Blyde River Canyon
Blyde River Canyon · lowveld
Grade
IV
Length
9km
Duration
3 hours to full day
Type
pool drop
About
Permit required (Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve). Put-in campsite needs advance booking. Two-day option with hut overnight possible. Mostly technical class 2-3 with some continuous sections; smooth rock keeps swims tolerable. Harder rapids cluster just past halfway. Several are compulsory portages but competent paddlers can run them. Named rapids: Island Rapid, Log Waterfall, Alice's Staircase, Mark's Drop, Curtain Falls, Amagluglug - all steep. Portage the natural weir below Mark's Drop except at very low levels. Trip finishes on Blyde Dam: usually collected by motorised craft to avoid a 4km dam paddle, otherwise paddle across with a guide. Dam holds hippos and large crocodiles (no recorded attacks).
Access
Put-in
Take-out
Permits
Yes, arranged via commercial operators
Recent sessions
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