There’s a driverless boat behind you. This is drinks trolley. And very welcome it is too. At around lunchtime you’ll come upon a feast spread out on a group of rocks next to canal. Scotch eggs, asparagus wrapped in ham, chicken wings, quiche, salad, fruit, and cheese. The lunch fairy’s been and gone.

After lunch you move into Weenen Game Reserve. The sharp, mountainous Drakensberg terrain has given way to undulating thornveld valleys. The canal rejoins a now fairly sluggish and narrow Bushman’s River. You need to paddle a little, and duck under odd tree as you drift through a spectacular gorge. There’s a huge diversity of bird life and antelope. Buffalo and black and white rhino. Being on water means you’re less noticeable, and less of a threat to bird-life and animals. So you can get close without startling them. And you don’t need a $10000 lens.

Once through Game Reserve, you disembark just before main road into Weenen with tall thatching grass glowing orange in fading light. Your river guides have arranged transport back to your starting point.

This is different.

Zingela Safari and River Company (+27363541962) organize this day-trip. And it’s only available in winter months. During summer they use rising levels of mighty Tugela River (which also has its source in high Drakensberg) to operate white-water rafting adventures.