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BLAST!
tours
Introduction to the Vredefort Dome
Guiding
Tour options
What to Expect
Back to Vredefort Dome
Introduction
At Otters’ Haunt you
find yourself in the largest and oldest visible
impact crater on Earth. Some 240-280km across, the
Vredefort structure appears to have been caused by
an asteroid hitting the Earth’s surface about 2.023
billion years ago. A part of the crater was declared
a World Heritage Site in 2005. It’s not easy to see
the crater or understand what you are seeing without
a briefing!
We offer a
40-minute self-paced PowerPoint
presentation to introduce you to features of this
fascinating area. You can ask resident
science writer Graeme Addison
to brief you and show
features on the map, as well as indicate where best
to go.
 The
Dome is not just a geological wonder. It also
contains numerous
battlefields
and other historical
and cultural attractions. There is
great hiking and cycling, marvellous scenic views,
art & antiques, coffee bars and restaurants,
wildlife, 4X4 and much more. Here’s a list of the
options available. There are more – for example,
various hiking routes near and far in the Dome
vicinity.
Learn about the scientific
controversies that have surrounded it since it was
first identified as a geological curiosity more than
100 years ago. See the evidence in the rocks and
view the landscape. This is the scene of the
largest ever energy release to occur on the planet
(that we know of), equivalent to 100 million
megatons or 100,000,000,000,000 tons of TNT! The
blast (probably from an incoming asteroid)
immediately melted a hole some 30-50km deep in the
crust. What we can see today is the eroded remnant
of this astrophysical event, which took place some
2.023 billion years ago.
Come and see for yourself -
walk across the rocks that time has exposed,
revealing shattering evidence of the explosion. See
and touch where a wandering space rock struck the
Earth.
UNIQUE AREA
Tours take in all the major
features of the crater and tell you about its
ancient and recent human history. This beautiful
bush-clad, hilly country with the Vaal River running
through occupies a unique place in South African
history, apart from its purely scientific value.
 Without
this crater, the story of South Africa would have
been vastly different and far less significant. In
the crater and its immediate vicinity, the
Voortrekkers first encountered the Matabele under
Mzilikazi, gold was discovered, many key engagements
of the Boer Wars (1880-1 and 1900-1902) were fought,
and some of the epic events of the Struggle against
apartheid took place. Not far to the north is
another World Heritage Site - the "Cradle of
Humankind" - where our species is first thought to
have evolved as a walking ape some 3million years
ago. And modern humans have inhabited the crater and
its surroundings for at least 150 000 years. It's
hard to match this story at any other spot in the
country, or the planet!
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GUIDING
 Tours
are co-ordinated by science and technology writer
Graeme Addison who has published numerous articles
on the Vredefort Structure and is currently writing
a book entitled about the Dome
and its intimate relationship with the Vaal basin.
Graeme is
the author of White Water: The World's Wildest
Rivers (Struik, 2000) and The Edge series
of books on South African innovations (SAVI, 2000,
2005).
TOUR
OPTIONS
We conduct walking, cycling, paddling and motoring excursions into the
Dome, led by an expert on the area.
CONTACT US
FOR FEES AND DATES
1.
PowerPoint presentation.
40 minutes.
2.
River
walk
– opposite Otters’ Haunt. Learn about the close
relationship between the gold of the Witwatersand,
the Vredefort blast, and the Vaal River basin.
1
hour.
3.
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). The
route is through the islands, with a guide. We climb
out and walk at some points. You do not need
previous experience and need not be a swimmer:
lifejackets are provided.
2 hours.
4.
Cycle
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
trails - just
ask.
5.
Leeukop
Quarry visit
– see the most spectacular rockface, a national
monument, that reveals evidence of the meteorite
blast. View the landscape with its battlefields,
mountains, and river, telling the story of South
Africa’s ancient and modern history. Swim, if you
would like, in the pristine lake at the foot of
Leeukop. And visit a Tswana village ruin to hear
about the lives of these peaceable people hundreds
of years ago when they formed part of Africa’s
trading routes. 3
hours.
6.
Dome &
Bergland Tour
– walk
and drive some 75-110km (depending on choice of
route) through the famed “Bergland” to see all
aspects of the blast. 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.
In this area, the first battles were fought between
Voortrekkers and Mzilikazi, and later, important
engagements took place between Boers and British
forces during both Anglo-Boer Wars. Visit the
quaint mining
town of Venterskroon for a video on the Dome, and
hike up to one of the highest points (an easy walk)
to enjoy the scenic panorama. Use own transport,
bring refreshments and/or purchase at the
Venterskroon stop. 6-8
hours. Maximum group size 12.
7. Two-day tour
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WHAT TO EXPECT
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Expect to hear and see a lot on an
active day in the outdoors. We start by viewing maps for orientation, then
get going in the field.
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We start with an illustrated lecture where the key
features of the Dome are colourfully explained
-
The information is not specialised - you learn about
the mighty Vredefort in layman's language
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Wear hiking shoes and have a hat, water
bottle and sunscreen, camera and binoculars. It is advisable to bring a notebook.
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Refreshments and meals are not included
in the fee but can be arranged as extras
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We generally use your own vehicles to get around - it
is more convenient for all. 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
have maps and can you advise you where to go and
what to see. A warning: self-guiding is difficult
because the subject matter is scientific and you are
likely to miss - or misunderstand - interesting
features of the landscape, history and nature. A
guided tour is highly advisable. However, if you
wish to do it yourself, come to our place for an
overview and we'll send you off to the best places.
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. So be advised, come and
find out first! This applies equally to motoring,
hiking and our
mountain biking routes.
For more information
CALL 084
245 2490 or 056 8181814
Email:
info@otters.co.za To
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