Aquifer

Aquifer Guesthouse is located near the tunnel-inlet overlooking a park with tennis courts. There’s lots of room for children to play and lovely hiking trails surrounding the dam. The breathtaking views of the water mass can be enjoyed from the guesthouse which consists of two identical houses, each with two bedrooms and five beds plus a fully equipped kitchen and lounge.
There is also a beautiful lapa in the backyard where guests can relax and braai while enjoying the magnificent sunset over the water.

Oviston and the Orange Fish-Tunnel
Oviston is a charming little town situated 19 kilometers up stream from the Gariep dam wall on the southern banks of the Gariep dam. The town was originally developed when work on the tunnel commenced in 1966 to accommodate the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry personnel.

Oviston is located within the Oviston Nature Reserve on the southern banks of the greatest inland lake in southern Africa, the Gariep dam. The tunnel is a total of 82,45 kilometres in length with a diameter of 5,3 metres. Its purpose is to convey water from the Gariep dam underneath the Suurberg plateau to towns and irrigation areas in the Eastern Cape. In certain places the tunnel is up to 380 metres under the surface with a slope of 1: 2000. It is the longest uninterrupted water tunnel in the southern hemisphere and the third longest in the world.

Visitors to Oviston enjoy an abundance of liberties; they have easy access to the dam for fishing, swimming or boat rides. Access to the nature reserve is free of charge and there’s a great variety of wildlife to discover. Oviston is centrally located with adequate access roads – ideal for cycling. There is no trace of industrial pollution in the water or in the air.