Crocodile River (Mpumalanga)

This article is about the tributary of the Komati River. For the tributary of the Limpopo River, see Crocodile River (West).

Crocodile River Krokodilrivier
The river upstream of Kwena Dam
Location of the Crocodile River's mouth
Location
Country	South Africa
Region	Mpumalanga Province
Physical characteristics
Source	Steenkampsberg
• location	North of Dullstroom
Mouth	Komati River
• location	Komatipoort
• coordinates	25°26′18″S31°58′35″E / 25.43833°S 31.97639°E / -25.43833; 31.97639
Basin size	10,446 km2 (4,033 sq mi)

The Crocodile River, also referred to as Crocodile River (East), (Afrikaans : Krokodilrivier) is a large river traversing Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It is a tributary of the Komati River.

Course

It originates north of Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, in the Steenkampsberg Mountains. Downstream of Kwena Dam, the Crocodile River winds through the Schoemanskloof and down the Montrose Falls. It then flows eastwards past Nelspruit and joins the Komati River at Komatipoort. ^[1]

The Crocodile River in Mpumalanga has a catchment area of 10,446 km². Upstream it is a popular trout fishing place. ^[2] It flows through the Nelspruit industrial area, the Lowveld agricultural area and borders the Kruger National Park. The decrease in the flow of the river is due to water abstractions for irrigated fruit and sugar cane farming.

The Crocodile River in the Lowveld National Botanical Garden in flood in January 2026

Tributaries

The Elands River and Nels River are the tributaries to the Crocodile. Elands River, famous for its waterfalls, rises on the grassland plateau of the Drakensberg mountains near the town of Machadodorp while the Nels River rises on the Drakensberg as well . ^[3]

• 
  View of the river from Marloth Park
• 
  View of the river from Ngwenya Lodge during the wet season
• 
  Nile crocodile resting on the river bank, near Malalane
• 
  Irrigation on the right bank, and the Kruger Park on its left bank, as observed by Sentinel-2

See also

• List of rivers of South Africa
• List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa

References

1. The Komati River Basin and Land Use Archived 2014-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
2. Fishing - Dullstroom Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
3. "SA Places - Dullstroom". Archived from the original on 2012-08-05. Retrieved 2012-03-16.