If you’re headed out to find the Big Five in Kruger, you might want to consider tacking on a detour to the Panorama Route to stretch your legs after all the safari drives. The route lies just west of Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, stretching from Graskop in the south up to the Three Rondavels viewpoint in the north. It takes about a full day to visit the top sites, but if you’ve got the time, you can easily make a few days out of the route.
I’ll give you the one day version here, but there are options below if you want to extend your stay.
Depending on where you are coming from, you may want to either take the route from north to south or south to north. I would suggest south to north, primarily so that you can get to the Three Rondavels in time for the sunset. If you are driving from Johannesburg, head off early in the morning to Graskop (about 5 hours) and make your way up to the Three Rondavels by 6pm. Plan to stop at the sights along the way, aiming for Lisbon Falls in the early or mid-afternoon. Spend your night at Blyde River Canyon, A Forever Resort so that you have sunrise access to the hikes around the resort the next morning. Afterwards, either head directly to the gate you want to enter to get to Kruger. If you need to go to Skukuza, stop by Herrie’s Pancakes in the morning in Graskop before you go on safari.
Sights Along the Panorama Route
Mac-Mac Falls
Though technically south of the route, since it is by Sabie, you can visit these falls if you are coming from Nelspruit. It’s ZAR 15 per person to enter and view the falls from above. Unfortunately there’s a massive iron fence around the viewing platform, so you’ll have to stick your camera through the railings for a clean shot. For those with more time and a keen sense of adventure, you can access the base of the falls by hiking upstream. Just be prepared to get wet. Downstream are the Mac-Mac pools that you can pay ZAR 30 per person to swim in and picnic by.
Pinnacle Rock and Gods Window
North of Graskop, along the R534 detour off the R532 are Pinnacle Rock and Gods Window. Personally, I think you can skip both and invest your time at nicer sights along the route. Pinnacle Rock is no more than a rock with shrubs growing on it, and costs ZAR 20pp to enter. If you like rock formations, rather head over to the Cederberg. Gods Window is simply a view of the valley beyond the Panorama Route and costs ZAR 25pp. Drive just a bit down the road for a free view of the same thing. Personally, I think valley views are prettier from mountains in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
Lisbon Falls
A few metres south of the northern exit of the R534 lies quite possibly the prettiest waterfall I have seen in a while. For only ZAR 15pp, you can view the falls from the top near the parking lot or better yet, hike about 20 minutes down the hills to the base of the falls. If you love this kind of landscape, you’d be happy to know there’s quite a bit more of this in the Drakensberg area where you can go on many more hikes. You can swim in the falls if you want, but otherwise just taking in the view is rewarding enough. Please just be sure to remove any trash you brought in (and perhaps pick up any litter you see laying about to keep the natural landscape clean).
Bourke’s Luck Potholes
Another 30km north of Lisbon Falls, you’ll find Bourke’s Luck Potholes. These are natural round potholes formed by water erosion around boulders and rocks. The whole setup around the potholes is quite touristy (they’ve got massive parking lots for tourist buses) and the charge a whomping ZAR 65pp to enter. We didn’t go in because we’ve seen many such rock formations around the Cederberg area and in the Western Cape especially by Tweede Tol.
Three Rondavels Viewpoint
At the northernmost point of the official Panorama Route is the famous Three Rondavels Viewpoint. For ZAR 35pp, you can get the awe-inspiring views of the Blyde River Canyon where the river arcs around a lonely mountain before spilling into a hippo-inhabited lake.
Hiking Options around Blyde River Canyon
There are multiple hiking opportunities for different levels of fitness around the Blyde River Canyon area. We opted to string together a series of trails that led out from the Blyde River Canyon, A Forever Resort so that we could get some views of the Three Rondavels and swim in some natural rock pools. There are a few hikes around this resort that you could do. If you stay at the resort, you can access all of the trails for free. If you don’t stay there, you must pay for a permit. Personally, I found the day visitor trail permit rates outrageous. You might as well just spend the night at the resort.
If you want to do the 7.4km trail we did (Leopard, Guinea Fowl and Tufa Trail) with the views of the Three Rondavels and two swim opportunities, then check out the full route on Komoot here.
About an hour’s drive north is the Hippo Trail. The 13.5km out-and-back trail follows the curve of the lake around the Blyde River Canyon – you might be able to spot hippos in the water below. Get a permit at the Forest Resort (just beware it’s closed on Sundays).
Then there is a 3 to 5 day hiking trail 60km along the Blyde River Canyon itself where you sleep in huts along the way.
Packing Essentials
Bring small cash – you never know who’s card machine is offline. Also pack sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and water. There are a few food stops along the way, but so many of the viewpoints are great for a snack or lunch break, so pack some food with you.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Blyde River Canyon, A Forever Resort for ZAR 1,224.90 for two people. The chalet had one (small) double bed, a small kitchen with a fridge, microwave, and stovetop, and a big bathroom. There was also a braai area outside. The resort also has a large swimming pool and restaurant. I personally wouldn’t recommend to stay here unless you do the hiking trails. I found the rooms a bit outdated.
Otherwise, there’s plenty of accommodation around Graskop, like Treur River Lodge and Zur Alten Mine Guest Farm B&B.
Onward Travels
If you’re heading to Kruger, the closest gate to the Three Rondavels Viewpoint is the Orpen Gate 2 hours away. Otherwise, from Graskop you can access Skukuza through the Paul Kruger Gate in a little over an hour, or the Phabeni Gate in under an hour. From Graskop, the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport is an hour away, and OR Tambo in Johannesburg is 4 hours away.
If you need a PCR test for international travels, there are a few options. At the medical centre in Skukuza, you can get a PCR test results within 24 hours for ZAR 1600 (no appointments necessary). Testaro at OR Tambo offers PCR tests with results within 24 hours for ZAR 750. You’ll need to book an appointment with Testaro. Lancet Laboratories in Hazyview accepts walk-ins and will conduct PCR tests with a 24-48 hour turn around for ZAR 850 and antigen tests for ZAR 350. Lancet Laboratories in Nelspruit offer PCR tests for ZAR 850 (walk-ins accepted) with results within 24 hours.
