You step out of the air-conditioned vehicle into a highland wind that seems to push you toward the ridge; jagged basalt and grassy plateaus of Malolotja fold away to the north and cattle paths thread the valley below. Day one is a drive across the border from Johannesburg and into a compact country where culture and mountain wilderness are braided tightly together. A guided canopy tour in Malolotja delivers a different kind of altitude—zip lines over indigenous grassland and protea-dotted slopes—followed by a night in a traditional-style hut or comfortable lodge.