 HIKING & MTB TRAILS: From easy to tough, from gentle river walks to boulder hopping. Single track and gravel routes for MTB. Come with kids, friends or your club.
PEACE & NATURE: The ideal getaway close to Johannesburg. Look no further than our beautiful Otters' Den guest house at the riverside. Or maybe choose the Full Moon Bush Cabins for your group exclusively. Call now +27 82 475 8767 or email info@otters.co.za
FAMILY RAFTING
American style rafting on guided oar boats and paddle rafts
Bring the family and enjoy an exciting trip with a guide on board the raft with you. Run the river in expert hands, wield a paddle yourself, and show the kids how nature in the raw is fun! Ages 6 to 75. Bring granny too!
Read all about us here.2018 ORANGE RIVER TRAILS 
Otters' Haunt and The Riverman are offering the wonderful 5-day ORANJE GORGE TRAIL between May and September. Don't miss this best and most exciting of all rafting safaris - Kalahari desert scenery, fun rapids, great hikes, fishing and relaxing. School holiday trips. Contact Graeme 084 245 2490 or Karen 082 475 8767 or info@otters.co.za.
 Watch the video. |
RIVER SKILLS COURSE 3-6 October.
Every year, people are injured or drown on rivers. Yet rafting and canoeing are great ways to enjoy the outdoors and learn about yourself and your strengths. Learn how to avoid disaster and really get the best out of river adventures.
 Just in time for school and varsity holidays, here’s the ideal getaway for teens, young adults or mature people wanting a career change. Adventure Standards Africa is once again running its popular river rafting course on the Vaal near Parys, four days of adventure-filled fun and learning. Boys and girls, men and women welcome.
The course runs at Otters’ Haunt, 3km from Parys, from the evening of Monday 2 April to the afternoon of Friday 6 April.
Learn the rules of river safety and how to plan and run trips. Top qualified instructors run the show. Those intending to become pro river guides, legally registered, need to attend and, two months later, do the assessment for the rafting certificate. They can then go on to complete the official adventure tourism certificate to work anywhere in SA.
Camping and bush camp accommodation available. Course limit is 12 so apply now. Contact assess@asafrica.org or phone 0842452490.
COURSE DETAILS
BOOKING FORM
FIRST TRIP OF THE SEASON. Yep, the Vaal River is flowing nicely, with the Vaal Dam at 92% we’re bound to get water before the summer rains start. So here’s to our guides and the rafting season to come! The first trip was a blast! Contact us to join on any holiday or weekend. If you are a family, friends or corporate group, we’ll go anytime – and you can add a festive braai. More info.
Chill out in the warm autumn sun!
Otters’ Haunt, on the banks of the Vaal River, is the ideal holiday getaway for families and friends.
You can relax, read a book and listen to the birds. We cater for birdwatching groups and have a list of the species spotted so far – including rare types like the black-shouldered night heron. Fish eagles, many species of waterfowl and kingfishers throng the river and its banks.
Indulge yourself eating out in the nearby town of Parys. There are antique shops, good restaurants and coffee bars, artist’s studios and township tours.
 Or tour the magnificent Vredefort Dome with our expert guides. Tours cover the geology of the meteorite blast that created the biggest and oldest visible impact crater on earth 2 billion years ago. We also offer battlefield tours, ecology and geography for schools, and research to order for visiting specialists.
Bring your dog – provided it’s not a savage beast – to our pet-friendly establishment. There’s room to run on our lawns and in the fields on our property.
Take a leisurely walk along the Vaal islands or hike in the spectacular Dome Bergland. We have access to numerous trails and we provide a trail briefing and map, as well as a well-informed nature guide if you want one.
 There’s plenty to do – and not to do! Special rates for families and groups. Only just over an hour from Johannesburg and you are in a different world! Otters’ Haunt is an old-established rustic place with a variety of types of accommodation. We are old-style hosts who welcome you and show you around, tell you about the place and encourage you to enjoy surroundings.
Give Karen a call at 082 475 8767 or email info@otters.co.za.
 It may be global warming, it may just be freak weather. Whatever the explanation for our unseasonal “midwinter summer” it makes for great hikes, mountain biking and paddling on the river.
Recently Karen and I explored Rietpoort farm on our mountain bikes, enjoying the bushland paths and route along the foot of the Dome Bergland. The picture shows the quaint farm cottage where you deposit your visitor fee in a collection box. How’s that for safety and security! On this trail all the main species of Continue reading Mild winter – ideal for cycling
 We just love this picture of two boys meditating during a family river trip on the Vaal. I guess their parents are into Eastern religions and they’ve picked it up. Imagine how much of a better place the world would be if all youngsters learnt to delve into themselves to find peace in the universe.
