The Bivane River (also Pivaan River), a right bank tributary of the

Pongola River The Phongolo River is a river in South Africa. It is a tributary of the Maputo River. It rises near Utrecht in northern KwaZulu-Natal, flows east through oPhongolo, is dammed at Pongolapoort, and crosses the Ubombo Mountains; then it flows nort ...

, is situated in northern

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Course

The ultimate source of the river is at over 2,000 m a.s.l. in the uplands north of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

.Usuthu/Mhlatuze WMA 6
/ref> It flows between rolling uplands dotted with commercial plantations, passing under the Kruger Bridge of 1898, before reaching Pivaansbad south of

Paulpietersburg Paulpietersburg () is a small town in KZN, South Africa. It was established in 1888 and was then part of the Transvaal Republic. It was named after then President Paul Kruger and Voortrekker hero Piet Joubert. The town is 72 km south of P ...

, where hot springs and the Natal Spa resort are located. Downstream it enters open but hilly terrain until it enters the Bivane Dam, where the Bivane Dam resort and a nature reserve of 2,000 ha are located. Downstream of the dam the river enters more rugged terrain, and the turbulent waters are popular with canoeists, and besides for river rafting. This area is also the starting point for the annual Ithala Challenge Canoe Marathon. The river has a confluence with the Pongola on the western boundary of the

Ithala Game Reserve Ithala Game Reserve is situated in 290 km2 of rugged, mountainous thornveld, about 400 km north of Durban, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is one of the youngest game parks in South Africa. The altitude varies from 400 ...

, not far from the border with

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

Dams

The Bivane Dam was completed in 2000 at its confluence with the Manzana River, to provide for a local irrigation scheme.

Gallery

Kruger Bridge - panoramio (1).jpg, Kruger Bridge - panoramio (4).jpg, Bivane Dam - 26 Nov 2009 - panoramio.jpg,

Notes

Rivers of KwaZulu-Natal {{SouthAfrica-river-stub