The Mutale is one of those unknown jewels. It offers spectacular scenery in a deep gorge and challenging rapids.Ideal for: Kayak
The Letaba is one of those rivers that are still waiting to be explored. It is one of the major rivers in the Northern Province and its upper stretches are in the Magoebaskloof mountains, which receive a fair amount of rain every year.
The section described here is just below Ebenezer Dam. During the summer a paddleable level can be expected most of the time. As far as I know, none of the other potential sections of this river have been paddled yet.
The Blyde River Canyon has become one of the most popular stretches to paddle for both kayakers and commercial rafters. The canyon – the third largest in the world – is one of the natural wonders of the country, and a trip down this river offers a different view on the awesome scenery. The clear water is also something to appreciate if you are used to the sediment-enriched water found in most rivers on the sub-continent.
The lower Sabie is a popular commercially rafted stretch. It is easily accessible and offers exciting rapids to clients without scaring them. It’s also a challenging run for K1-paddlers (for whom the section might be a bit short to make it worthwhile) and a nice playsection for kayakers. The river runs quite close to the road and is skirted by farmland and holiday accommodation, but the thick vegetation gives the impression of isolation.
The U1 section of the Sabie River is the original Upper Sabie section, and has been renamed after more sections were opened up further upstream. It has become the testing ground for many kayakers to measure their technical river running skills. Some of the rapids are somewhat nasty. That said, it must also be mentioned that all the major rapids are easy to scout and portage.
This is a pretty unknown section to paddle, although everybody knows about the river, due to the Mac-Mac Falls, which is a well-known tourist attraction. The section described here is the last 17 km of the river to the confluence with the Sabie River. Pine plantations surround the greater part of this section, but the vegetation on the river-banks is so thick that you hardly notice it.
This gorge has some of the most dangerous rapids in the country. The N4 runs next to it on the northern side and a railway line with its service road on the southern side, but the vegetation is so thick that you don’t notice it. Also keep in mind that the flat sections near the two bridges are likely to have some hippos in it.Ideal for: Kayak
Grade: 3 to 5
Length: 15km
Duration: 4 to 5 hours
Type: Short steep technical rapids
Put-in: Bridge of N4, or further downstream reachable from the railway service road
Take-out: Bridge of N4, or before that at any of the rest areas on the N4
Dam controlled: Kwena Dam, but Elands River and other tributaries join below dam
Permits: None Read More
The Crocodile is one of the major rivers in Mpumalanga. It is fed by lots of small tributaries and also the Elands River. It runs into the Komati River just short of the Mozambique border. The stretches below Montrose are inhabited by herds of hippo, and apart from the gorge, should not be paddled by sensible people (some might argue that the gorge should in any case not be run by sensible people).
The section described here is the course of the annual Lowveld Crocodile Marathon, held over two days. It is characterised by lots of weirs, low-level bridges and trees, for which one should be on the lookout. The description below applies for a typical race level of 10 cumecs, as supplied by Kwena Dam.Ideal for: K1
This is a short but fun trip with great scenery. The spectacular Dante Falls is also on this section, which has been run a couple of times by very experienced kayakers.
This relatively unknown section is popular with the local K1-paddlers, and ad hoc races have been held on it.