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Blyde River

The Blyde River Canyon is one of the most spectacular views in South Africa and its cliffs rise between 600m-800m from the river bed. The Blyde River Canyon is the kind of place where brochures and guide books run out of original adjectives to describe the fresh mountain scenery and magnificent panoramic views.
Several of South Africa's provincial Nature Reserves fully deserve National Park status, and a prime example is that of Mpumalanga's Blyde River Canyon. Few will ever forget their first glimpse of this breathtaking gorge, the third largest in the world and one of South Africa's scenic wonders.

The fresh mountain scenery and panoramic views over the Klein Drakensberg escarpment are quite spectacular and give the area its name of 'Panorama Route'. Viewpoints are named for the spectacle they offer, and God's Window and Wonder View hint at the magnitude of the scenery. The 'Pinnacle' is a single quartzite column rising out of the deep wooded canyon and the ‘Three Rondavels' (also called 'Three Sisters’) are three huge spirals of dolomite rock rising out of the far wall of the canyon. Their domed heads are iced in green and their sides are stained with fiery orange lichen. From the 'Three Rondavels' you can see the extensive Swadini Dam in the far distance, which marks the end of the reserve.

Blyde River History

Blyde River Canyon is the third largest in the world and one of South Africa's scenic wonders.

The scenery of the 25 000 ha reserve is unsurpassed, its vegetation both varied and lush and the rich selection of birdlife includes a breeding colony of the rare bald ibis.

The Blyde River Canyon can be reached from Graskop via R532. The Canyon starts at Bourke's Luck Potholes and ends at the Three Rondavels.

From many well-positioned vantage points one has a view of the 33 km long gorge.

A public road runs along the long western boundary and there is easy access to beauty spots like The Pinnacle, God's Window with its kloof-framed view of the Lowveld, Bourke's Luck, and a lookout point pointing on The Three Rondavels.

These are unusually shaped hillocks that are also visible from the Aventura Blydepoort Resort, a short distance to the north. Anyone wanting to explore the upper level more carefully should take to the trails from this resort.

Where the swift-flowing Blyde River is joined by the Ohrigstad River from the west engineers built an unobtrusive dam wall in a bottleneck below the confluence to form the Blyde Dam.

Wildlife in the canyon area is as varied as the habitats. There are mountain reedbuck on the escarpment, dassies on the canyon walls, hippo and crocodile in the Blyde Dam, and impala, kudu, blue wildebeest, waterbuck and zebra on the Lowveld plain near the canyon's mouth.

At Bourke's Luck a network of pathways and footbridges allows visitors to explore the potholes (some of which are 6 m deep) at the confluence of the Blyde and Treur rivers.

The Potholes are very impressive rock formations that were shaped millions of years ago by erosion. The bizarre swirl holes developed when the once rapid river carried masses of sand and debris.

Another attraction at Bourke's Luck is the visitors' centre, which has numerous interesting displays.

A 180 m circular trail, accessible to the physically disabled, starts at the visitors' centre and has as its main theme the lichens found in the area.

Discovery of Blyde River

At the meeting point of the Blyde River (river of joy) and the Treur River (river of sorrow) water erosion has created one of the most phenomenal geological phenomenon in South Africa. The ‘Bourke’s Luck Potholes’ have taken thousands of years to form strange cylindrical sculptures carved by swirling water. The smooth red and yellow rocks contrast with the dark pools.

The geology and climate of this high rainfall plateau results in masses of waterfalls, beautiful to look at and many of which you can visit. Others are hidden deep within some of the largest man-made forestry plantations in the world, with row upon row of pine and eucalyptus trees. The rich and varied plant life is influenced by extreme climate, a range of altitudes and various soil conditions. This variety of plant life supports an equally rich and varied fauna. klipspringer and dassies find food and shelter in rocky areas. The grassland supports grey rhebuck and the rare oribi as well as rodents, reptiles, seed-eating birds and plenty of insects. Kudu prefer the cover of wooded bushveld and bushbuck and bushpig move amongst the luxuriant growth on the riverbanks.

All five of South Africa's primates can be see in the The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. The somango monkey, nocturnal greater and lesser bushbabies, chacma baboons and vervet monkeys are all present. Hippopotamus and crocodile live in and around the rivers and wetlands of Swadini Dam, as do waterbirds and otters. Almost every type of habitat that attracts birds is found in the The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve and all three South African species of Loerie can be found in the reserve

Getting There

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	Blyde River

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