So I am going to combine the Panorama Route and the Greater Johannesburg Area since they are located in the same region of South Africa.
PART I- PANORAMA ROUTE
When I was researching information on Kruger National Park, I kept seeing people mention the “Panorama Route” as a must do. The Panorama Route is a scenic road trip situated around Blyde Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world. So I decided it was definitely worth checking out for a couple of days. You can view my itinerary to see specific route suggestions.
The route starts about an hour and a half from Kruger National Park and it was our first real experience with South African roads. Since a lot of people don’t have cars, its normal for dozens of people to be walking along side the highway, including small school aged children. There was also random baboons, cows, sheep, dogs etc walking in the side of the roads as well. It does get a little tricky when its dark since there aren’t street lights and the roads will often be narrow with so many people still walking in the road. Driving along the canyon, this also continues except it’s a little more tricky since you can’t see around corners and people are literally walking up the canyon to go to work. At one point, there was a car on the other side that tried to pass and almost had a head-on collision with us next to a cliff had we been going faster. Add to that that they drive on the left side of the road and it certainly makes for some challenging drives.
There are a lot of “curios,” shops set up on the side of the road which sell African crafts, all handmade and inexpensive. Another great thing about South Africa is they still pump gas for you and clean off your car every time. Also, using the bathroom is free, unlike in Europe where they try to make you pay to use the restroom everywhere you go.
Graskop
So we decided to divide our Panorama road trip into two days, starting with the tiny town of Graskop. Along the way to Graskop from Kruger National Park, we passed so many gorgeous trees and forests. The area is known for its lumber. Graskop has a restaurant called Harrie’s Pancakes that all the tourists go to and it is really delicious food. The town also has several shops and a silk factory where you can watch natives weave silk.
Mac Mac Pools and Falls
From there we drove to Mac Mac Pools. The pools were mostly created naturally from the waterfalls surrounding them and were known for attracting those searching for gold during the gold mining boom. From there we drove to a really gorgeous waterfall known as Mac Mac Falls. All of the attractions on the Panorama Route cost about $1-$2 to enter. And they all have bathrooms!
Pilgrimsrest
Pilgrimsrest is known as an old mining town, attracting a rush of gold prospectors in 1873 and is protected as a national heritage site. You can pan for gold, go on ghost tours, or visit the museums with history of the gold rush. This is actually a good place to stay for the night while doing the Panorama Route. We actually opted to drive an hour to the most amazing Airbnb. Totally worth it! The host even left us a bunch of groceries to make breakfast.
Three Rondavels Viewpoint
Our second day of the Panorama Route started with an hour drive along the Blyde River canyon, our first stop being the most famous viewpoint of the canyon. We did this route going from North to South, but most people will probably do it South to North, so you would just reverse all our stops for the day. All of the stops starting with the Three Rondavels Viewpoint are all located within an hour from each other, meaning just driving without making the stops along the route would take about an hour. The canyon in general is really incredible. What makes it different than the Grand Canyon, for instance, is that it has a lot of vegetation growing on it.
So along with the beautiful views, the Three Rondavels Viewpoint was named for the trio of peaks shaped like traditional beehive huts, with gently sloping walls and doomed summits. The rock formations consist of quartzite and shale. Also known as the Three Sisters, they serve as reminders of the native hut housing structures called rondavels.
Lowveld View
The next stop on the route is another viewpoint. It’s not as great of a view as the Three Rondavels, but this is the only stop along the route that is free. From here, if you have time, it would be good to stop for lunch at Erasmuschoop Potluck Boskombuis. It was recommended by a local, as they have traditional African food and great views. We did not have time so just grabbed a snack at the next stop.
Bourke’s Luck Potholes
Okay so this was the best stop on the Panorama Route! I’ve never seen anything like it before. The potholes are essentially the result of swirling eddies of water where the Treur River meets the Blyde River which caused extensive water erosion over time. The result is a series of cylindrical rock that look like something from the moon.
Berlin Falls & Lisbon Falls
Also along this route are a couple of waterfalls. Lisbon Falls is the highest in the area and better in my opinion. Honestly though after going to Iceland, most waterfalls fail to compare.
God’s Window
So God’s Window is supposed to have some amazing views. When I went there, it was really cloudy and I’ve heard from other people that’s pretty standard. So maybe you’ll get lucky and it’ll be a clear day. There are about 200 or so steps to get to the walkway that has a rain forest vibe. Honestly I still enjoyed the little hike and it was very cool being inside the clouds. I know some people don’t like hiking/climbing stairs just for the fun of it, though. But I mean I guess technically God's window could be a bunch of clouds right?
Pinnacle Rock
Lastly, there is a 98 foot rock made completely of quartzite. It also gives you a better idea of how the vegetation grows. This would be your first stop if you did the route South to North.
This was a really fun thing to do in South Africa. Driving through the canyon, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and our Airbnb were the highlights of this route!
PART II- GREATER JOHANNESBURG
So we didn’t venture into the city of Johannesburg but still explored a little of the Greater Johannesburg area at the end of our trip to rest up before our flight back to the US. They have different animal parks to visit like the Cheetah Park and Lion Park. I don’t support lion cub canning or drugging animals to pet for photos so I didn’t visit those places. I did visit the Cradle of Humankind and Hartie’s Cableway, though.
Cradle of Humankind
So the Cradle of Humankind is a world heritage site and is famous for the cave where a 2.3 million year old fossil was found and the skull dubbed “the taung child.” You can explore the caves where these discoveries happened but they don’t actually have the original fossils at the site. There was a new exhibit, however, that had the actual fossils of a new species called homo naledi that may have lived at the same time as the earliest humans. The skull is smaller and the feet look liked they climbed trees.
Hartie’s Cableway
Hartie’s Cableway has cable cars that go up to the top and offer a stunning view of the Hartsbeespoort Dam and surrounding area. There were hardly any other people there to it was nice to have the whole area to ourselves.
Food
So we discovered the cutest restaurant in Hartsbeespoort called African Swiss. It’s owned by a guy from Switzerland who serves Dutch food. The restaurant was actually closed when we pulled up but he opened it up just for us. Things like that were typical experiences in South Africa. Everyone was very welcoming. His dog hung out with us while I ate the second best schnitzel of my life (the first being a famous place in Vienna). He also had fresh mussels for us and gave us blankets and heaters.
There was also another place that had amazing food, particularly the calamari. The calamari in South Africa is unlike any I’ve ever had. It comes grilled in little cone-like shapes. I basically got calamari every time it was on the menu and it was so good every time.
So that covers all of the Mpumalanga and Gauteng regions of South Africa. I will make separate posts covering the Eastern and Western Cape, mainly “the garden route” and Cape Town. You can check out previous posts on Kruger National Park, a South Africa Itinerary and a guide to planning a trip to South Africa.
