Vaal Dam

Free State Tourist Attractions

Vaal Dam

Vaal Dam, Free State

There are not many dams that can claim to be as big as Luxembourg, yet the Vaal Dam, which is also the country's largest dam by area – the Gariep Dam has the largest storage capacity – does just that. Suffice to say that Vaal Dam is big.

The Vaal Dam has over 800 kilometers worth of coastline and covers over 300 square kilometres. It is also one of Gauteng's major sources of drinking water and lies on the Vaal River close to Vereeniging, midway between the N1 and the N3, and roughly 110 kilometres from Johannesburg. The Vaal Dam is also bounded by three provinces – the Free State, which has the largest coastline, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng, which has the most active coastline. On its banks lie the little towns of Deneysville, Oranjeville, Vaal Marina, Villiers and Frankfort, but possibly the most interesting entity connected with the Vaal Dam is its island, used during Apartheid for secret meetings.

Vaal Dam, Free State

The Vaaldam is a playground for all forms of water sports and events – every year there is the Round the Island yacht race, the Keelboat Week, the Bayshore 200 kilometre jetski race and the Bayshore Marina Vaal Dam treasure hunt – and there are apparently more keelboats on the dam than at all of our coastal harbours. There are 10 sailing clubs and any number of fishermen, waterskiiers and canoeists also head out to the dam over weekends.

Property along the banks of the dam and river is highly sought after. Tranquillity and peacefulness so close to a major city are an enormous draw card, and as our cities become more and more congested, so man seeks water as a means to escape.

Vaal Dam

Accommodation nearby

For accommodation nearby see:
• Deneysville Accommodation • Villiers Accommodation.

Attractions / Activities nearby

White Water Rafting

Where: Parys
How much (per person): On Request

Bring your family, friends or colleagues, come and explore Parys and Upper Vaal white water rafting and experience a river trip you will nev... more information

Cruise the Vaal on the Liquid Lounge

Where: Vanderbijlpark
How much (per person): R1 to R100

Enjoy a one hour sundowner cruise and experience the sun set magnificently over the Vaal River. Nestled deep in the Southern part of Gauteng... more information

Visiting Vaal Dam?
Also see Things To Do in Northern Free State or check out Things To Do in Free State to view activities by category, including watersports, sightseeing activities, arts & crafts and many, many more.

destinations / attractions in free state