A fun game viewing drive next to the lake.

A fun game viewing drive next to the lake.

WP -Gliding Gariepactivitiesbest pool gamesdrivingfisihinggameshorse ridingoff roadpool cuespool gamesthings to do

Gariepdam and the vicinity offers a wide variety of outdoor leisure activities for the whole family. This is one sport flying venue where mum and the kids will not get bored whilst dad is flying around the sky all day.

Gariep Dam airfield neighbours hardly noticed the tow plane.

Gariep Dam is South Africa’s largest lake. The distance from the dam wall to the start is over 80km. It is surrounded almost completely by two large nature reserves, stocked with wild life. By incorporating a third existing nature reserve upstream, a large and exciting development is underway, to be known as the Trans Gariep Ecotourism project.

Here is just a small sample of activities at Gariep and surroundings:

Gliding in summer, boating, sailing, swimming, cycling, river rafting, lake cruises, canoe trips, fishing, horse riding, tours through stud farms, dam wall and fish hatchery, 4 game reserves, golf, tennis, bowls, squash, miniature golf, hunting, trips to old diamond mining towns, historical sites, warm mineral baths, etc.

Horse riding at Orange Valley Guest Farm.

Mighty Orange River offers canoeing and fishing.

Charter flights to Pletenberg Bay, Wilderness and Cape Town can also be arranged by Gariep Gliding Centre.…

Gariepdam

Town Visit

WP -Gliding Gariepactivitiesactivitiesbilliardgamesgames in doorindoor gamesPool championspool cuepool cuespool gamestown visit

SHOPS

In Gariepdam one can obtain most basic supplies. Green Doors Supermarket and Gariep Mini-mark up-town carry most requirements, but sometimes meat may not be available at the last minute. Fresh bread is baked daily, except on holidays and Sundays. There is a liquor store at the café alongside the garage.

At Colesberg, 30 minutes south on the N1, there are many more shops and suppliers. Several banks and ATMs can also be found here.


Pubs And Bars With Games

In Colesberg and Gariepdam there are a variety of cafes, tea gardens, pubs and restaurants. Whether you’re looking for a classic boozer with its own vintage arcade room, a rowdy Shore ditch ping-pong bar or a basement drinking den that’s home to billiard and all kinds of pool cue board games, there’s bound to be something here for you. Long live competitive socializing.


Water Festival every February

The Gariep Dam Tourism Forum organises each year a Water Festival at the dam during the first weekend in February, a weekend full of fun, entertainment and water sports.

Activities at the Festival:

  • Miss Water Festival
  • Cultural activities
  • Half marathon run
  • Half marathon swim
  • Regatta
  • Raft race
  • Raft “war”
  • Flea market, beer garden and food stalls
…
Gariep Dam Airfield

Gariep Dam Airfield

WP -Gliding GariepServices

The little town of Gariepdam is nestled against a hill at the western end of a man-made lake. The town was built to facilitate the construction of the dam in the ’60s. Today it is essentially a tourist destination, a focal point for lovers of water sport, nature and gliding.

Far away from the bustling city, Gariepdam is free from noise, pollution and crime. The sunsets are unbelievable and the stars so bright that the night almost seems to surround you. It’s a haven of peace for those who want to “get away from it all”.

Gariep Dam Airfield
The little town of Gariepdam is nestled against a hill at the western end of a man-made lake. The town was built to facilitate the construction of the dam in the ’60s. Today it is essentially a tourist destination, a focal point for lovers of water sport, nature and gliding. (Read more about the history)

Far away from the bustling city, Gariepdam is free from noise, pollution and crime. The sunsets are unbelievable and the stars so bright that the night almost seems to surround you. It’s a haven of peace for those who want to “get away from it all”.

Much drier than the Johannesburg area, the summer days are predictably very warm, with only an occasional brief shower. Winter days are crisp and sunny. There are none of the tropical sicknesses such as Malaria or Bilharzia and the water is very pure.

The countryside around Gariepdam is a fascinating combination of lake, rocky hills, grassland and the mighty tree-lined Orange River. The sparse vegetation favours sheep farming, but game and hunting farms are common and there are several large game reserves in the area.

Just north of the town, in the middle of a wide grassy valley, lies one of the best small airfields in the country. Once handling busy traffic during the construction of the dam, Gariep Dam Airfield has two long and wide tarmac runways, taxiway and apron. With a game reserve on one boundary and the lake only a few kilometres to the east, wild life is plentiful nearby. A high ridge several kilometres away to the north forms a long silhouette and shelter against the northerly winds. To the west the tree-lined Orange River slowly winds its long journey to the Atlantic.

Today, the airfield mostly handles occasional Eco-tourism traffic. It is also an ideal refuelling point on the way to the south. However, being located in the middle of South Africa, far away from any controlled airspace, and with such ideal weather conditions, Gariep Dam Airfield is also an ideal sport-flying centre. Glider pilots have been going there for years, exploiting some of the world’s best soaring conditions. Now, the airfield has been secured by two glider pilots who are implementing changes and improvements to make Gariep Dam Airfield the best soaring and sports aviation centre in the southern hemisphere.…

Health

WP -Gliding GariepHealthgamegame winninghealthhealth conditionpool games

We are frequently asked about tropical diseases in Southern Africa. This is an important question relating to travel planning, especially in summer. Malaria and Bilharzia are the more important ones to consider. The former everyone has heard of, and is a major problem in Africa, since it is becoming drug resistant. Bilharzia occurs in rivers and lakes in most or the warmer parts of the continent.

For your guidance, if one draws a line from Durban on the east coast, to Pretoria and then across to the Orange River mouth on the west coast, no Milaria or Bilharzia can be expected south of this border. Travel to areas such as Kruger Park, Botswana and Namibia should be done after taking precautions recommended by your medical travel specialists. You should advise them that you will be undertaking gliding during your visit to the continent.

The GOOD NEWS is that Gariep is totally free of these scourges. So is Johannesburg and other beautiful holiday destinations in South Africa such as Cape Town, the Southern Cape Coast and the spectacular scenery of the Drakensberg Mountains, all within a day’s drive of Gariep.

All that you need at Gariep is plenty of drinking water (the municipal water from the tap, is the finest in the country), high factor sun block and a hat.…