Blyde River Canyon & The Panorama Route

When you’re exploring a country there are few things better than stopping your car at a viewpoint and being rewarded with the kind of scenery that brightens your day and broadens your horizons. On the Panorama Route in Mpumalanga, every viewpoint gives you that opportunity.

Breathtaking views, plunging waterfalls, eagles flying above you and a rich history, quite literally, as it includes the gold rush years, are the kinds of things you better get used to when you visit the Panorama Route.

‘Guarded’ by the small town of Graskop, this famous route is home to mountains, forests and canyons, most notably, the Blyde River Canyon which is also world’s largest ‘green canyon’.

The awe-inspiring Lisbon Falls, Berlin Falls and Mac Mac Falls are just a short drive away. As are scenic landmarks such as Wonder View, the Pinnacle, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, the Three Rondavels and God’s Widndow, where you can walk in the thick, indigenous mist forest that stands amongst the clouds some 800m above Blyde River Canyon.

Bourke’s Luck Potholes are an unusual geological formation and well worth the visit. These giant potholes formed at the confluence of the Blyde and Treur rivers and mark the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon.

While you’re there, why not add some historical romance to the mix? A short 30-minute drive from Graskop will take you to the gold rush town of Pilgrim’s Rest where you can relive the 1873 gold rush in surroundings of unparalleled beauty. You can even try your hand at panning for gold.

On top of the scenic beauty and historical learnings found on the Panorama Route, you will also experience a wealth of plant and animal life in the region, including Klipspringers, Dassies, Grey Rhebuck, Oribi, Kudu, bushbuck, bushpigs, monkeys, bushbabies, Chacma baboons, Black-Backed jackals and many specied of birdlife, including resident pairs of nesting eagles that might well look you in the eye.

Some of the Panorama Route’s lesser-known, but no less fascinating attractions, are clustered around Ohrigstad where the Echo Caves extend 40km into the limestone rock. At Ohrigstad Dam Reserve, you can fish for yellowtail or carp in tranquil waters surrounded by mountains, an ideal refuge from the crowds in peak season.

The Blyde River (also known as the Motlatse) Canyon Nature Reserve is situated in Mpumalanga and, with legendary viewing points such as God’s Window, offers some of the most spectacular views in South Africa. Activities range from hiking and swimming to scenic drives. Seek out the water-eroded Bourke’s Luck Potholes where prospectors searched for gold.

The 29 000ha Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is carved out of nearly 2,5km of red sandstone and is one of South Africa’s most remarkable geological features. Also known as the Motlatse Canyon, it is the third largest canyon on Earth and is situated below the confluence of the Blyde (‘joy’) and Treur (‘sorrow’) rivers.

This Mpumalanga nature reserve stretches for 60km from just north of the little town of Graskop, up to the Abel Erasmus pass. You’ll get stunning views of the Escarpment from legendary viewpoints such as God’s Window, where on a clear day, you can see as far as Kruger Park and Mozambique.

Other natural attractions include Bourke’s Luck Potholes, where Tom Bourke, a 19th-century gold rush prospector, is said to have made his fortune. Water erosion over millennia has carved cylindrical sculptures from the canyon’s red and yellow rocks which are interspersed with rock pools.

From the canyon look out eastwards to the Three Rondavels or Three Sisters, three massive spirals of dolomite that rise from the far wall of the canyon. A single quartzite column, aptly named the Pinnacle, rises from the wooded canyon, offering more spectacular vistas.

The environment varies from high mistlands to the drier and warmer lowveld around the Blyde River Dam.

You’ll find more than 1 000 species of flora in the reserve, including several species of endangered cycads, and, in spring, carpets of wild flowers. Try to visit at least one of the nearby several beautiful waterfalls.

Bird and animal life is abundant. Spot Verreaux’s eagle, the rare bald ibis which nests on the cliff ledges, and all five species of South African primates, including vervet and samango monkeys, chacma baboons and both species of bushbaby.