Olifants River – Visgat
Olifants River – Visgat · western cape
Grade
V
Length
40km
Duration
10 hours / best to do overnight
Type
pool drop
About
A rarely paddled 40 km creek run cutting through the Groot Wintershoek wilderness — one of South Africa's most spectacular gorges. No roads approach the gorge edge; once committed, there is no exit until the walls open. Access is difficult: a Cape Nature permit is required, and Glendonald farm permission is still not guaranteed. Best done as an overnight trip, around 10 hours on the water. Most of the action lies in the first 15 km, with numerous class 4 and several class 5 rapids. Some sections are fully walled in, making rapids unportageable. A mandatory portage occurs within the first 3 km — look for a cottage on river left with a zipline into a big pool, and exit on river right before the flow accelerates; seal launch below the portage around a potholed waterfall. Beyond this, the gorge proper begins, with very tight walls. Paddlers confident on the Wit will enjoy it; avoid the run at high water. Rapids are technical and mostly pool-drop with a few continuous sections. Long flatwater stretches follow the gorge to the take-out at Citrusdal Warm Baths, with some black wattle clogging the river — channels exist through most of it but watch for snagging branches. Description supplied by Scott Reinders.
Access
Put-in
Take-out
Permits
Cape Nature permits and Glendonald farmer permission