Panorama Route

The Panorama Route along the Blyde River Canyon in the province of Mpumalanga is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and popular sights in South Africa. The route runs through a beautiful rugged mountain range and this dramatic landscape with its great heights and deep valleys, offers spectacular views and ensures fantastic photos (in clear weather!).

It is an area with nice places like Pilgrim’s Rest, Hazyview, Ohrigstad and Graskop to name just a few. There are numerous activities, you can visit caves, learn more about the time of the gold diggers and the time of the pioneers, but above all it is the place to be overwhelmed by all the natural beauty that is here for you reveals.

The spectacular Blyde River Canyon is the third largest Canyon in the world and has a totally different appearance than the Fish River Canyon in Namibia and the Grand Canyon in America. This is because the Canyon is filled with lush vegetation and there are also plenty of wild animals. This makes it the largest canyon in the world covered with forest and greenery. The winding road through this area offers a fascinating spectacle in every turn with often amazing views if you look down the edge about 800 meters and see the river there.

The Blyde River Canyon Nature reserve has numerous beautiful vantage points. North of Graskop you will find God’s Window from where you have a great view of the Lowveld. At the start of the Canyon you will find the Bourke’s Pot Holes and at the end the Three Rondawels also called Three sisters. From different vantage points you have a view of the 33 km long gorge. An area created by wind, erosion and the confluence of the river Treur and the Blyde. The rivers here have moved tons of rock to and along the lowvelds to the Indian Ocean.

The landscape of the 25,000 hectare nature reserve is unique, the flora is lush and varied, which ensures that different animals feel at home here. You can find here the colony of the rare bald ibis, but also dassies, reedbuck, impala, kudu, waterbuck, wildebeest and zebra. The Samango monkeys, the bush babies, baboons and vervet monkeys also swing through this beautiful area. You will find water birds, otters, hippos and crocodiles around the rivers and dams.

Other highlights during this Panorama Route are the many beautiful waterfalls at Graskop and Sabie. At Graskop you can descend into the gap with a glass ‘lift’, so you can view the area from a different perspective.

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