At about 25-kilometres long, Blyde River Canyon in South Africa packs a huge punch. Reputedly world’s third-largest canyon – but also the greenest – it offers epic views. There’s even a feature called God’s Window from where you can see the start of the canyon and soak in views over the verdant Lowveld beneath you, Kruger National Park and see into the next country – Mozambique with its Lembombo Mountains – when it’s not, ahem, hazy. Makes sense, as ‘blyde’ comes from the Dutch word for ‘glad’ or ‘happy’.
Your adventure options in this region aren’t limited to driving, sightseeing (cascading waterfalls, mountain gorges and brightly coloured insects) and hiking. It’s got bungy jumping (68-metre free fall), hang gliding, kayaking, kite surfing, microlight scenic flights, boat trips, gyrocopters, river tubing, abseiling, paragliding, wind surfing and horse riding to lure you in. And, if you’re into game parks and safaris, they’re not too far from this area either. Lose an hour of you life with this GoPro vid that takes you from the Dulini Private Game Reserve to Khaya Ndlove via Blyde River Canyon in a helicopter.
Post Contents
- Focus on the Reserve
- Want to Plan a Trip to South Africa Filled with Unique Experiences?
- How Safe is it to Travel?
- Planning a trip to Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve?
- For the real hikers
- Resting Up
- Eating Out Options
- What to Bring
- Getting Your Timing Right
- Where to Next?
- Looking for Something Else in South Africa?
Focus on the Reserve
Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve spans 29,000 hectares and is in the northern province of Mpumalanga (here’s how to say it and it means ‘the place where the sun rises’). It carves its way through red sandstone, on the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment (that’s the highest in the country), averaging a depth of 762 metres. This is the zone where Gondwanaland, the ancient supercontinent, split 200 million years ago. It’s when Madagascar and Antarctica broke free from Africa. According to Synbona Africa, a vast shallow sea which stretched west beyond Pretoria created weight that tilted the broken edge of the continent slowly upwards.
So, what’s rush, after all the canyon’s been forming over millions of years? The area is well-developed for tourism, but it’s going to step up another level. A planned glass Skywalk at God’s Window and cable car are expected to attract more than 100 million tourists a year, says the Global Africa Network. Blyde River Canyon is already a geocache location if you’re into that, too.
Blyde River Canyon Reserve is a natural habitat to hippos, crocodiles, Taita Falcon, klipspringer antelope, river otters, as well as fish and bird monkey species. South Africa’s five primates live in this reserve – the somango, vervet monkeys, chacma baboons and greater and lesser bushbabies. And you’ll take in vistas of montane grassland, one of the few remaining, which has more than 1,000 flora species including many of which are unique in the world.
Blyde River Nature Reserve runs along the full winding length of the canyon and you access the difficult terrain via the tarred road, the Panorama Route. The reserve starts about 10 kilometres out of the small forestry town of Graskop. In short, go north from there on the R532 and follow the signs which detour you to the lookouts.
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How Safe is it to Travel?
While New Zealand’s official travel site, Safetravel, advises caution while touring South Africa (saying there’s some risk to your security due to violent crime and terrorism possibilities), Australia’s Smartraveller urges you “exercise a high degree of caution”. The US Department of State has “increased caution”, while the UK official advice is to take “sensible precautions”. If you’re coming from any of these countries, you won’t need a visa for South Africa if you’ll be there for less than 90 days. If you’re taking your children with you, ensure you’ve got their full birth certificate as you’ll need to show it. There are more conditions for single parents travelling with children. Interesting fact, South Africa, which comprises just 9% white folks, practiced apartheid (racial segregation and discrimination) and was ruled by a white minority government until 1994. South Africa is home to more than 56 million people and has 11 major languages of which one is English. Life expectancy is a shocking 53 for men and 54 for women. Keep up to date on the state of the nation through news24 or radio SABC. Cape Town has severe drought so water restrictions of 50 litres per person per day apply in case you’re also travelling there. Here are some fast facts about the country from the Brand South Africa website.
Make Sure You See These
Geological formations are the drawcard here. Apart from God’s Window, you’ll also want to add Pinnacle Rock (aka The Pinnacle), Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Three Rondavels to your itinerary. The latter area (aka The Three Sisters) is bit freaky as they look exactly like the same-named traditional circular African hut with a thatched roof. Bouke’s Luck Potholes is a rock feature – pebbles swirling around in pools have carved out the potholes in limestone. It’s where the Blyde and Treur rivers join. This canyon is in a high rainfall area so add waterfalls to your list. Here’s a rundown of the best in Mpumalanga region, how to find them and which are beaut for swimming. Falls to consider include the Lisbon Falls (the highest in the province), the Berlin Falls (the falls look like a white candle and there’s a green pool at the base) plus the Kadishi Tufa Waterfall, which looks like a crying face. It’s the second tallest tufa waterfall on the globe. These feature water that runs over dolomite rock which absorbs the calcium and means rock formations are deposits more quickly then they erode the surrounding rock. Elsewhere is a standalone quartzite buttress, the Pinnacle, is looks as if it’s emerged from the native forest below. Pilgrim’s Rest is a famous historical town. Natural beauty costs, so be prepared to pay an entrance fee for each car to God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Three Rondavels.
As for caves, Echo Caves is worth a look. When you tap the dripstone formations, they echo, and the caves are believed to extend for 40 kilometres. The Crystal Palace Chamber is spectacular. Stone Age relics were found ion these caves. You can do a one-hour tour.
