The Mzimvubu River — known in Xhosa as "the place of the hippopotamus" — is one of South Africa's most significant river systems, stretching approximately 400 kilometers through the Eastern Cape Province before dramatically emptying into the Indian Ocean through a stunning gorge called the "Gates of St. Johns" at Port St. Johns. Rising in the Drakensberg highlands near Matatiele and Mount Fletcher at an elevation of around 2,050 meters near the Lesotho border, the river winds in a generally southeastern direction through a catchment area of nearly 20,000 square kilometers. This remarkable river offers an extraordinary diversity of fishing experiences — from fly fishing for trout in the cold upper reaches to estuarine and surf fishing for a wide range of saltwater species near its mouth — making it one of the most versatile angling destinations on the continent.