Bloemhof

Bloemhof, Southern Region

Not only does the little farming town of Bloemhof (flower capital or court) lie on the Vaal River, it also rests right up against a large dam known as the Bloemhof Dam - a major fisherman's paradise, especially for carp and fish cat, and somewhere you can definitely see a number of antelope and at least 250 species of bird.

It was also the site of flooding early in 2010 when the Vaal overflowed due to relentless rain in Gauteng and its neighbouring provinces. Bloemhof Dam is one of three catchment areas that, despite its size (it is the third largest dam in the country) was unable to contain the amount of water that resulted - two million litres of water every second is difficult to contain anywhere.

Despite this, or inspite of this, Bloemhof's major draw card remains its water side attractions. The Bloemhof Dam, which hosts an annual Bonanza Fishing Competition, is also the site of paddling, sailing or simply relaxing, whilst further upstream of here there is yet another dam, the Wolwespruit dam which, although smaller, has a large supply of indigenous yellowfish. Closer to the Dome conservancy (also known as Vredefort Dome) a white-water rafting trip is a wonderfully gentle way to experience the water.

Bloemhof serves as an ideal stopover whilst holidaying in the North West, particularly if your emphasis is on outdoor adventure. Not far from here is the SA Lombard Game Reserve where you can see the black wildebeest, futher north but remaining with the North West, is Wondergat - a sink hole with steep sides that serves as a fantastic dive site, and further still there is Sun City, Vredefort Dam, Hartbeespoort Dam and the Pilanesberg National Park.