Entries have opened for the 62nd edition of the iconic Berg River Canoe Marathon from Paarl to Velddrif from 5th to 8th July.
Recognised as one of the toughest river paddling events in the world, the 240km four-day epic through the middle of the Cape winter has become a bucket list event for many river paddlers.
The event organisers have confirmed that the race will start at the Market Street bridge in Paarl, and have reverted to the traditional first stage overnight stop at Zonquasdrift.
The event is offering paddlers Early Bird entries until 31 May at a discount, with a race t-shirt and goodie bag included.
Clubs have also been encouraged to get their members to compete through a R3000 incentive for every ten paddlers from their club that enter the race.
Staying true to its roots, the race has reassured paddlers that the traditional option of staying in farmers barns overnight will be available at Zonquasdrift at the end of the first stage and at Zoutkloof at the third stage overnight stop.
The overall race finish at the Carinus bridge in the West Coast fishing town of Velddrif attracts a big crowd of locals in a carnival-like atmosphere to welcome home the paddlers at the end of their odyssey.
The character of the race is moulded by the amount of mid-winter rain that falls in the Berg River catchment area. After a few low-water years the last few editions of the race have benefitted from high river levels which make the tree-lined early stages significantly easier for the paddlers to manage.
The 2023 Berg River Canoe Marathon will take place from Paarl to Velddrif from 5 to 8 July.