Half-day walk ‘n talk to Leeukop viewsite:

We had a fantastic time. Lovely place, spectacular views, info, the Vaal River, leisure!!! Otters has it all! The geology of the Vredefort Dome is especially fascinating, and we would have loved to tour more. But it is only an hour from Johannesburg, so we will definitely make a return soon!

- BRENDAN, son and friends, February 2008

Heritage Hills Hike : 

Early in 2007 I, along with a group of friends, were privileged to undertake a hike with Graeme Addison, local expert of the Vredefort Dome and writer extraordinaire, acting as our guide.  Apart from being a wealth of information, he made a thoroughly entertaining guide.  On our arrival at Otters Haunt we were warmly greeted by Graeme’s dogs, followed promptly by Graeme himself, and made to feel welcome with coffee, juice and rusks. This was followed by a slide show, along with a briefing on the history of the Dome presented  by Graeme, who exhibited various samples of the different rock formations to describe the actual explosion of the meteor.  We set off along an unmarked route towards Leeukop which took us through spectacular archaeological sites, with various interesting as well as historic locations such as the ruins of old Twana villages and sites of battles which took place between the Zulus and the Boers. We were able to view "Little Matopo" with its majestic granite dome and proceeded to Kopjeskraal valley with the sight of the Kopje in the distance.  One of the highlights of the hike was a cool refreshing swim (for those daring enough to shed their clothes) in an old, unused quarry which is now under water.  Its beautiful rock face clearly differentiates the layers of molten rock due to the blast caused by the meteor impact. The route took us through idyllic pastures of a farm aptly named God’s Gift, inhabited by decidedly friendly horses who welcomed our visit enthusiastically. This led us down to the Vaal river where we were enthralled by some white river rafters.  We completed the hike back at Otters Haunt ending the day with a relaxing picnic/braai next to the river under the cool weeping willow trees, a fitting end to a wonderful day indeed.  We’ll be back…..

- ESTELLE, hiking group, 2007

3-hour Dome walk ‘n talk :

We had nothing but rave reviews about the tour. Everyone enjoyed it thoroughly and I had a request for your details from one of the delegates from Pretoria who wants to bring a group of her friends along.

- HELEN, from The Amazing Train

Morning rafting the Dome : 

You made our day very special and everyone had a wonderful time.  Your web site is amazing and you have made our pics with the little story so wonderful. You guys are amazing.

- JENNY, Charles Orbach Accounting & Auditing

Canoeing the Dome : 

Lovely, lovely, lovely! let me see now… we went mostly by river, always worthwhile for me and especially so with people who know the river so well and are attuned to its creatures and moods. I loved the excursion to the quarry, where natural and man-made landscapes meet, the ‘lake’ a little oasis in a hot, bright world. Graeme makes the landscape come alive with his explanations, at the same time they (the explanations) are clear, easy-to-follow and interesting.

- CAROLINE, environmental consultant

3-hour Dome walk ‘n talk :

It is very easy to comment on the wonderful walking tour that we had with you. I was so pleasantly surprised. Here in South Africa, most of us don’t realise what a gem of a country we live in. I learnt a lot of history at school, but being of an elderly age, I had forgotten so much. It was wonderful to learn about the Voortrekkers crossing the Vaal, and actually seeing the spot, and hearing you tell the story, I could see it all happening. The Vredefort Dome is magnificent. The granite is so beautiful, to believe that nature can produce this is unbelievable. I loved every minute of the tour, finding that Graeme was able to tell us so much in an interesting and pleasant way. I am the mother of Wayne Ferreira, the tennis player, and I cant wait to share this wonderful experience with him.

- ARLENE, group of friends

Several conference visits :

My visit was a marvellous introduction to prehistory, the formation of the earth’s crust in the northern Free State and Witwatersrand, and the significance of the Vaal River – possibly the world’s oldest river. Graeme is a journalist and writer who gives a wonderfully understandable and fascinating rendering of a slice of pre-history. He is knowledgeable about the geophysics and geology of the area and has many rock samples from early formations. For those interested in learning about the early African settlements in the region and the Boer-Brit War of the early 20th century, he is a master of description and will take you on a most memorable walks and mild climbs in the area, pointing out the landscape of important local battles.

- CLIVE, writer and lecturer

Foreign family staying at Otters’ Haunt and rafting :

We are a Belgian family with two children living in Joburg since 2 years …. being here on contract for a couple of years we try to travel as much as possible through the country. One of the ‘musts’ to visit on our list was the Vaal region. SO, end September, we went for a long weekend to Otters’ Haunt. We were welcomed by Karen and 2 friendly border collies. It is a beautiful, quiet and peaceful place. And I must say we had a wonderful time. We stayed in nice bush cabins, had our own pool and braai area. But most of all we were keen to unlock the spirit of adventure and welcome a challenge.  We wanted to try canoe trips on the river and rafting! Our kids loved it! We had no experience at all, and certainly not our kids, but Graeme and his partner guided us very well. They explained us all we had to know about steering, paddling, signals, safety precautions. During the trip there was plenty of time to catch our breath and enjoy the river scenery with magnificent views. Besides the canoe and rafting trips we also enjoyed hiking and flyfishing. Watching the sunset from the sundeck was a treat and after a braai we gathered around a warm campfire. Our stay in Otters’Haunt was unforgettable.

 - MARIANNE, foreign visitor