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BLAST
TALKS & TRAILS
Explore the Dome by car, on foot, on 2 wheels or by water
We have set out
to make complex scientific knowledge accessible and
to broaden the Dome story to include both the
evolution of life and human history.
Go to
quick finds on this page
 Presentations and excursions are by
arrangement: please
contact us in advance. The outings take in major
features of the crater and tell you about its ancient and
recent human history. The beautiful bush-clad, hilly country
with the Vaal River running through occupies a unique place
in South African history. Without the crater, the story of
South Africa would have been vastly different and far less
significant. Come and find out about the close relationship
between the gold of the Witwatersand, the Vredefort blast,
and the Vaal River basin with its rich wildlife
 and cultural
diversity. Visit our base
at
Otters’ Haunt, 2 km from Parys on
tar
(over the Vaal in North West Province). There is
accommodation in a guest house and bush camp. We have a
small conference centre in which we do an excellent map
briefing and animated presentation to introduce you to
features of this fascinating area. You can ask resident
popular science writer
Graeme
Addison to show the roads for a self-drive tour, and we
have map notes for you. Graeme can accompany you on excursions in the field,
visiting viewsites and exploring the geology, history and
ecology of the landscape.
 What does it cost? Go here
for
BLAST
Terms
& Rates and here for Otters' Haunt
accommodation rates.
It’s not easy to
view the crater or understand what you are
seeing without an expert briefing. The problem with many
books and web write-ups is that they are too
technical. We provide a popular guide to the
Vredefort Dome - but we also do research
ourselves and call on scientists for specialist
briefings. Don't hesitate to
ask
for what you want.
OPTIONS
-
PRESENTATIONS: See the animated screen
presentation in our Heron's Nest
 conference
room which seats up to 20 adults. Shows can last from 15
minutes to an hour depending on your interests. Learn about the
consensus of scientific opinion that this is an asteroid
impact crater, and the minority view that it isn't - rather,
it may be the remains of a "Verneshot" out of the
Earth. Ask your questions and take away our map notes
with pointers on where to go and what to do in the area.
-
RIVER WALK:
The Vaal River has a unique relationship with the Dome,
as erosion by the river has
exposed the features of this amazing landscape. But
also, the river systems in this region had buried the
Dome - along with its precious gold - for millions of
years before the Vaal exposed it all, along with SA's
gold wealth, in the form of rock strata near the
surface. The Vaal is one of the oldest rivers in the
world and the general area of its basin is certainly the
oldest on earth. Let Karen or Graeme show you features
in the riverbed that disclose the story of the land, the
water, and the gold!
-
FIELD TRIPS
(3 hours to 2 days): See the evidence for
yourself in the rocks
 and
hear about how it has been explained in various ways, by
differing schools
of thought. We take groups of friends, school
pupils, students and specialists. Where necessary we do
extra research and/or bring in other experts from
professional geologists to birdwatchers to guide you.
Walk across the rocks that time has exposed, revealing
shattering evidence of the explosion. See the
interaction between landscape and life: the ecology of
the crater, including how humans have adapted to the
crater habitat and exploited its wealth.
-
BATTLEFIELDS
(3 hours to 2 days):  The
area is as fascinating as the much better known region
of Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal, and is certainly more
central to the country's history. Warfare in this area
stretches back many generations. The Matabele under
renegade Zulu Chief Mzilikazi conquered all before them;
but shortly afterwards the Voortrekkers fought
Mzilikazi's impis to a showdown. They were
followed by British soldiers, gold prospectors and
miners from the Yukon, capitalists and revolutionaries.
Many of the memorable battlefields of the two Anglo-Boer
wars are in this area, and it was here that General
Christiaan de Wet launched the concept of insurgency
warfare against the occupying British. So this is truly
the
Crater of Conflict.
TO TOP
-
DRIVE,
HIKE, CYCLE OR RAFT THE DOME
(3 hours to full
day or 2 days):
Some people like to make an active day of
it, and for them we lead hikes into the Dome. Others
prefe a more leisurely drive, with stops where only a
short walk is required to visit a viewsite or see
features of the Dome. If on your own, you can do the Bergland drive, or for the
energetic, we offer GPS maps and/or trails by
foot, mountain bike (provide your own), canoe or
inflatable raft (fully equipped: see our other website,
RIVERMAN for much more detail on Vaal rafting
trails). Here are details of some trails (though there
are many others to choose from):
-
Dome & Bergland Drive – some 75-110km (depending on choice of route) through
the famed “Bergland” to see scientific evidence of the blast
and visit the picturesque Venterskroon museum where
you can see an informative video. Find out more
about the fascinating history and peoples of the
area, including the archaeology, cultures, diamond
and gold rushes, battlefields and more recent
history. Get out and hike 1km up to one of the highest points
(an easy walk) to enjoy the scenic panorama.
-
Dome by foot
-
the 3-hour Walk 'n Talk is our most popular outing.
Starting
in the morning before it gets too hot, we cross to
the islands in front of Otters' Haunt to see
evidence of how the Dome was formed by granite and
how the Vaal has carved its signature in the rocks.
Then, after refreshments and a colourful PowerPoint
presentation in the Heron's Nest conference room, we
hike about 3km to Leeukop. Here the rockface - in
itself declared as a National Heritage site and part
of the World Heritage - shows the most spectacular
display of melt-rock from the blast. And we get
marvellous views of the Dome Bergland and inner core
of the Dome itself. You can hike back or we can
arrange to collect you from Leeukop.
