Gariep Dam

dam on the Orange River in South Africa

Gariep Dam is a town of 1,600 people (2011) in the Free State province of South Africa next to the dam with the same name. It is a popular outdoor destination for boating and water sports enthusiasts, and makes a good break on the journey between Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The dam wall

Understand

The dam is on the Orange River about 48 km (30 mi) north-east of Colesberg and 208 km (129 mi) south of Bloemfontein. It is in a gorge at the entrance to the Ruigte Valley some 5 km (3.1 mi) east of Norvalspont. The dam crest is some 1300 m (4250 ft) above sea level.

The wall is 88 m high and has a crest length of 914 m and contains approximately 1.73 million m³ of concrete. The Gariep Dam is the largest storage reservoir in South Africa. In South African English, 'dam' refers both to the structure and the water volume it retains. Gariep Dam has a surface area of more than 370 km² (140 sq mi) when full. The hydro-electrical power station houses four 90 MW generators.

Get in

Quick Facts

Take the marked turn off from the N1 highway or take the R58 from Colesberg.

Get around

See

Do

  • The Gariep Dam Nature Reserve on the northern shore of the dam is the Free State’s largest nature reserve. It has the largest population of springbok in the country.
  • Water sports (like sailing, jet skiing and power boating)
  • Gliding — international glidingvevenrs are held over the dam

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

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