🙂 Stunning vistas
The Panorama Route starts at the foot of the Long Tom Pass just outside Lydenburg, following the natural descent from the Great Escarpment to the Lowveld, and ending at the border of the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces near the Echo Caves. I first did this route with my Granny & Oupa and it always stuck in my heart as a highlight. Paul and I explored this route again on his first visit to South Africa in 1994. Since then we often stop to enjoy the stunning vistas that this area has to offer.
| From | To | Road codes | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lydenburg | Sabie | R37 | 58 kilometres (36 mi) |
| Sabie | Graskop | R532 | 30 kilometres (19 mi) |
| Graskop | Pilgrim’s Rest | R532/R533 | 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) |
| Pilgrim’s Rest | Kiepersol | R533/R535 | 68 kilometres (42 mi) |
| Kiepersol | Hazyview | R533/R535 | 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) |
| Hazyview | Ohrigstad | R532/R36 | 198 kilometres (123 mi) |
In 2011 we did a particularly long day to show our friends this spectacular vista!
2011
2021
In 2021 we were with the family and we stopped at the famed Divine Foods At the View. Ben was really unwell. I had a fantastic bunny chow.
The views were spectacular
We stopped at Go’d Window – but there was no view as the mist had descended! Fortunately as we passed the Three Rondavels it started to lift. We had a few cattle roadblocks but the roads were quiet.
Fortunately our luck was in and the mist had cleared by the time we reached the Blyde River Canyon view point. You now have to pay and park. There are local vendors selling various carvings etc. It truly is a spectacular part of the world.
Fast Forward to September 2023 …. We were rather nervous on the way there from Mjejane as it was so misty that we could barely see the road in patches! We were above the cloud line at God’s Window!
We drove onwards through even thicker fog! Suddenly it lifted and the scenery was spectacular!
Luckily by the time we reached Three Rondavels it was completely clear!
There are some funny people who walk amongst us! A large group of tourists has disembarked from their enormous tour coach and had caught up with us at the tail end of us taking photos of each other at the vista. An obnoxiously loud and crass American accent cut through the tranquility we were enjoying as an angry man quivering with obesity yelled angrily at his wife, “Caaaarol, just get the picture, they have taken enough photos!!”. I told him to relax and that the vista was going nowhere and Harry laughed and suggested he joined our photos … to which he replied ‘Get lost, Buddy!” We did have a good giggle and simply ignored them while we continued to enjoy the views and completed our group photos! Shame.
We did a bit of shopping from the local ladies and then headed on to Umlani, our next destination ….Very pleased that we had made the effort as the view never disappoint!
