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Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa
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This magical wonder of nature is situated in Mpumalanga, surrounded by the most breathtaking scenery the country has to offer.
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Explore the area with adventurous hikes
You stay at the nearby resorts and quaint cottages
Blyde River is located near popular tourist attractions
Enjoy breathtaking views from the various vantage points
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With its impressive scenery, The Blyde River Canyon Reserve offers visitors a remarkable experience that they will still remember long after leaving the lowveld. This 29 000 hectare reserve is set against the Greater Drakensberg escarpment, stretching from the high mistlands down to the hotter and drier lowveld at the Blyde River Dam.
The unique geological features at Bourke’s Luck Potholes, the Three Rondavels and God’s Window are all easily accessible on tarred roads from the picturesque village of Graskop. There is ample accommodation throughout the area. Several hiking trails meander through the reserve and cater for all ages and levels of fitness.
Visitors who would like to know more can call in at the 2 information offices at Swadini and Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Malaria occurs in some parts of Mpumalanga and visitors are advised to take the necessary precautions.
Bio Diversity:
Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is one of the few areas of montane grassland in Mpumalanga that still exists. The grasslands consists of more than 1 000 flora species in the reserve. Many of these are endemic to the escarpment; species found nowhere else in the world. Nearly 20 species, several of which are cycads, are rare or endangered.
Geology:
Blyde extends for 50kms (31.07 miles) along the lip of the great African escarpment. From the rim of this, the world’s third deepest canyon, guests can look eastwards over the layered rocks of the canyon walls and the Three Rondavels to the Lowveld plain, 1 600 metres below.
It was at this point that the ancient super continent, Gondwanaland, broke apart and Madagascar and Antarctica, tore free from Africa some 200 million years ago. The broken edge of the continent was gradually tilted upwards by the weight of a vast shallow sea stretching west to beyond Pretoria.
This sea, already ancient when Gondwanaland was split by these earth-shaping forces, left behind layer upon layer of dolomite and sandstone laid down as sediments over millions of years.
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Blyde River Canyon
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Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon on earth and has some of the most dramatic and overwhelming scenery in South Africa.
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