These seven rivers offer an array of different activities and accommodation options.
1. Orange River is South Africa’s longest river. It starts in the Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho and flows westwards, through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean.
Activities: The Orange River offers wonderful canoeing trips through the Richtersveldt Desert with unique fauna and flora, rock formations and perfect year round temperatures. Days on the river are spent with early morning paddling, swimming, bird watching and negotiating some rapids.
2. Blyde River in the Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga, is lush, green and truly impressive. The Blyde River Canyon is a significant natural feature of South Africa and forms the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment. With the third largest canyon in the world surrounded by lush scenery, Blyde River Canyon Reserve offers visitors a remarkable experience.
Activities: Hiking, hot-air ballooning, horse riding, water rafting, kloofing, fly-fishing and boat trips on the Blyde Dam keep you and your family very busy while on holiday.
3. Sabie River runs from Mpumalanga to Mozambique and is considered the most diverse river in South Africa because it crosses the Kruger National Park. There are many places to stay along the river which all offer their own unique attractions – from tented camps to luxurious resorts, this beautiful river is a must see for any visitor coming to South Africa.
Activities: Sabie River Adventures offers rafting, there is also game viewing, tubing and bass fishing, as well as land-based activities such as quad biking, horse trails, mountain biking and ziplining.
4. Great Kei River starts where the Swart-Kei and the Wit-Kei merge, northeast of Cathcart, in the Eastern Cape. Kei Mouth is a resort town on the southeast coast of South Africa, situated in the Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape Province. The town is situated on the warm Indian Ocean coast, and has one of the country’s three remaining car transporting pontoon river ferries.
Activities: Fishing, amazing trail walking, mountain biking, horse riding and water sports such as surfing, swimming, fishing, boating and windsurfing.
5. Breede River, meaning wide or broad river in Afrikaans, is in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Travelling inland north from Cape Town, the river runs in a west to east direction towards the Indian Ocean and is a very popular river for holiday-goers form surrounding areas. It meets the ocean at Witsand, a beautiful estuary where the sea tides can push up as far as 50km into the river. This area is a significant ecological haven for fish.
Activities: Angling, swimming, paddling, wine tasting, river rafting and water? skiing….these are just some of the water and river sports you can enjoy when you visit the Breede River.
6. Olifants River runs through the Kruger National Park and flows into Mozambique by way of the Olifants Gorge, through the Lebombo Mountains and ends its journey in the Indian Ocean.
Activities: Backpacking along the river through Kruger is highly recommended (you’ll have to take a guide and keep an eye out for crocs, hippos and elephants).
7. Boesmans River is a river in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It originates north of Kirkwood and runs east past Alicedale, before it turns and twists south and east to Kenton on Sea. Here its mouth runs into the warm Indian Ocean through a tidal estuary.
Activities: This estuary is perfect for families with children who would like to spend their holiday outdoors swimming and fishing.
