The Panorama Route and Blyde Canyon

Blyde River Canyon Nature

Reserve and Panorama Route

The Panorama Route is situated in the northern parts of the Drakensburg escarpment. The Blyde Canyon is the largest green canyon in the world. It is 26km long and 800m deep.

The Blyde River Dam was completed in 1974 with a wall of 71m high and the deepest part of the dam is 22m deep. It was built for irrigating fruit trees and additional water for the mines and industry nearby.

The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is home to some of the most spectacular views and viewing points in South Africa.

• The Three Rondavels or sometimes call the Three Sisters or The Chief and his Three Sisters. This is the name given by the indigenous people living in the area.
• Kadishi Tufa Waterfall is the 2^nd highest Tufa waterfall in the world with a drop of 200m.
• The Pinnacle Rock is a rock buttress of weathered quartzite jutting 30m above the indigenous forest in the Driekop gorge.
• The sheer cliffs at God’s Window drop off 700m, making some of the most spectacular viewings from the Drakensberg mountains with views of the Greater Kruger National Park

The Panorama Route

• Pilgrims Rest – a historical mining town where gold was found in 1873
• Graskop Gorge Lift Co allows you to view the beauty of the gorge from their unique lift and viewing points,
• Bourkes Luck Potholes is the point where the Blyde River and the Treur Rivers meet. These cylindrical potholes were formed from swirling whirlpools of water over eons of time.
• Echo Caves are one of the oldest caves in the world and have been declared a National Monument. Rediscovered in 1923 by a farmer, the caves were previously occupied by the Pedi people. The caves stretch 40km into the mountain side and some of the chambers are as high as 60m.

Hoedspruit town is within easy reach of all the above attractions on the Panorama Route. Plan your holiday now with Hoedspruit Online with many different accommodation options on the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate and Balule Nature Reserve. Email us at info@hoedspruitonline.co.za for more information and a budget-friendly quote.

If you want more information about the Panorama Route click here

For more information about the Blyde River Canyon click here

There are plenty of accommodation options in the Hoedspruit area, click here