Travel Guide Canyon De La Blyde

The Blyde Canyon is considered a national treasure and is the third largest in the world. In good weather, you can't get enough of this extraordinary vein, dug up to 700 m deep, where the Blyde River drops 1,000 m over 20 km. The best way to see it is to hire a car and drive from Graskop to Echo Caves in both directions. Leave Graskop on the R532, then take the small R534 on the right to reach :Pinacle Rock. This tower-like quartzite rock rises 30m above the forest. Next to it is the first of eight small waterfalls in the Ngwaritsane Rapids. Admission: R10 per car.God's Window and Wonder View. These viewpoints perched on the Blyde River offer a panoramic view of the lower Veld (over the Kruger Park and Mozambique) at over 900m, where the scenery is sublime. It is from here that the Bushman Xai throws the Coca-Cola bottle in the film The Gods are Overcome. The first one is more spectacular because you have to walk a bit to the cliff, but you have to pay 15 R per person. The second one is free (good plan!), 2 km further. At 1,730 m above sea level, it is the highest point in the area, directly on the roadside.Lisbon Falls. Don't miss the Lisbon Falls, the most spectacular in the area with a height of 92 m. You will discover a beautiful and impressive panorama. To get there, the small scenic R534 road ends up on the R532 between Graskop and the Echo Caves. Head back to Graskop for 800m and take the track for 2.2km. Admission: R15 per car.Berlin Falls. A little further back on the R532, you drive 2km past the junction with the R534 where you came in. At 2 km from the road by a track, you will be able to admire the Berlin Falls, which are 45 m high, but which flow vertically from a single large rock. Admission: R15 per car.Bourke's Luck Potholes. This is the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon, 35 km from Graskop, which is very narrow at this level. The ochre rock like gold is carved like a gruyère by the tormented water of the Treur River which flows below into the Blyde River. It owes its name ("Bourke's pots of luck") to a gold digger, Tom Burke, who predicted he would find tons of gold in his holes and didn't get an ounce. Admission: adults 55 R, children 30 R. There is a visitor's centre with explanatory information about the area. This is where you can book a hike in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve.Lowveld View. En route on the R532, this viewpoint offers a panoramic view of the Blyde River Canyon, Blyde Dam and the Lowveld in the background. Free of charge.Tree rondavels View Point. 45km from Graskop, you finally arrive at Blyde River Canyon's most famous viewpoint, the three rondavels, huge eroded quartzite mountains that resemble thatched huts, set against a stunning landscape of gorges, cliffs and vegetation. Intimate, they are named after the three wives of the Swazi king Maripi Mashile, Magabolle, Mogoladikwe and Maseroto. Entrance fee R20 per car.Blyde River Canyon. Another incredible canyon viewpoint, one of the most impressive, behind the car park of the Aventura Blydepoort Nature Reserve Resort, 51km from Graskop. Admission R15 per car (includes Tree Rondavel View Point).To know. All fee-paying viewpoints are subject to opening hours, mostly from 7am to 5pm. We advise you to go in the morning very early for the light. Moreover, in summer, when the tourists are there, we are often deprived of the show by the fog. The pictures for the postcards are taken, be aware, in the middle of winter.