Emmarentia Dam in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs offers an excellent retreat from the urban jungle that surrounds it, whether you are a watersports enthusiast, fishing fanatic or simply looking for some peace and tranquility. A large variety of avian life inhabits the area around the dam that borders the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. more

Experience good fly-fishing for yellowfish in the rivers around Kimberley, which boast abundant, stable populations of indigenous largemouth and smallmouth species. Fly-fishing here will lure you back time and again as you absorb the evocative game-rich environment while casting for record catches. more

Hartbeespoort Dam is a popular weekend and day trip destination for folk in the Johannesburg and Pretoria area. The dam and surrounding areas offer a host of outdoor activities, from a variety of watersports to flights of every description. Hikes, walks and trails complete the region's compelling outdoor adventure activities. more

Chrissiesmeer, in the heart of Mpumalanga's’s lake district, is surrounded by 270 lakes and pans brimming with birds, butterflies and frogs. There’s even an annual frogging festival which keeps everyone on their toes. It’s full of history too, from Anglo-Boer War battles to poignant graves of lost lovers. more

If you follow the Sundays River from its source to its mouth, your route will take you from the occasionally snowy highlands of the Karoo through mohair country past the Addo Elephant National Park and the Zuurberg mountains to the valley of oranges and the Indian Ocean beyond. more

The Vaal River is the main tributary of the Orange (Gariep) River. The 1210km waterway, forms a boundary between the Free State and the provinces of Gauteng, North West and the Northern Cape. It supplies water to the country’s industrial heartland, including the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria. more

Follow the Thukela River through a number of historical towns and past Anglo-Boer War battlefields. Return to its source and admire the impressive Tugela Falls and its surrounds, South Africa's legendary Drakensberg mountains. more

The Breede River promises a wealth of new experiences for first-time travellers: wine-tasting along the world's longest wine route (the Cape Route 62 with over 50 wine cellars), cherry picking, picture-perfect fruit orchards and historical towns with quaint museums. more

In the Grass and Wetlands of Mpumalanga, the watery element dominates, with lakes and rivers brimming with bird life and offering a host of activities on and off the water to suit every taste, all drenched in history that goes back from colonial times to literally the dawn of humankind. more

Ride this legendary South African river through the Orange River Gorge and the Richtersveld National Park in an inflatable raft or Indian Mohawk canoe, with stopovers each night under the stars. It’s the closest you will get to pure nature, with skilled guides leading the way. more

For visitors driving through South Africa’s arid Karoo, a delightful new tourism route running around the Gariep Dam reveals more than ‘big water’: historical sites, eccentric country types, a plush hotel, waterside herds of antelope and wide-angle landscapes to thrill the eye. more

Midmar Dam near Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands offers excellent bass and carp fishing throughout the year, with various designated areas around the region’s largest body of water. Other species that can be landed include scalies and bluegill. Stay a few nights and see how many big ones you can bag. more

The Eye of Kuruman is a natural spring that gave rise first to a mission station founded by Robert Moffat in 1824, and later a large town. What makes it remarkable is that this pure water rises to the surface in the arid Kalahari and that it has never dried up. more

The Olifants River in the Mpumalanga province is among South Africa's most interesting watercourses thanks to the large herds of elephant it attracts. See it at its best in the Kruger National Park, where you can sit high on a shady thatch veranda and watch the herds meander along below. more