Blyde River Canyon
The Blyde River Canyon — recently renamed the Motlatse Canyon — is the third-largest canyon in the world and the largest ‘green’ canyon, its sub-tropical vegetation distinguishing it from the dry rock of the Grand and Fish River Canyons.
The canyon was carved by the Blyde (Joy) and Treur (Sorrow) rivers cutting through 700-million-year-old quartzite at the eastern edge of the Drakensberg escarpment. It runs for 26 kilometres and reaches depths of around 800 metres, finishing at the Three Rondavels — three giant dolomite peaks shaped like the traditional Bantu round huts after which they are named.
The classic Panorama Route does the canyon north to south or south to north over a single full day, stitching together the Three Rondavels viewpoint, Bourke's Luck Potholes (where the Treur joins the Blyde in a series of cylindrical rock pools), God's Window, the Lisbon and Berlin Falls, and the village of Graskop with its famous gorge swing.
The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve covers 29,000 hectares and is one of South Africa's premier hiking and birding destinations. The Leopard Trail, the Belvedere Day Walk and several shorter loops give walkers access well below the main viewpoints, and the river itself is a Ramsar-listed wetland with hippos, crocodiles, kingfishers and the rare African finfoot.
Most international visitors do the Panorama Route as either a long day trip from Johannesburg (about 4.5 hours each way, so an early start) or as a one- or two-night stay built into a Kruger safari itinerary. The latter is much easier on the day and lets you catch the canyon in different light.
Practical info: the Three Rondavels viewpoint and most canyon stops are open from sunrise to sunset and charge a small fee (around R60 per adult). Bourke's Luck Potholes is a separate ticket (around R130 per adult). We run the Panorama Route as a guided day tour from Johannesburg and as a one-night safari add-on, both ending with sunset at the canyon rim.
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