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Orange River Rafting – the African Experience

  • by benjo,
  • 30 May 2011
  • Posted in Traveling South Africa

Have you ever imagined falling asleep under the stars in Africa? Have you ever thought about waking up somewhere in the middle of nowhere just surrounded by African nature? If you have had these thoughts at any given time, I can recommend a way of making sure this dream comes true.

We did a river rafting tour on the Orange River with Umkulu Safari & Canoe Trails for 4 days …

Don’t Forget Your Passport

Our trip started on Friday, May 20th. We arrived just after 4 pm at the Base Camp near the border post Vioolsdrif to Namibia. If you want to do this trip, don’t forget your passport! You will be picked up after finishing your tour on the Namibian side of the river. Hence, you need an entry stamp for Namibia in your passport. As a result before arriving at the Base Camp you must cross the border and get stamped in the immigration office. But don’t worry the border officials know the river rafting trips and can help you quickly to get all the administration done. Afterwards drive back to South Africa and follow the gravel track to the Base Camp for another 8 km.

Getting Used to Camping

The first night started with a South African Braai around the fire and some instructions for the following 4 days. At the Base Camp we slept on the grass under the sky without a tent (my very first time camping). Due to the grass the environment was very wet and cold the entire night and the next morning. Hence, we had to wear our extra bought fleece scarves and cap to avoid freezing.

Delicious Meals & Great Guides

The next morning we started at about 10 am on our river rafting tour. We were a group of 11 people plus 2 guides. The guides were very friendly, reliable and knew a lot about the water, the mountains or the star constellations in the sky. For any issues we could easily have gone to our guides. Furthermore, they were excellent cooks around the fire. You can’t imagine what they provided for breakfast, lunch or dinner – each time a different and delicious meal. They even baked a scrumptious chocolate cake and beer bread (remember around the fire)! The amount of fun and passion they did their jobs with became clear when we had a look at the buffet table. It was always covered with a red table cloth and lovely decorated with some flowers, wood or stones from the bank.

Gorgeous Fun on the Water

The water level of the Orange River was still quite high. In February there was a big flood which destroyed much of the vegetation on the banks. Meanwhile, the water was sinking again but still flowing fast enough. Some passages of the river were calm and relaxing. We didn’t even need to paddle all the time because of the fast moving water. We were just watching the impressive scenery of high mountains limiting the river on both sides. Other passages were more adventurous. Here we faced rapids of varying difficulties. But each of the rapids was able to splash us with water all over. The best way to prepare for these wet encounters is to wear swimming clothes. So you don’t need to worry about your clothes.

On the water we experienced nearly everything adventurous. One guy’s boat was even flipped around and he fell into the water because the wave hit him sideways. Fortunately nothing serious happened to him. Another couple got stuck on a big rock in the middle of the river and one on a sand bank. It was a lot of fun!

Sleeping Under the Stars

We were very lucky with the weather. We had sunny days and warm partly cloudy days. The maximum temperature was about 30 °C and even the nights on the river were very pleasant. We actually began sweating in our sleeping bags because we were too warmly dressed.

The rhythm of the days is no longer determined by the time but by the sun. We got up with sun rise and went to bed with sun set. Actually, we felt like part of the nature and we could really enjoy this tranquility and remoteness – no emails, no media at all, even no cell phone reception. That was just a wonderful experience to slow down and discover the beautiful nature surrounding us.

The most impressive part of the nature was the stars in the sky. I have never seen so many stars before. I also learned something about different star formations, observed the Milky Way and the movement of the moon. Believe me, the moon is quite bright. Sometimes we wished to switch off the light. I am sure I will never forget these impressive moments …

 

Last but not least I can definitely recommend such an experience to feel and breathe the pure African nature at its best – the real African experience.




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