For our most recent vacation, we headed to the magnificent Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga, South Africa. This canyon is the 3rd largest canyon in the world. It’s outsized only by the Grand Canyon in the USA and Fish River Canyon in Namibia. It is stunning to say the least.
What is most striking about Blyde River Canyon is that, unlike most canyons, it is covered with lush green tress, bushes, and grasses, which contrast with the deep rusty color of the canyon’s sandstone rock formations.
Activities: At/Near Blyde River Canyon
Sightseeing of Natural Features: Bourke’s Luck Potholes, God’s Window, Three Rondavels, Berlin Falls
Hiking: We went on numerous hikes, from 2 -5km. There are longer ones, but we did not venture onto these. The hikes included amazing views of the Blyde River (which contained both crocodiles and hippos). We also saw gorgeous waterfalls and mountain views.
Boating: A boat ride on the Blyde River gave us a very different perspective of the canyon!
Shopping: I loved the stalls at the national parks. The stalls are government regulated and directly support local communities. The products were lovely, handcrafted, colorful, and quite reasonably priced.
Activities: Surrounding Area
Echo Caves: A great place to visit to see a 1.5 km cave. The structure of the cave creates echos from one end of the cave to the other (1 km away). Local tribes used the cave as a hiding place during attacks from other tribes. The echo feature of the cave was used as a warning mechanism. Our guide was a young, local man, who gave an excellent account of the history of the cave and the surrounding area.
Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: We loved visiting this well run rehabilitation center. We were able to see many types of animals that are difficult to see up close in the wild. However, the animals that visitors are allowed to see are only those that cannot be released and are used for education purposes only.
I was able to rub the back of a Bateleur’s neck (a natural activity amongst Bateleurs) as well as touched a cheetah. The talk before the tour was one of the best (which is saying a lot as we have been to many animal sanctuary’s and parks). I hope to return one day as a volunteer!
Khamai Reptile Park: This small animal park and sanctuary delivers a powerful punch! Some of Africa’s deadliest creatures reside here, such as spiders, snakes, and crocodiles. Having a deadly black mamba stare into your eyes, just a few inches away, was exciting and disturbing.
Bridal Veil Falls: This is my favorite place on earth. Neither words nor pictures can do it justice. You will have to visit this perfect, fairly tale oasis to truly understand.
Pilgrim’s Rest: This is a historic town, reveling in the gold rush glory days. The old buildings and museum were fun to explore.
White Water Rafting: This was the first time that we went white water rafting. It was a blast, we loved it! Yes, there were crocodiles in the river, but the only one we saw was quite small so we weren’t too worried. We also didn’t fall out of our boats.
However, we did enter the water when we went rock sliding down some of the falls. We will definitely do this again!
Kruger National Park: We were so close that we had to stop over for two days in Kruger National Park. We stayed in the northern area of the park this time. Kruger has yet to disappoint us. We saw a group of baby hyenas, the hard to find Ground Hornbills, and of course elephants, rhino, giraffes, zebra, and buffalo.
Accommodation:
Mariepskop Chalets: We stayed in a rondavel near Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. It was so lovely! The owners raised goats, which were giving birth nearly everyday during the week we were there. I’ve never seen such young goats. If my pockets had been large enough, I would have put one in and taken him home!
Shingwedizi Rest Camp: While at Kruger, we stayed at the Shingwedizi Rest camp. Everything was brand new here as the entire camp was destroyed by a massive flood last year.
Pictures: See a few of the highlights below. Additional pics can be viewed on Flikr.
Video: Jack whitewater rafting on the Sabie River on YouTube
Where in the world 