-
Malachite Canoe trail
– from
Otters’ Haunt, paddle on
 the placid Vaal upriver and down
again, using our comfortable and easy to manoeuvre
sit-on-top kayaks (1 and 2 seaters). This is an extremely
popular activity with visitors. There are no rapids
- just a few minor riffles - and the routes through
the many channels among the islands are peaceful and
picturesque, with the chance of spotting fish
eagles, vervet monkeys, leguaans, and even the very
shy otters. We climb out and walk at some
points. You do not need previous experience and need not be
a swimmer: Lifejackets are provided. 2-3 hours.
-
Raft the Dome
–
Go here to the
riverman
website for details and photo
galleries of Dome whitewater rafting on the rapids
of the Vaal River. There are several exciting
options, from half-day to full day, with different
routes. The rapids are graded 1-2+ (easy and
moderate) but there is a tougher Grade 3+ sections
too if you are not faint-hearted. The interest
of the river is that its course follows micro-faults
in the underlying granite, produced by the Dome
detonation itself. The resulting islands are a
riverine paradise, with whitewater to add spice to
the science.
-
Mountain bike and cycling tours –
from Otters’ Haunt,
 cycle the many trails in the Dome
Bergland, include roads, jeep tracks, and single-track
paths. We do not hire out bikes, bring your own. Best
contact us at least a day before to discuss, as access must
be arranged. We do not cover private area entry fees. Get
the briefing and collect a GPS map. Most trails are on
private land and are not marked, which makes them exclusive
to your group. Routes can vary from 8 to 50km or longer. Map
briefing & guided MTB - just
ask.
-
Rates & Terms for all activities.
TO TOP
-
STORY-TELLING:
In 2008 for the first time - and uniquely in this region
of South Africa - we are
initiating a series of story telling weekends and
writing workshops. The idea arises from the incredibly
rich store of historic tales, myths and legends
surrounding the Dome and its peoples. Imagine the
firelight on faces enchanted by tales of long ago, or
the satisfaction you will feel at producing that long
dreamt-of short story, article or novel! Bring the
family along for the tales, or book yourself into a
self-expression workshop.
Go here for an outline.
TERMS &
RATES
Go here for a full table
of rates on all the activities, and our terms for bookings.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Expect to hear and see a lot on an active
day in the outdoors. We start by viewing maps for
orientation, in an illustrated talk where the key features
of the Dome are colourfully explained, then get going in the field. The information is not specialised - you
learn about the mighty Vredefort structure in layman's language.
For all trails, come well prepared with sunhats, sunscreen,
water bottle, good walking shoes, a jersey or anorak for the
sun or winter chill, binoculars, camera and notebook. We do
not provide lunches except by request, so bring sandwiches.
At the little village of Venterskroon it is possible to buy
snacks or to order a picnic lunch or sit-down meal in
advance. Transport is in your own vehicle unless otherwise
arranged. The roads are generally tar or good gravel,
 and
where we go onto farm properties there is safe parking
allowing you to hike to viewpoints. Come with a full tank
because the day trips can involve over 130km of driving,
depending on the route taken.
A tour microbus
can be arranged and costed on request.
SELF-GUIDED ROUTES
It is possible to drive, cycle or walk
around parts of the Dome which are either open to the public
or can be accessed by permission through Otters' Haunt. We
charge a small fee for advice and access permits, and can
provide local sketch maps with explanatory notes which are
for sale too. You must, however, come here for the
self-guiding information - we do not give advice on the
phone or by email. One of the reasons is that many
landowners will only admit you with a signed Otters Haunt
entry coupon. Another is that we don't want people to get
the wrong ideas about the Dome and environs: the subject
matter is fascinating, but complicated, and casual visitors
do get frustrated when they can't immediately see and
understand the features that gained World Heritage Site
status for the area.
SCHOOL
TOURS, CONFERENCES AND CUSTOM-MADE TRAILS
-
 The
Vredefort Dome is an ideal venue for school
geography/science/literature projects.
-
It is also great for corporate conferencing and
teambuilding.
-
And we can organise briefings and trails for those with
special interests from astronomy to adventure.
 The
Dome is truly vast and it can take weeks to cover it all in
detail and from all angles- science, history, culture and
canoeing! Many visitors have a limited attention span when
it comes to pure geology - all about rocks - so we make sure
that the treatment is varied and constantly surprising. This
is particularly true for learner groups from schools. Our
most popular school tour takes us up into the Dome Bergland.
We tell them all about the huge explosion that occurred
here, let them see and handle the rocks that tell the story,
then head for a huge farm swimming tank for the kids to
enjoy themselves over lunch; a great hike to the mountain
lookout point ends off the day.
We appreciate that there are different strokes for different
folks, so why not
send us an email or
enter your request here, outlining your interests and
needs, and we'll come up with a package for you. |
I'm
a writer of popular science and technology books and
articles, a former Professor of Communication whose
hobby is now "backyard astronomy" with history thrown
in! I'm a keen mountain-biker and kayaker, so the
Dome and Vaal River are my playground.
I'm
a former teacher who has worked with Graeme on many
aspects of science & local history research, and I have
got to know the Dome by preparing the maps and data used
in our various presentations. My passions are mountain
running and education. I manage Otters' Haunt.