Kadishi Tufa Waterfall

A tufa waterfall is one where the water carries dissolved calcium carbonate and deposits it as it falls, so the fall builds its own rock formation over centuries - a growing structure rather than an eroding one. Kadishi is usually described as one of the tallest tufa waterfalls in the world, around two hundred metres, and the deposit has formed a pale draped shape that people commonly say resembles a weeping face, which is how boat guides introduce it. It is at the head of the Blyde Dam inside the Blyde River Canyon reserve, and there is no road: you see it from the water on a boat trip from Swadini at the lower end of the canyon, which also passes the Three Rondavels from below and usually finds hippo and crocodile along the way. Flow varies with rain and the tufa is fragile, so touching it is not allowed.

What you actually see

• A fall that builds rock - limestone deposited by the water instead of eroded away.
• The weeping face - the pale draped tufa shape guides point out on the cliff.
• The boat-only access - visible from the dam, not from any road.
• The canyon from below - the Three Rondavels seen from water level on the same trip.

When to go

All year; the boat runs daily. Two hours including the trip out and back.

Honest expectations

You cannot reach it by road or on foot - the boat is the only option and it runs to a schedule. Dam levels affect how close boats get. Flow is much weaker in the dry season. Hippo and crocodile mean no swimming from the boat.

Nearby

The Three Rondavels viewpoint is on the canyon rim; Hoedspruit is east.