Brad Boulle’s Top 5 Flat Water Paddling Destinations In South Africa

South Africa is home to come beautiful bodies of water, scattered all across the country. Between our rivers and dams, there are ample opportunities to get out and experience the richness of our land from the seat of a canoe or kayak!

We asked the well travelled and Johannesburg-based Brad Boulle, one of our ambassadors in the paddling world, for his top reccomendations from around SA and this is what he had to share:

“Having seen a lot of South Africa by boat, there are definitely a few gems that I have come across through racing or training missions, but there are certainly still other corners of the country I have yet to take my boat and thusI have broken this into a 3 places I have paddled and 2 I would love to get to. I hope that this can inspire and set you up for some epic days on the water!”

1. Longmere Dam – White River, Mpumalanga 

“I have only paddled here once, but that was enough to make it my favourite paddling location in South Africa. The dam is deep and the water is crystal clear. It is one of the most suitable venues for a marathon race in South Africa and is situated in an underrated part of our country. You are very likely to be greeted by the resident Fish Eagles here, who have been seen catching dinner right in front of paddlers on the water.”

Home community: Lowveld Canoe Club

2. ⁠The Vaal Barrage – Vereniging, Gauteng 

“This is the distance location of choice for Gauteng Paddlers. You have over 50KM of navigable river that is flat and wide. Some of my greatest paddling memories come from the days on the Vaal with my friends.”

Nearby Canoe Clubs: Dabulamanzi Canoe Club, Florida Lake Canoe Club, Victoria Lake Club, East Rand Kayak, and Centurion Canoe Club. 

3. ⁠Midmar Dam – Howick,  KZN

“Midmar Canoe Club is one of the fastest growing in the country right now. A clean, big dam with stunning views in all directions. Home to the Midlands Paddle School, a weekly race on Tuesday evenings and the famous Midmar Mini. The Mini takes place in January and is an official seeding race for the Dusi Canoe Marathon with, a 22km of paddling and 5km of running. 

Although often breezy, there are 2 course options that you have when you start paddling, giving you a high probability of getting a flat paddle in.”

Home community: Midmar Canoe Club

2 Places I’d Love To Paddle But Haven’t Managed To Yet.

1. Mtunzini – North Coast, KZN. 

“Hamish Lovemore’s famous Zini Camps are hosted here, the climate and company make this one number one to get to. Imagine cruising past lush KZN bush on either side of the river with some of the World’s best paddlers on the water preparing for the World Cup season ahead. Hard to beat that!”

2. ⁠Bloemhof Dam – Free State/North West Border

This dam is part of the Vaal and Orange River system. It’s surface area is around 23000 hectares when full and from my Google Map scouting, I have measured a 15KM straight line paddle! On a wind free day, this could be the most epic day out! 

Some other noteworthy mentions include:

Berg River Dam near Franschhoek – Completed in 2009 and fed by the Groot Drakenstein and Franschhoek mountains, this is a Berg River Marathon training special (as you could imagine). 

Settlers Dam outside Makhanda – Situated in the Thomas Baines Nature Reserve, this is the breeding ground of many of South Africa’s great rowers. 

Gariep Dam – biggest dam in South Africa with a surface area of over 370 square kilometres when full. I have been once to this beast and am due a return!

Brad trusts in Holdfast’s legendary tie downs to keep his boat secure on the long hauls, along with our Phoenix Winbars and Kayak Wedges! You can get kitted like Brad with the links below!