Canoeing stays in South Africa
50+ results in South Africa
Paddling in South Africa ranges from a lazy hour on a lagoon to a week on a desert river. The Orange River along the Namibian border is the classic multi-day trip: warm water, gentle rapids, sandbank camps and no signal for days. The Breede River in the Western Cape is the easy one, a wide slow river through wine farms with a paddle from lunch to sundowner. The Garden Route lakes at Wilderness and the Knysna and Keurbooms estuaries are flat water through forest, and the Touw River trail leads to a waterfall. In KwaZulu-Natal, the Kosi Bay lake system and the iSimangaliso estuaries are paddling among mangroves and hippo-country channels, done with a guide.
Most of it is year-round. The Orange River runs in every season, though summer is very hot and winter nights are cold. The Cape rivers and lakes are best from spring to autumn. The subtropical KwaZulu-Natal waters are warmest in summer.
Stays on this page have a canoe, a kayak or a launch within reach, and many hosts include boats for guests. Pair a river day with stargazing on the Orange, wine tasting on the Breede, a forest hike on the Garden Route, or a kayak among the penguins off Simon's Town.
- When is the best time for canoeing in South Africa?
- Spring to autumn for the Western Cape rivers, lakes and estuaries, with summer the warmest. The Orange River runs all year; autumn and spring avoid its summer heat and winter cold. KwaZulu-Natal estuaries and lakes are warm in every season and calmest in the winter dry months.
- Where can I canoe or kayak?
- The Orange River for multi-day desert trips, the Breede River for easy flat water through wine farms, the Wilderness lakes and the Knysna and Keurbooms estuaries on the Garden Route, Kosi Bay and iSimangaliso in KwaZulu-Natal, and False Bay off Simon's Town for sea kayaking. Many stays here have boats for guests.
- Do I need experience?
- No for the lakes, estuaries and the Breede, which are flat water with hire boats and no rapids. The Orange River trips are guided and suitable for fit beginners. Sea kayaking and the hippo-country channels of Zululand are done with a guide.
- Can I combine paddling with wildlife?
- Yes. The Wilderness lakes and the Zululand estuaries are among the best birding waters in the country, sea kayaks off Simon's Town pass the penguin colony, and the Orange River runs through the Richtersveld desert. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the water is often the best seat.