Why it is on this list
Because it is free, in the sense that you are already driving it.
The Panorama Route runs along the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment between Johannesburg and the northern Kruger gates. If you are going from the Limpopo property to Kruger, this is the scenic version of a drive you are making anyway, and it costs you a few hours and some entrance fees rather than a separate trip.
For a non-hunting partner it is often the day they enjoy most, which surprises people.
The canyon
Blyde River Canyon is around twenty-five kilometres long and up to eight hundred metres deep. It is usually described as the third largest canyon in the world and, more usefully, as the largest green one — unlike the Grand Canyon or Fish River, this one is subtropical and covered in vegetation to the rim.
The classic viewpoint is the Three Rondavels: three round, grass-topped peaks standing out of the canyon wall, named for the traditional huts they resemble. It is the photograph everybody takes and it earns it.
The rest of the day’s stops
God’s Window — the escarpment drops away to the lowveld seventeen hundred metres below and on a clear day you can see into Mozambique. On a misty one you see cloud, which happens often enough to be worth asking about before you commit.
Bourke’s Luck Potholes — cylindrical rock formations scoured out over thousands of years where the Treur meets the Blyde. Walkways and bridges over them. Twenty minutes, and odder than it sounds.
Lisbon, Berlin and Mac Mac Falls — a string of waterfalls along the route, fuller in summer. Pick one or two unless waterfalls are your thing.
Pilgrim’s Rest — a preserved 1870s gold rush town, now a national monument. Corrugated iron, a pub, and a cemetery with one grave facing the wrong way. Good for lunch and genuinely interesting for an hour.
Graskop — the pancake place. Ask any South African.
How to do it
As a full day on the way to Kruger, with an overnight in Graskop or Hazyview at the end of it.
Doing it properly takes a day. Doing it in a rush takes four hours and you will feel you missed it. If the plan is Kruger anyway, give it the day.
How we handle it
We arrange the vehicle and the driver, or route you if you are self-driving. Most clients do this as part of the Kruger extension rather than on its own.
Practical notes
Weather is the whole thing. The escarpment makes its own cloud. God’s Window in mist is a wall of white. Your driver will know by mid-morning whether it is worth the stop, and there is no point being precious about it.
Altitude. You climb a long way from the lowveld and it is noticeably cooler on top. Bring a jacket, even in summer.
Driving time. It is a winding mountain road with stops. Do not plan to arrive at a Kruger gate before closing on the same day unless you start very early.
