The famous Blyde River Canyon is one of the most spectacular sights of South Africa and the third deepest canyon in the world. The canyon is 30 kilometers long, located in the Panorama tourist region, 15 kilometers from Graskop. It is close to a popular tourism spot called "Wonder view" and "God's window" where you can enjoy great view on the Lowveld.
Blyde River Canyon is also famous for the impressive potholes carved out of rocks which have been formed due to millions of years of water erosion and the new ones being formed by swirling water, these are located where the Treur River (river of sorrow) and Blyde River (river of joy) meet. You can experience beautiful mountain scenery and the cliffs rising up to 800 meters high from river bed offering magnificent panoramic views of the region. This place also has some adventurous trails which pass through the forest canopy, or take boat trips across the Blyde dam to witness the famous Tufa falls. There are several activities to do including canoeing, rock climbing and hiking.
Another interesting point is the 'Pinnacle', it is a single quartzite column rising out of the deep wooded canyon and the ‘Three Rondavels' (also called the 'Three Sisters’), are three huge spirals of dolomite rock rising out of the far wall of the canyon. From the 'Three Rondavels' you can see the extensive Swadini Dam in the far distance, which marks the end of the reserve. This region is also very rich in flora and fauna. The grasslands consists of more than 1000 flora species in the reserve. All five of South Africa's primates are found in the reserve; the rare samango monkey, nocturnal greater and lesser bushbabies, chacma baboons and vervet monkeys.
There are two main information offices located at Swadini and Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Malaria occurs in some parts of Mpumalanga and visitors are advised to take the necessary precautions. The Blyde Dam is the heart of the reserve, but its nerve centre is the nature conservation team's headquarters at Bourke's Luck.
