Tsitsa River, Transkei - South Africa

Enjoying another face full on the Tsitsa River- South Africa

The Tsitsa River is a natural frontier between the once Transkei homeland and the Eastern Cape region. Still today in its entirety down to the Indian Ocean, the Tsitsa flows through a wild and remote region of South Africa.

Before joining together 3 major tributaries which form South Africa’s 3^rd largest Mzimvubu River, the lower reaches of the Tsitsa run through an impressive gorge full of multi-day challenges. This section has seen few paddlers ever and requires a rope rappel into the gorge below the largest waterfall on the river.

Upper Tsitsa Falls

However quite a ways upstream, the homestead now belonging to Adriaan Badenhorst sits just above another Tsitsa waterfall and is the ultimate base in exploring Transkei whitewater. Above and below the falls is Adi’s homerun, where a perfect horseshoe in the river makes a 4km boulder garden feel like any true creek mission. Once out of the gorge, a short walk across the maize field will return you back to cold beers, kerosene lanterns, meat on the braai and billy the pet goat.

Beware of the no-good boat eating goat

Finding the Upper Tsitsa is simple. Head for the town of Maclear and follow the signs for Tsitsa Falls which are about 25km past town. Another 7km on the dirt puts you at Adi’s homestead which will be hard to leave if the rivers in the area are pumping.

The falls at high water

Chances are you will have a personal guide if you show up for the home run, but should you not, put in where the bridge below Adi's house crosses the road. From here a few rapids serve as a warmup before portaging the falls on river left. Once into the gorge, the first rapid below the falls is ran from the right. Take care of some siphon rocks at the lead-in.

Another difficult rapid containing a siphon on river right is not far below. However a sweet boof is waiting on the left.

Adriaan B. boofs in the second major rapid

The rest of the Tsitsa homerun remains technical but easy to boat scout out on your way down. After a low angle slide the river eases. At a right bend in the river take out where the climb out looks relatively easy. Unfortunately like all the rivers in the area, the car won't be near the shore.

Soon after, the Tsitsa joins the Pot River downstream and continues to be an excellent whitewater engagement. Be prepared for a longer day including map logistics and off road driving if you venture further down. Of course lapping the Tsitsa homerun while chilling at the farm is a fine example of what Transkei whitewater has to offer. The (other) Mooi, Pot, and Tina rivers are close by if you are keen for un-established creeking in this beautiful isolated region of South Africa.

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Inxu River, Transkei - South Africa

Tyler Brandt gets the Inxu 50' in the heart of Transkei - South Africa

Approaching the whitewater of South Africa one’s mind will wander with the details of a country so vast it's hard to remember that you're in a place nicknamed the Dark Continent. Approaching from the west, our own journey into South African rivers began as Namibian desert was replaced by a windy Cape and pristine ocean. It would be an unplanned route through a diverse part of Africa. Our destination was to be the rivers of the Transkei.

Once a designated homeland during South Africa’s harsh apartheid, the Transkei still remains a place where time and beauty are about as relaxed as the dotted tribal villages laying beneath the Drakensberg mountains. A two week exposure to some of the most unknown rivers in the country with a perfect setting and good friends.

The Inxu was paddled once before back in 2006 when Adriaan Badenhorst was beginning to make the Transkei a permanent place called home. Coming from a life spent on South African rivers, Adrian found SA’s final chapter for whitewater exploration on his new doorstep.

Near the town of Maclear the tributaries of the Umzimvubu fall from the high plateau through unseen gorges. Although many sections and other rivers remain to be explored, the Inxu has all the characteristics of a serious classic. A relatively easy shuttle puts you paddling along tranquil grassland before entering a quality boulder strewn gorge and eventually two bomb drops of 50’ and 35’ respectively.

Basso - Inxu 35'

Adriaan and a friend would have the perfect flow to claim the big falls there own, but at the end of a long day everyone in the first decsent left the second waterfall downstream for another day. So the time would arrive nearly 2 years later when our group would make the claim.

The Inxu would not go down without at fight from the rain gods who were playing water levels away from the season and leaving us waiting in wonder. In the end we became somewhat battered and wishing for a higher flow that would not come. And so we paddled under sunny hot January skies with some boneyard sections and tight lines on the falls.

A sincere thank you goes out to Adriaan and his new wife Angela for the awesome hospitality in their soon to be famous highland adventure destination. For more information leave your guidebook at home and just go to where South Africa becomes the Transkei.

www.tsitsafalls.com

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Nile 2 Zambezi - An African road trip

Davey O'Hare in a safe place on #9 Zambezi River - Zambia

Two of the worlds most impressive rivers are found in Africa. But anyone who has attempted to make the journey to both The White Nile of Uganda and Zambia’s Zambezi in one go will soon realize they are huge distances apart from each other. An expensive airplane ride can eat up those miles in a matter of hours and is the common cure. But should you be lucky enough to make the haul across 4 countries and 2000 miles of potholes and mud ruts by car, you will lose yourself in an epic journey that makes kayaking only a portion of the whole adventure.

