Dwars River
Dwars River · western cape
Grade
V
Length
7 km
Duration
4 hours
Type
pool drop
About
Pool-drop creek with walk-arounds on the hardest features. Top five rapids are not for inexperienced paddlers - technical, must-make moves, ends with a 9m drop. 1. First drop - UNRUNNABLE. Flow disappears through a Swiss-cheese rock. Portage. 2. Gauntlet - funnel into a mini gorge. Enter river left, strong boof, punch the sticky hole at the bottom. 3. Staircase - longest, most technical, often trees at the top. 2m drop river left, move right to avoid a siphon, boof the 'Fist', then left boofing a hole into a slide that carries right. 4. Thunder Alley - flow splits on a central boulder. Go left; set speed and safety for the river-wide hole at the exit. 5. 2m waterfall - centre or right channel. 6. 9m waterfall - scout right. Lip slopes gently; don't over-boof or land flat. Below the falls: two technical rapids hiding rocks - scout if unsure. Take out river right, hike to the train tracks and back to the carpark. Do NOT continue to the old Wit Els confluence take-out - alien vegetation has blocked the channel. Water quality is poor - expect stomach trouble.
Access
Put-in
Take-out
Permits
None