ALSO ON THE KEURBOOMS...

WHISKEY CREEK TRAIL For a do-it-yourself, unguided trip on the Keurbooms River, there’s Cape Nature’s overnight trail to the delightfully remote Whiskey Creek Cabin (sleeps 10), and you can book it for multi days. It’s a roughly four-hour paddle from the Cape Nature office, just off the N2, through the surrounding nature reserve to the self-catering hut. Take your own kayak or hire canoes from the office at R150 a day; cabin from R1 470 a night. capenature.co.za

While the Bitou River’s flow is predictable, the universal law of kayaking is that the wind will always blow directly opposite to the way you’re paddling.