The meditation got me cogitating – not just thinking, but planning new family adventures in the coming spring and summer. This is a wonderful setting for a birthday party. We are doing Continue reading Meditation on kids’ parties
- Standard price of a halfday rafting trip: R335pp. Our Easter Special Price: R295
- Standard price of halfday rafting plus braai buffet: R625pp. Our Easter Special Price: R545.
- Discounts for under 16s and families
- Book 12 people and 2 more come FREE!
- Don’t delay, book today. Places are limited. EMAIL US.
And remember, we have great accommodation – check out our guest house, bush camp and chalets
Hire a canoe and go out on your own or go with a guide who knows the islands and the wildlife.
 Our grand old oak tree has produced thousands of acorns – great food for pigs! We don’t keep pigs ourselves but occasionally some monstrous visitors like the one in the photo come crashing through the fields next door. Our dogs go crazy and there is much scurrying around to get the pig to gobble-n-go.
Meanwhile, autumn is on the way. It’s a beautiful time of year. The Easter holidays are coming and we are enjoying some of the best weather ever – not too hot, not cold or windy, just lovely days. Everything is green but turning to yellows and lush browns.
Our rafting continues into April. Hopefully, recent cyclone Irina has dropped some rain in the Vaal catchment and we can expect a good flow for the remainder of the season.
As the weather cools off we start mountain biking in earnest. There are great off-road trails in the Dome Bergland and the rolling Free State platteland. One of our favourites is the ride to the Inlandsee, the salt pan at the centre of the Dome (picture).
At this time of year we expect fly fishermen to turn up looking for good catches among the yellowfish that have fattened up in the summer flow of the Vaal. No-one eats the catches, it’s cath-and-release. The fish are rising everywhere as mayflies congregate over the water.
Come and enjoy the adventures with us!
– Graeme & Karen
 The Otters' Den guest house overlooks a quiet pool and islands Welcome!
We’re in the process of revamping our popular Otters’ Haunt website. For a while there will be limited information and changes will be going on.
For a quick summary of what we offer in terms of accommodation and adventure activities, go to our temporary website:
www.ottershaunt.wozaonline.co.za
For all accommodation inquiries call Karen at 082 475 8767 or 056 8181814.
Meantime, we’d love to hear your suggestions for changes to this website. Insert a comment or drop us a line to info@otters.co.za or call Graeme at 084 245 2490.
 Remember, we offer –
- Accommodation: Guest House, Bush Cabins, Guinea Fowl Cottage and Porcupine Flatlet.
- Activities: Whitewater rafting, wilderness canoeing, mountain biking, hiking, flyfishing, birdwatching.
- We also have a conference centre suitable for groups up to 20 – ideal for brainstorms, presentations and meetings.
- Our facilties are self-catering but for events and teambuilds we offer full board with delicious meals.
- We do Vredefort Dome tours and can handle school and university groups.
So get hold of us to plan your getaway at the Vaal… we’ll put together the package you want.
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Dome tours  The Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site lies at the centre of the world's oldest and largest meteorite impact site. Join a tour from Otters' Haunt with popular science writer Prof Graeme Addison or keen environmentalist Karen Addison, registered tour guides. We do a map briefing, video and impact demo, and go to viewsites of scientific and cultural interest. Also, there is a battlefields tour and a township tour. Graeme and Karen are great companions as you drive, walk, or mountain bike the trails. Or paddle on the Vaal, River of the Crater!
Stay over
 We have a variety of self-catering facilities for families, groups, and travellers. Stay in the
Otters' Den guest house or the
Porcupine garden flat. Enjoy the rustic
Full Moon Bush Cabins and
Cormorant cabin, or stayover in the
Guinea Fowl Cottage. Use the comfy Heron's Nest conference centre, for meetings, brainstorms and presentations: seats 20.
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We are Lonely Planet’s “Pick” of the Northern Free State. Out of hundreds of lodges, hotels and guest houses in this area, we came out tops for adventure and hospitality. The international best-seller says: 
“Otters’ Haunt, the hub of all things outdoors in Parys…this secluded gateway right on the Vaal River offers a long list of outdoor activities for humans and their pets… Accommodation is reasonably priced and comes in all shapes and sizes.”
Stay in touch!