There are other rivers that can be paddled by the locals when it rains exactly at the right spot.
The Doring River has a nice technical piece far upstream of the more well-known section at Clanwilliam, with some class 2 to 3 rapids. The section is near the confluence of the Groot, Riet and Matjies Rivers in the Ceres Karoo, and is commercially run by Intrapid Rafting.
The Berg River has a nice technical stretch upstream of the well-known marathon section, in the Lamott plantations. It is a narrow, fast creek, similar to small creeks in the Alps, with class 3 to low 4 rapids. There are few serious obstacles, but be on the lookout for trees that might have fallen in the river. It is an exciting run for competent paddlers.
The Disa River in Cape Town, running into the ocean at Hout Bay, has some interesting drops and a couple of weirs to negotiate.
The Riviersonderend is a flat river going through marshes for most of its course, but there are two sections, upstream and downstream of Greyton, that provide a bit of action and are most serene. These two sections, billed as ‘Milk and Honey’ and ‘Enchanted’, are both run commercially by Intrapid Rafting.
The Gamka River, north of Calitzdorp in the Swartberg mountains, is very similar to the Palmiet River, but wider. The best section to do is from just below the Gamkapoort Dam, which also regulates the flow of the river. Contact the Water Affairs in Worcester to confirm the water release before embarking on the journey to the river.
This river description is taken from my book “Run the Rivers of Southern Africa”.
If you have any pictures or recent information on this section of river to share, please contact me:
blog@cellierskruger.com
I appreciate any contributions to keep this content up-to-date.