Vanderkloof

Vanderkloof exists because of the dam. When construction of the P.K. le Roux Dam began in 1971, a town was needed to house the workers. Vanderkloof was built for that purpose and has remained a small, service-oriented settlement on the northern shore of the reservoir ever since. After 1994 the dam was renamed Vanderkloof, after the farm on whose land it was built. The wall is 108 metres high, the highest in South Africa, and the reservoir stretches roughly 100 km when full. Downstream of Gariep, it is the second dam in the Orange River system and the second-largest by volume in the country.

The hydroelectric power station beneath the dam is one of only two in South Africa generating power for the national grid, and it is situated entirely underground, a first in South Africa when it was built. Tours of the dam and power station are available by appointment, and they are worthwhile. The engineering here is not casually impressive. The dam also feeds over 100,000 hectares of irrigation land downstream, a fact that shapes the entire lower Orange River valley economy.

On the water, the activities are what you would expect: waterskiing, boardsailing, boating, kayaking, and fishing. Kayaking trips on the Orange River below the dam range from day trips to five-day expeditions, combining river sections with hiking, swimming, and overnight camping. The Rolfontein Nature Reserve on the dam's eastern shore has game viewing and a short hiking trail. Houseboats are available for rental and are the most appealing way to experience the reservoir's scale.

The town itself is small, orderly, and purpose-built. It lacks the organic character of older towns but the setting compensates. The light on the water in the early morning and the silence after dark are the things people come back to describe.