The Molenaars River

I still see myself as a novice when it comes to Kayaking.  I have been “Crocing” for years now and I`m slowly making the transition Kayaking – but I gathered some of the information below might be of use to you if you Kayak and would like to visit the Molenaars River. 🙂

In winter this is one of the Western Cape White Water Rivers you must go and paddle. The Water levels may pick up and drop within hours of receiving rain so its always advisable to check a number of factors such as rain during the last 24 hours as well as the weather for the day you plan on kayaking.

From Cape Town the put in point for the Molenaars River is just over one hour away.

The easy accessible kayaking put-in point for the Molenaars river will be from the Cape Nature entrance  (also a nice Fly Fishing spot) along the N1. Just after the N1 Tunnel.  Walk down to the bridge and put in just below the small bridge on the river right.  

Low level on this river doesn’t pose much of a challenge apart from the boulders and rocks but as the levels rise you might find a number of strainers and the eddies will become smaller and smaller.  The Molenaars river has the potential to be BIG WHITE WATER.  So also check with the Du Toit’s Kloof Lodge (023 349 1151) on the levels of the water.   The Rapid directly in front of the hotel is also called “Hotel Rapid”  Pictures on this rock can be found on the Rivers and Kayak section of this site.

Short Video Clips of the Molenaars River

We kayaked the Molenaars river on a low level as you can see by the video clip  – but its always best to have a look at the river you intend on paddling during High Water while its still easy to run – in order to familiarize your self with a number of issues especially if you’re a novice.

In an emergency the river luckily has a number of sections along the N1 and the N1 should be easily accessible from most points of the river.

We`re looking forward to kayaking more and more on this river and if you would like to join us for a social white water kayak – send me an email clinton@saforestadventures.co.za