Oviston Nature Reserve, Eastern Cape

Red hartebeest herds at the Oviston Nature Reserve

© Chris Marais

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The thing about the Gariep Dam (aka Lake !Ghariep) is that although it is South Africa’s largest standing body of fresh water, it’s also a ‘secret in plain sight’.

A marvellous lake like this would normally be awash with waterfront developments, yacht clubs, waterskiers, a string of cruise operations and hordes of fishermen. However, except for some local weekend activity near the small town of Gariep itself, it’s blissfully quiet out here.

Oviston on the eastern shores of Gariep competes quite passionately for title of ‘South Africa’s Sleepiest Hollow’. Established originally for the dam workers who built the Gariep Dam in the 1960s, Oviston has become a secret spot for retirees, holiday fishermen and the occasional boater.

Once you’ve puttered out in your cruise boat from Oviston on the vast waters of the Gariep and dropped your fishing line, you could be right up there in exotic Africa, possibly in Lake Kariba or somewhere once frequented by the likes of David Livingstone, the missionary-explorer.

Let’s say it’s early morning in the spring month of September, and you’re hoping to land a largemouth yellowfish or an Orange River mudfish or, possibly, a moggel or a sharptooth catfish. They’re the ‘usual suspects’ that live in the waters of the Gariep.

Mist is rising off the lake as you sip that hot coffee from the thermos and look across the waters at the Oviston Nature Reserve, a 16 000ha wildlife area on the Eastern Cape flank of the dam.

You can expect to see a selection of springbok, gemsbok, zebras and hartebeest coming down to the water’s edge to drink. Any twitchers in the group can expect to see Verreaux’s eagles, fish eagles, blue cranes, secretary birds and steppe buzzards, to name a few species that thrive around Gariep.

Later on in the day, you can take a game drive through the Oviston Nature Reserve for more sightings of the plains animals. Lucky encounters – most often in the early evenings – may include wildlife specialties like bat-eared foxes, porcupines, mongooses and clawless otters.

The Oviston Nature Reserve will thrill and surprise you.

The other 2 wildlife areas around Gariep Dam are Tussen-die-Riviere and the Gariep Dam Nature Reserve – both on the Free State side of the water. The vision is to amalgamate the 3 nature reserves into a conservation area that will span more than 85 000ha.

Possibly the highlight of your day at the Oviston Nature Reserve is back on the water as you embark on your sunset cruise. Through the golden filter of a dusty late afternoon, the waters and the wildlife you see take on magical tones. It’s Africa completely at peace with itself...