesburg, Lore Nel has lived in the KZN Midlands for the last eight years. Before working in adventure tourism, Lore worked respectively in the music, publishing and medical emergency services industries. Lore is well travelled, having explored Europe and America thoroughly. She worked on a Greek island for two years, and then in Israel for three years.