Orange River – Onseepkans Gorge

About

The best whitewater stretch on the Orange (excluding the inaccessible Augrabies Gorge) — 40km from Onseepkans border post to the Pelladrif pump station, graded 2 to 4 (5), typically a 3 to 4 day trip. Flow is controlled by Vanderkloof and Bloemhof Dams. Put-in is 300m down a dirt road to the left just before the Onseepkans bridge. The trip starts wide, open and mostly flat with small rapids and occasional braided channels forming islands rich in flora and birdlife. At low levels stay in the main current, as some smaller channels dead-end. About 3km in, the river splits around a long island — take every right-hand channel, otherwise you will end up going over Ritchie Falls. The right-side channels rejoin into a wide channel leading to Little Falls; if you swim, reach the right bank quickly (there is a large eddy). A good campsite with sand, shade and a koppie sits here on the right; keep it clean as others use it too. A short walk downstream reveals why keeping right matters: the right channel ends at the spectacular Ritchie Falls, which plunges into the left channel now transformed into a serious gorge. The falls are unrunnable and the gorge is beyond most paddlers. Most of the gorge can be scouted from the island, which contains serious undercuts, siphons and, at high levels, bad keeper holes, plus a lethal whirlpool where gorge and falls currents meet. Getting past the falls into the gorge is involved but fun: lower gear using ropes tied to the flat-rock anchor studs, or abseil. The worst rapids end after the falls. Watch the rapid just below the falls at high water — it forms two bad pour-overs. Big Bunny following produces fun big waves at any level. More scoutable rapids follow from the left bank. The gorge then opens up with flat water and good rapids for the final 15km to the take-out, marked unmistakably by the left-bank pump station. The trip passes through spectacular mountainous desert with little chance of encountering other people.

Access

Permits

None

Commercial operators

• Gravity River Tours

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