Gariep Dam

Gariep is the biggest reservoir in South Africa, holding several billion cubic metres of the Orange River behind a concrete arch wall in a gorge on the Free State and Eastern Cape border. It was completed in 1971 as the centrepiece of a scheme to move water south to the Fish and Sundays river valleys through an eighty-two kilometre tunnel under the escarpment, which was one of the longest water tunnels in the world when it was bored. The dam supplies irrigation, hydroelectric generation and towns across a wide area, and the surrounding Gariep Dam Nature Reserve holds springbok, black wildebeest and one of the larger springbok populations in the country. The water is used for sailing, fishing and watersports, and the town beside it exists because of the project. Levels swing dramatically with drought cycles and the shoreline moves with them.

What you actually see

• The largest reservoir - several billion cubic metres of the Orange River behind an arch wall.
• The transfer tunnel - an eighty-two kilometre bore under the escarpment to the south.
• The reserve - springbok and black wildebeest on the shore grassland.
• The changing level - a shoreline that moves substantially through drought cycles.

When to go

March to May and September to November. Half a day. Summer heat is severe.

Honest expectations

In drought years the level drops a long way and the dam looks depleted. The wall itself is a controlled area - viewing is from designated points. Facilities in the town are limited. Summer temperatures are high and winter nights freeze.

Nearby

Colesberg is south on the N1; the Karoo plains surround the dam.