WHAT TO EXPECT 2009 ORANJE GORGE 4-DAY KALAHARI COOL SEASON Easter-September Oranje Gorge 4day Rafting & Printable Leaflet Schedule & Prices What to Expect Trail Description Recent trail description & photos Neus Gorge  1/2day Rafting All Orange R photo galleries

QUICK FINDER Bookings, rates & 2009 schedule Personal & Group kit How a boat is packed Weather and climate Guiding and safety Heritage & environment Trip Special Orders Stopover: Kalahari Cliffs MAP - the drive Questions?

Print this page with all details The most scenic whitewater rafting trail in Southern Africa take us though a region bypassed by most travellers and still today regarded as a wild and abandoned frontier. The trail lies west of Augrabies Falls, in stunningly scenic mountainous country. Below Onseepkans is a moonscape of baked rocks with a roaring river. You will learn to love this ancient river course with its many moods and wily character: it is a wonderful environment for self-discovery and for cementing family and relationships or building team spirit.

WHAT TO EXPECT

WHO CAN DO IT

Orange River adventures are ideal for groups of friends and families with teenagers. Minimum age 10.  If you have a small youngster, be prepared to look after him or her. For parents and kids, this is a wonderful relationship-building experience. Get to connect with your teenagers before they connect with someone else! The trip is also very suitable for corporate teambuilding groups. We can arrange it to suit your needs and will lay on special meals, transport or equipment depending on what you wish to achieve.

EXPERIENCE

No previous experience is required and we provide a kit list on booking. All boats, group equipment, and logistics are arranged by us, with menu lists provided for self-catering groups. The pace is not hurried and we take time to enjoy the environment and study the marvellous semi-precious stones brought down by the river. You do not need to be superfit but should be able to handle camping out, paddling during the day, hiking, swimming and group fun. Bring your own sleeping bag.

RENDEZVOUS & TRANSPORT

We meet the night before the trail at our base camp, Kalahari Cliffs, Kakamas. This is a beautiful mountainous and secluded spot with 1km of river frontage, only 6km from Kakamas. Nearby is a good restaurant, Vergelegen, for eating out, and you can buy last-minute supplies at Kakamas.

On the day of the trail we are up early and all drive to Onseepkans. We drop everyone off at the put-in and lead the drivers to the end point where cars are parked safely and the drivers brought back. At the end of the trail you do not need to wait for us to pack up, you can drive off straight away for showers and meals at Kakamas or Augrabies.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Autumn, winter and spring are the ideal time to go rafting in the Kalahari - it's far too hot in summer! In June-July frost is very rare, and the days are mild to warm. It can be chilly earning in the morning but the sun usually shines and it's pleasant on the water. By August-September the weather is generally warm to hot. Average temperatures range from March (+30degC Max - 15C Min), through July (21C - 2C), and September (26C-8C), compared with more than 40degC in summer. It is unlikely to rain, but during the "green season" at midyear rain is a welcome offering, and very localised. The Kalahari is a semi-desert forming part of the temperate Savannah or grasslands of Africa, but the further west we go the drier it gets

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PERSONAL AND GROUP KIT

When you book, we send a personal kit list. It's not hard or expensive to put the kit together: you need what you probably already have. Clothing: "dry gear" for nights, and "wet gear" to wear during the day. We have tents for hire but you can bring your own provided it is lightweight and compact. We do not recommend blow-up lilo mattresses and suggest that you use closed-cell foam or something else that will not puncture on thorns. Again, sleeping mats must roll up nice and tight and light. On self-catering trips you need to provide your own coolboxes which must be light, strong, and sealed properly against sun and water (ie Coleman coolers).

Group kit includes the kitchen and cookware; mugs, plates and cutlery; tarp shelter; chairs and tables; the portable loo; emergency cellphones & medical kit; and other accessories. We provide drybags/bins for the packing of clothing, sleeping bag, tent and air mattress. On catered trips we hanble the packing of food and bottles which are carried in clipdown crates and cold food in coolers - although everyone shares in carrying the loads.  Naturally, we also provide all the boats, lifejackets, helmets and paddles for the river trip. In other words, all you need is your own personal stuff and away you go.

We paddle downriver in fully self-contained 2-seater croc inflatables. How the boat is loaded:

The famous "Croc" - a design for SA rivers originally thought up by Graeme Addison - is a robust river touring craft. It can take a lot of gear and still be perfectly seaworthy in rapids. This diagram shows roughly how kit is tied on for a multi-day trip. The guides and assistants paddle load-boats containing their own and group equipment.

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GUIDING & SAFETY

With RIVERMAN you are in the most expert hands. Graeme Addison pioneered the river touring trails of South Africa (including this one) and is regarded as the father of the river adventures industry. He is the author of Whitewater Rafting: the essential guide to equipment and techniques, and of a White Water: The world's wildest rivers (both published in 2000-1). Most of the guides and assistants on the water with you have been personally trained by Graeme, or if not, they have used the training materials he originally designed.

We'll want to know if you can swim and will make sure you wear your lifejacket and helmet at all times. We'll need to know if you have any medical conditions affecting fitness or judgement. But don't worry - so long as you are reasonably able to handle physical exertion in the outdoors you'll do fine.

We are obsessive about safety, having seen and experienced how rivers play tricks. Trips begin with a safety talk and we show you how to handle the boat in smooth and rough water. We are on hand to help you out of tough corners and provide rescue. As the trip goes on you'll gain confidence in the techniques of paddling, swimming in rapids (for fun!), and recovery of the boat and equipment after capsize - hopefully not too many of those!

HERITAGE & ENVIRONMENT

Since first pioneering this trail in the 1970s, Graeme Addison has become an expert on the geology, ecology and history of the Orange River Gorge. He and his guides will make the trip very interesting for you as you drift downriver, pointing out the natural features, birdlife, and historical sites of the area. We care about the rivers we run, we learn about them and try to impart some of our love and enthusiasm for them to you. Water is the most precious resources. Seen in its natural state, carving the gian Oranje Gorge through bare granite rock, it is the most impressive too. We may see otters, buck, monkeys, many species of waterfowl, fish eagles and black eagles, and much more.

To conserve the environment we use a portaloo and insist that all garbage carried with us is also carried out. Please support us in this, it's vital for the health and survival of the rivers we run.

TRIP SPECIAL ORDERS

To make the trip memorable, a range of options is open to you, provided you order in advance:

	Picture album - the whole trip and nothing but the trip. We can do both stills and video clips.
	Souvenir -  Rafting mugs and T-shirts
	Orange River wines with personalised raft tour label

• Orders must be received at the time you pay your trip deposit and must be paid in advance. Go here to place orders.

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• VISIT AUGRABIES AND STAY OVER at Kalahari Cliffs, Kakamas

  

We strongly recommend that you take two nights before the trail to get to know this magnificent area. "Do" the region - including the Augrabies Falls and the wine route. We'll take you on a morning run down the wonderful Neus Gorge (R250 per head plus VAT), just to warm up for the main trail. Kalahari Cliffs is our base on a wild rocky stretch of riverbank with nearly a kilometre of Orange River frontage, only 6km from Kakamas and 1km off the main N14 highway. Nearby is the delightful Vergelegen Restaurant. The Augrabies Falls is 30km away. At Kalahari Cliffs you may camp and use either the river or the canal to cool off. The site is very much more private than the crowded Augrabies campsite. There is also mountain biking, hiking, star-gazing and much scenic tourism in the area. After the group meets, we have a briefing, stay over one night, and drive to the trailhead at Onseepkans.

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