Orange River

The Orange forms the border with South Africa and runs through a corridor of bare desert mountains for its last few hundred kilometres, and canoeing it is one of the standard trips in southern Africa: multi-day runs of two to six days, camping on sandbanks, with rapids up to grade two and long flat stretches between. The contrast is the appeal, a green line of reeds and trees along the water with nothing but rock on either side. Operators run from both banks.

History

Early inhabitants called the river ǂNūǃarib, for its dark colour, or Kai !Arib, "great river", from which the Afrikaans Gariep comes. The Dutch explorer Robert Jacob Gordon named it the Orange River in honour of the House of Orange (Wikipedia, Orange River).

What you'll find

• The desert corridor - bare mountains rising directly from both banks.
• The rapids - grade one and two water, manageable for beginners.
• The sandbank camps - overnight stops on the riverbank between paddling days.
• The riverine strip - reeds and trees along the water in otherwise bare country.

When to go

April to October is the main season and the most comfortable. Summer heat from December to February is severe in the gorge. Water levels vary with releases from dams upstream.

Good to know

Levels depend on upstream dam releases and can be too low or unexpectedly high. Summer temperatures in the gorge exceed forty degrees. There is little shade and sun exposure on the water is intense.

Nearby

Noordoewer is on the border, and the Fish River Canyon is north.

Key facts