Bourke's Luck Potholes

The site is named after Tom Bourke, a prospector who staked a claim here in 1881 expecting to find gold. He never did — but a neighbouring prospector hit a major reef shortly after, and Bourke's bad luck became the unofficial name of the place. The potholes themselves were formed over hundreds of thousands of years as river-borne pebbles spun in rock depressions and ground them out into deep, perfectly circular pools.

The visitor centre at the entrance has a small geology and palaeontology exhibition explaining how the canyon was formed, the meeting of the Treur (Sorrow) and Blyde (Joy) rivers, and the local fauna. A network of paved footpaths and three pedestrian bridges takes you across the gorge and down to the best viewing platforms, with informative signage in English and Afrikaans.

The Treur River, which falls from the northern cliffs, is the upper feeder; the Blyde, slightly larger and lower, joins from the east. The two rivers meet in a turquoise pool surrounded by smooth, scooped rock — the most photographed single spot on the Panorama Route after the Three Rondavels and God's Window.

Bourke's Luck is operated by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency. The full walking route around the bridges and viewpoints takes 45 minutes to an hour at a relaxed pace. There is a curio shop, a small café and clean ablutions on site.

Practical info: open daily from 07:00 to 17:00. Entry is around R130 per adult and R65 per child. Bourke's Luck sits roughly halfway along the Panorama Route on the R532 and is included on every Wanderer Panorama Route day tour, alongside the Three Rondavels, God's Window, the Lisbon Falls and Graskop.