The small town of Graskop is the gateway to the Panorama Route. It's a good place to set up base. Scenic landmarks with evocative names like God's Window, Wonder View, the Pinnacle, Bourke's Luck Potholes and the Three Rondawels beckon. The awe-inspiring Lisbon Falls, Berlin Falls and Mac Mac Falls are also just a short drive away. Adding some historical romance into the mix, half an hour's drive from Graskop, the goldrush town of Pilgrim's Rest gives you the chance to relive the 1873 gold rush in surroundings of unparalleled beauty. You can even try your hand at panning for gold.
From Graskop, head onto the Blyde River Canyon Reserve. Thread your way along the cliff tops 800m above the Blyde River Canyon, and at God's Window be sure to walk in the thick, indigenous mist forest that's often among the clouds. The Bourke's Luck Potholes are also well worth a visit. These giant potholes have formed at the confluence of the Blyde and Treur rivers and mark the beginning of the Blyde River Canyon.
Although the visual element dominates the Panorama Route, all your senses are enriched by the wealth of plant and animal life that the region supports. Mammals you might see along the Panorama Route include klipspringer, dassies, grey rhebuck, oribi, kudu, bushbuck, bushpig, monkeys, bush-babies, chacma baboons and black-backed jackal. This area is also rich in birdlife including eagles that might well look you in the eye.
- Blyde River Canyon Reserve
- Bourke's Potholes
- Explore the old mining town of Pilgrim's Rest
The first modern records relating to the town of Graskop date back to 1843, with the arrival of the Voortrekkers in the area. They were searching for a route to Delagoa Bay, known today as Maputo in Mozambique.
The farm Graskop was so named because of the vast tracts of open grass lands and the absence of trees in the area. In the 1850s it was owned by Abel Erasmus, an adventurous and rather colourful character involved in hunting, prospecting and imposing law and order in the area. He left his name on a pass over the Escarpment.
The Voortrekker Monument commemorates the epic journeys of both Louis Trichardt and Andries Hendrik Potgieter in their attempts to establish trade contacts with the Portuguese in Delagoa Bay. The trek under Louis Trichardt ended in disaster, when after having crossed the Lowveld, their oxen started to die from the Nagana disease caused by the Tsetse fly and fever caused by the malaria mosquito began to make its appearance amongst the Voortrekkers.
Determined to reach Delagoa Bay before they all succumbed in the wilderness, they pushed on in haste. They reached Delagoa Bay on the 13th of April in 1838 and it seemed that their difficulties were over, however one after the other they contracted the fever which caused Louis Trichardt and twenty seven Voortrekkers to die. It was a sad ending to such an heroic journey.
Seven years later another attempt was made by the Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter. Coming from a southerly direction, their path was blocked by the Drakensburg mountain range. During their efforts to cross the mountains, Kasper Kruger, father of Paul Kruger, found a negotiable route, which is known today as Casper's Nek. They then reached the escarpment and spread out in the vicinity of the present day town of Graskop.
Faced with the daunting descent to the Lowveld, Potgieter decided to leave their wagons and families behind, arranging that those left behind would return to their homes without them after a stipulated period. When the agreed departure date came, with no sign of the explorers, they named the river where they camped, Treur (Sorrow), believing that the party had succumbed.
A few days later, while crossing another river, they were overtaken by Potgieter and his party who had successfully made the journey to Delagoa Bay and signed a trade agreement with the Portuguese on the 22nd of July 1844. Such was the joy on being reunited that the river was named Blyde (Joy).
