Gariep Dam/Lake Gariep: Facts and Information

The Gariep Dam, formerly known as the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam is the largest water reservoir in South Africa and is quickly becoming a sought after tourist destination. With several activities in the vicinity, a holiday at the Gariep Dam will never be boring.

 

 

 

Statistics of the Gariep Dam

1. According to the Department of Water Affairs, the Gariep Dam when full has the capacity to hold 5500 million cubic meters of water and the surface of the dam covers 370 square kilometers.

2. The hydro-powerplant through which water is released to the Vanderkloof Dam, consists of four generators each capable of producing 90 MW of electricity.


3. The dam wall is 88 meters high and 914 meters long and approximately 1.73 million cubic meters of concrete was used to construct the dam wall in a gorge at the entrance to the Ruigte Vallei. 

The Town Gariepdam / Lake Gariep Village

The small town of Gariepdam, yes it is actually a town, consists mostly of prefabricated houses, which in the past housed the personnel of Water Affairs. Nowadays the houses are privately owned and occupied by people of various ages. Due to the serenity of the area, many pensioners reside in the town and it is not uncommon to see several elderly people strolling through the streets.

With a fuel station, chemist and small general dealer, the town offers the basic necessities required by the permanent residents. There is however no medical doctor in the town, but hopefully the construction of a registered old age home in the town, will change that. No doubt the clean air and surroundings, warm climate and friendly people will attract many investors in the future.

Where to Stay at Gariep Dam/Lake Gariep

Tourists can choose between luxury hotel accommodation, self catering accommodation and camping when visiting Lake Gariep. With various levels of luxury, the accommodation at the Gariep Dam will suit anyone’s particular needs.

A few of the establishments offering accommodation are:
1. de Stijl Hotel;
2. Forever Resorts Gariep;
3. The Glasgow Pont Hotel;
and numerous other B&B’s.

With activities like gliding, sailing, mountain climbing, river rafting, hiking, mountain biking, fishing and many more, it’s no wonder that the popularity of this little town in the Middle Karoo grows by leaps and bounds.

Photographs for Wildlife Enthusiasts

In a previous post I mentioned the stunning photographs taken by Morkel Erasmus, a photographer in South Africa. His blog SAFFAscapes is gaining traction and rising in popularity in both the photography and wildlife spheres.

He recently got his own website where he showcases his photo’s. Although the web site loads a bit slow, it is certainly worth the wait. With wildlife-, landscape-, birds and small creatures photo’s, Morkel inspires the nature lover to get out there and see this for him/herself. The best part of the web site is that you can order most of the photo’s as stock images to use.

From his photo’s it is clear that Morkel is completely in love with the subjects he photographs and he is not shy to show it through his pictures. On his blog, he often tells his readers what settings he used and how the photo was taken, which is great for any amateur who wants to try and copy the photo (it might be quite impossible to get it as good as he does, but we can only try). So, take a look at the site and tell him what you think.

(Oh, and in case you were wondering – I don’t the man from a bar of soap – I just LOVE his photos.)

Pilanesberg Nature Reserve - 5 Things to Seek

The Pilanesberg Nature Reserve resides in a volcanic crater with a diameter of 27 kilometers and is surrounded by six mountains. It  is the 3rd  biggest reserve in South Africa and was established in 1979. Today, tourists flock to the reserve as it is known to be the one reserve where Africa's Big 5 animals can be found with the least amount of trouble.

But what should the visitor look out for, except the animals and beautiful scenery? Here is five things every visitor should do or see when visiting the Pilanesberg Park:

1.    Visit the Manyane Complex at Pilanesberg

The Manyane complex is the head quarters of the North West Parks & Tourism Board. There you will find a walk-in aviary with over 80 species of birds. Besides being informative, children love seeing the birds up close and observing their behavior. Allocate enough time to browse through the aviary as you will probably see birds you never get the opportunity to observe in the wild.

An à la carte restaurant, shop and bar provides delicious meals and a great selection of memorabilia to purchase. Children are entertained at the swimming pool, jungle gym and mini-golf while parents can take a relaxing stroll along the self-guided hiking trails in the Manyane area.

2.    Malatse Fenced Hide

Here the man-made dam and weir prevent erosion from damaging the ecology and shows off the management of the park's commitment towards conserving the environment and enticing wildlife back to this dry area in the park. Tourists spending some time at the hide might be rewarded with sable, eland and sometimes even rhino.

3.    Ratlhogo Fenced Hide

The Ratlhogo hide is situated in a wetter part of the Pilanesberg Park as indicated by the Karee trees surrounding the area. Game is abundant around the hide and tourists can expect to see kudu, bush buck, water buck and several bird species while spending some time in the hide.

4.    Mankwe Lake View Platform

This platform is about in the center of the Pilanesberg Park and offers tourists the opportunity to view an array of water birds. Crocodiles and Hippo reside inside the lake and tourists rising with the birds will have a spectacular view of the sunrise from the platform. The platform is fenced and visitors should attempt to spend some time viewing the domed hills surrounding the park from here.

5.    Fish Eagle Picnic Site

The picnic site is fenced and was once an Iron Age Kraal site which was easily defendable and close to water. The picnic site is surrounded by Acacia trees, Bushwillows, Tamboti and Marula trees. With views of the interface of three habitats (rocky outcrop, hillside and water) this is an excellent spot to enjoy a light brunch or picnic while driving through the reserve.

  When all is said and done, Pilanesberg Nature Reserve may have congested roads during weekends and peak season and may have some of the worst behaved elephants, but it remains a popular place for tourists to observe the true African bush.