Berg River

About

The Berg is best known for the annual Berg River marathon, a four-day race of 40 to 60km per day regarded as one of the world's toughest. The river is mostly flat but narrow channels through palmiet bushes, overhanging trees and weirs make it technical. Scenery progresses from vineyards to wheatland and on to the drier West Coast, with sometimes snow-capped mountains in the distance. Day 1 (59km): Mass start at Market Street bridge, Paarl. A compulsory-portage weir lies just after the start, and another weir with a small rapid below follows a few kilometres on. The Wellington and Lady Loch bridges are popular spectator points. Klei rapid, the race's major rapid, is just before halfway. From there to Zonquasdrift there are only small rapids, occasional tree-blocks and long flat sections. Day 2 (43km): Paddlers depart in batches from Zonquasdrift. The river is narrow and fast with deep channels through palmiet requiring tight turning; a swim can be long because the palmiet banks offer no easy exit. Black Rock is the day's major rapid and can be run on the right-hand channels. The day ends at Bridgetown on the flat water of Misverstand Dam. Day 3 (55km): Starts 10km below day 2's finish, just above the Misverstand Dam wall. A short paddle reaches the wall, a compulsory portage on the left. From here the river is mostly flat. The N7 bridge is a good spectator point. Moravia, 15km in, features a weir beneath a low-level bridge that can be shot depending on level and is also road-accessible. A further low-level bridge must be negotiated before the long flat-water run to the finish at Zoutkloof farm. Day 4 (50km): Normally starts at Kersefontein bridge. The day is an extended flat-water slog, made harder by low water, cold, rain, headwinds or incoming tide. Finish is at Port Owen Marina. The race is renowned for camaraderie and for overnight stops on farms where locals cater for competitors and seconds.

Permits

None

Recent sessions