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Take a Tour or Drive – Your Choice
A day tour of Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve will cost between $AUD80 and $AUD160 – check out the range on Tripadvisor. But your best bet would be to go at your own pace in a rental car. Get one from the airport at Johannesberg. (Keep to the left when driving, too). You don’t need an international driver’s license, but ensure everyone in your car wears a seatbelt. If traffic lights are out, treat it as a four-way stop. If you’ve just got one day to tour the canyon, you can do it as a trip from Graskop, Sabie or Pilgrim’s Rest. Self-drive and you’ll nail it in three to five hours or you can take an organised tour for a day for about $AUD125 on average. Here’s one vlogger who did it (but zap to 1 minute 44 seconds when he actually starts the route).
Short trails taking an hour to four hours to do include the Guinea Fowl Nature Trail, Leopard Nature Trail and the Kadishi-Tufa Trail, which all start from the Blyde Canyon Forever Resort. (You don’t need to stay there, but it will cost you about $AUD5 to do the hike and they’ll give you a hand-drawn map and info on each trail). You can tick these off your list as a combined hike in five hours, but you may not get to many spots to swim in the river. If your budget, not time is limited, you can tour the area for about $AUD110 a day staying in hotels, eat budget meals and going for a two-week Baz Bus pass for $AUD450 – hop on and off.
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For the real hikers
There’s a myriad of trails and here are some good map resources, or these, or the full gamut here. For the important stuff, here’s one with elevations. You access several trails from the Forever Resort, a three and four-star resort which is 50 kilometres from Graskop. It’s where you get the permits to walk Blyde River Canyon. You don’t need to stay there to get on the trails, just reminding you.
A popular walk is the 10-kilometre Loerie Trail through pine and bluegum plantations, indigenous forests and grasslands. It starts at the Ceylon Forest Station or Merry Pepple Holiday Resort and returns to both. Forest Falls Nature Walk is another. It’s just 3.2 kilometres from the Green Heritage Picnic site, goes through pine forests to the Forest Falls, which are wider than they are tall.
Up for the challenge to do 18 kilometres in a day? Then, the Hippo Trail would be a good fit if you start early. The Forest Resort (which doesn’t open on Sundays) will set you up with a permit. And yes, you’re likely to see hippos basking in the waters.
A decent three-to-five day hike, depending on your fitness, is the Blyde River Canyon Hiking Trail. You’ll take in half of the nature reserve and accommodation is in private huts en route. Do it solo or hook in with a guide. It’s a 60-kilometre trek that could start at Bourke’s Luck or Swadini and takes you through lush forest, those amazing rock formations and gaspingly good views. The route can be a bit tricky to find, particularly when it goes through private land. If you have more time to kill, consider spending 20 days (or 30 days as this guy did) going from Sabie to Graskop, then to the dam in the Blyde River Canyon, then only Pilgrim’s Rest to the dam. You’ll go through a range of climatic zones and traverse from 2,115 metres down to 630 metres. Accommodation will be basic bunkbed style huts with cold showers and possibly bush toilets.
Another trail is the Jock of the Bushveld Trail named after the dog featured in a novel written by Sir James Percy-FitzPatrick. Bit of a classic based in the 1880s. The circular trail goes along the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment and has great views over Pinnacle Gorge. You can start at the Municipal Holiday Resort at Graskop and do the three-hour or five-hour route. While you’re in Graskop, here’s an array of activities to plunge into.
Resting Up
Plenty of choice here catering for budget to luxury seekers. Nearby Graskop, Sabie and Hazyview have accommodation options. Here are a range of lodges to book, and Tripadvisor will give the lowdown on plenty more or you can try the local version, Afristay. Among the cheapest is $AU34 (Tasana Log Cabins and Mulberry Lane Suites). If you’re a backpacker, this is the site to check out for accommodation, getting around, tours, volunteering and more. For those a little more flush, a ‘Gold Diggers’ style’ building, A Pilgrim’s Rest at Graskop gets you into the retro 1880s zone. And a luxury option north of Blyde River is the contemporary umVangati House, which took out the TripAdvisor 2017 Travellers’ Choice Award. Nice place to sip on a cup of Red Rooibos Tea, a South African export that apparently has lots of health benefits. Actually it’s a herb, not a tea.
Eating Out Options
Graskop has limited eating-in options and expect local handcraft vendors to approach you the moment you step onto the street. Check out the reviews on TripAdvisor for the 10 best restaurants in the area. Along the Panorama Route, at Erasmushoop Farm near Grskop, look out for Potluck Boskombuis for traditional tucker that’s cooked fresh on a wooden stove. This is a restaurant built into a rock wall and has some great reviews. Check out the menu here.
What to Bring
Of course you’d have a decent camera, binoculars, sunscreen, snacks (try the locally grown cashews and macadamia nuts), may be a picnic lunch so you can stop and munch where the urge hits. Serious hikers should bring their regular gear for the season – good hiking boots, long pants (which unzip at the knees preferably), breathable tops and rain jacket (just in case).
Getting Your Timing Right
The southern hemisphere winter is your best bet timing-wise to visit – from June to the end of August for comfort, but you’d risk haze and clouds obscuring your views. The vegetation is actually not as dense from May to August, so that’s another factor. You find a 14-day weather forecast here.
Where to Next?
So, if the Blyde River Canyon is on your bucket list, you’ve got a comprehensive run down of what’s on offer from this blog. For any more questions and to make a booking, this is your portal to the world of Blayney River Canyon Nature Reserve – the official site.
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