From Uganda we made bold decision to drive west around Lake Victoria and into the small country of Rwanda. Although this would be a shorter distance on paper, this route would eventually land us in remote western Tanzania, where roads became dots on the map - 4x4 African style.

In the beginning the drive was beautiful and paved nicely, going up into Ugandan hills until we reached the terraced hillsides of Rwanda. Here there were people everywhere including all over the road. Rwanda has one of the highest population densities in Africa and it definitely felt like it. But we should have not taken the pavement for granted, once into Tanzania nice roads vanished into dirt ruts and soon became an 800 mile thrash along Lake Tanganyika. Definitely off the beaten path.

For most of the next 4 days our sturdy Toyota Hilux was holding its own in full time 4x4 as road became legendary with stunning scenery, steep rock crawls, and nasty deep mud pools. As we climbed up and over one small mountain range, we got introduced to the meaning of "the wet season" as mother Africa decided to send a crazy tropical rain storm our way… as if we didn’t have enough to worry about. As with most storms here in Africa when it rains, it rains with authority and our road became a small river in a matter of minutes.

After a low point of thinking we would be stuck forever in the African outback, the road began to improve during our final push to the Zambian border. On our way we crossed the Malagarasi River, beautiful and ready for a multi-day expedition if you don’t mind….Hippos! One of the biggest obstacles holding back the majority of river explorations throughout, Africa are these gigantic aggressive beast who love to hang out together in flat water.

Zambia! Once on the Great Eastern road, we rejoiced in potholed pavement for the next 1000 miles and pushed long and hard to Livingstone in Zambia’s southwestern corner. As one of the 7 natural wonders of the world plummet from the countryside and into the gorge below it was refreshing to know we had arrived before the river had yet to go past ridiculously high levels. This year the river is on its way up quickly but is still providing some of the best waves in the world.

Nico Chasing - still a permanent Zambezi resident with plenty of airmiles on #8.

With the immediate possibility of the White Nile falling victim to damming, the classic Zambezi gorge represents no man’s land, a border into the abyss which separates two countries. Perhaps a dam one day far far away, but until then make sure you make the trip to one of the greatest pieces of playable big water boating on the planet.

Michelle Basso trying to settle the beast

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Ragati River - Kenya

James Savage. A first descent of the Ragati slides, Kenya

The Ragati River is another primary artery to the Mt. Kenya drainage system that we were hoping was going to put out impressive results. On this side of the mountain the bedrock had somewhat changed from the pool drop nature so commonly found in the lava-like gorges nearby. Instead, the Ragati was known to have super slides one would hardly expect in this part of the world.



A weekend came about with the crew ready, and water levels ideal so we set out on a ground mission first to see what we could find on foot. Already the night before when the topo map was on the table, Simon had given us his word that there would be plenty more slides above the 1 and a half he had ran when he was here in 2004.



Within an hour from basecamp, we were walking easliy along the shore getting some interesting looks from local farmers, mothers and children who were least expecting 3 muzungus thrashing through their banana and coffee plantations while checking the river. From where the 1st descents of the slides left off in 2004, the original slide conqueror and myself headed further up the drainage to discover more of the goods that had been waiting patiently for our return.



The Ragati slides start of with a 200+ foot two-tiered monster slide that began with scouting discussions of ' yeah right' into 'ugly-hmmm' into 'interesting' as we neared top. Probably a good thing that we were walking from the bottom up. But in the end some of us were only willing to give the top part a go and this was going require more safety that we had. Beyond, the slides again pick up in size until Bamboocha hurls another 100+ feet of instant gravity loss your way.


Simon Coward drops in.

After Bamboocha, a few smaller ramps appear and a tight class V slot drop makes the Ragati feel like more than just a African supersized waterpark. Over a dozen slides later, including a grand finale on the original from 2004 that caused a near decapitating from the fierce shore vegitation, we were down on the flats with darkness fast approaching. The Ragati is currently one of Kenya's sweetest paddling discoveries. Until the next group appears, it is a fine symbol in the search for quality creeking in a region where whitewater has no face.

Muragua River - Kenya

Simon Coward likes his boofs big. Muragua River - Kenya

After the past few weeks in Kenya it is hard to believe that I left Europe only a month ago feeling confident that I would not be missing nor needing my trusty Dagger Nomad that I had practically been living inside since June. Impressions of African big waves and endless blunt movies that have swamped the internet highway over the past few years had me mislead. But it was my friend Simon back home that had always been the secret source of the truth. Nearly 4 years prior, his adventure insights brought him and a kiwi crew to a paddling destination far from ordinary.


Lower Muragua Gorge.

