Parys Berakah Eco Trail

Parys on the Vaal River is the Free State’s adventure capital — rafting, tubing, quad biking and mountain biking all revolve around the dramatic Vaal River gorge carved through the ancient Vredefort Dome impact crater. The Berakah Eco Trail is a 25km intermediate loop through the Berakah Eco Reserve on the river’s edge, combining quality singletrack with the reserve’s riverine environment.

What to Expect

Singletrack and gravel tracks wind through rocky koppie terrain and riverine vegetation alongside the Vaal River. The rocky Vredefort Dome geology gives the trail a distinctive character — ancient metamorphic rock outcrops, river cobble sections and koppie climbing create technical interest throughout. Vaal River views appear regularly through the bush.

Parys as Adventure Base

Parys has excellent accommodation, restaurants and adventure activity options — mountain biking pairs naturally with a river experience (canoe, tube or raft) in a full Parys day. The town is 2 hours from Johannesburg and extremely popular on weekends.

Getting There

Parys is on the R59 south of Johannesburg. Berakah Eco Reserve is signposted from Parys. GPS: -26.9034, 27.4589.

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🌐 Visit Official Trail Website →