Lying on the equator, Kenya is more than a country of grasslands and grazing zebras. Africa's second highest, Mt. Kenya and many other mountain ranges, contribute to a spectacular landscape and provide an enormous area of altitude and water that has to drain somewhere, somehow. No longer is it a fanciful thought. Kenya can convert you from vacation bluntboater to a creekboater in a matter of days.



A massive component to Kenyan river exploration has come from Marc and James Savage. Beginning as a bush pilot and mountaineer, Marc founded whitewater rafting and adventure tourism in Kenya. Marc and family are keeping things active with a river base paradise on the Tana river. However James is keen in the kayak and his goal of river exploration remains.

First descents are vast in this country, but the Muragua River was one of Simon and crew's original mission discoveries. Years later and none kayakers more it is still a short but swift gut punch of rad.


James Savage close to home.

The Muragua appears after miles of bumpy road at a bridge over a sweet slide to start things off. The friendly locals quickly gathered in conversation about today's unexpected entertainment. Eyes, hoots and smiles were to be the norm.



The Muragua is tight at the beginning, but soon opens up to what any adventure paddler seeks. Easy access, clean drops, and a highlight waterfall.


Meat-2-the-vapor.

Further downstream beyond the KenGen dam, the Muragua plummets itself off an 80 foot waterfall shelf and into a gorge full of giant drops still waiting for a kayak to show up.



Here the access can be an issue as we found ourselves swatting through thorn bushes and sliding down drainage cracks to get down below the entry falls. There is so much action in this one drainage alone it is hard to imagine what could be lying just around the next corner or over the next hill. But already nearing 5:30 the sun is low and the scale of the whitewater ahead must be saved for another time and day. Wearing the red soil as the color of Kenya on our hands and clothes, we return to Sagana after a special day of whitewater in Africa.




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Soča (S - Gorge Cataract) - Slovenia

Diego Budeguer in the heart of the Soča River - Slovenia

The Soča river is far from being a secret to the European whitewater scene. For much of a 7 month long season, the Soča remains loyal to road tripping clubs visiting from afar, weekend warriors from neighboring countries, and locals soaking up the summer.

Julian alp views are vantastic.....

Besides the endless spring source welling up deep inside the Julian Alps, the Soča’s biggest attribute is the straight up combination of beautiful surroundings, crystal clear water and natural slalom eddies formed from the unique ghostly shaded karst rock.

Few paddlers leave the Soča unfulfilled. It is considered one of the most beautiful classrooms in whitewater. Even the strongest paddlers find some degree of satisfaction in the perfectly situated rocks, unique boofs and multiple sections of class II-IV.

The quality rapids and technical lines making the Soča a classic are also here. The Soča delivers the goods in a 2km stretch notoriously branded the Siphon Gorge.

The rocks in this stretch are bigger, tighter and can leave you wondering about safe locations on your first few runs down. But eddies always outnumber the siphons, and with good flows and a good group the S-Gorge of the Soča turns into a sweet, endless, boof to eddy playground.

Thanks to Laurent Devigne (FRA), Diego Budeguer and Fabian Bonnano (ARG) for great photos, lines and friendships during our week.

Lower Raundalselva - Norway

Mike Abbott starts off in sun and style, Lower Raundalselva - Norway

The Raundal of Voss is one of those rivers that offers multiple class III-VI sections of whitewater throughout a long season of varying water levels. Throw in some deep gorges, must run boofs, numerous waterfalls, 30 kilometers of river, and Voss's reputation as a creek boater's paradise soaks in. With a past week of high cloud, cold nights and clear skies, the water levels in the area dropped enough to bring the class IV-V Lower Raundalselva onto the minds of a few of us.



The Raundalselva needs manageable flows of around 20 or less cms to keep the nerves calm in a few not-so-clean boulder chokes within some deep walls. Even before you get into your boat, you are staring down the entry to a beautiful 20 foot waterfall. You can either go left for the boof here, or maybe try your luck down a clean slide on the right of the rock island.


Put in huck choices - and how about that sunny weather!


Mike with the new Palm max floatation PFD.

Not too far into the run comes an unappealing no-scout drop with big rocks taking up the majority of the horizon line. Again you have the choice to boof the left pinch and bounce off a rock at the bottom or go right through a winding corridor that puts you close to some sieves. Another drop worthy of mention lies just downstream and has an undercut rock blocking half of the exit on the right. The river stays fairly gorged up from this point on but offers slippery green covered rocks on each shore to scout or portage for the rest of the run.


Andy Phillips enjoying his relaxing float in the pool between drops.


Greg Dashper - happy times.


Michelle Basso - left line highlight waterfall close to the end of the gorge.

You will know you are nearing the end of the gorge when the gradient flattens out and the pools become clear and large. After the walls disappear paddle the flatwater for a short distance and take out on your right at some red army buildings. Thanks to Benjamin Hjort and the riverkore boys for the good lines, humour and a most perfect day in Voss.