South Africa Panorama Route
If you’re spending a day getting to or from the airport to your safari camp in the Greater Kruger area of South Africa, why not take a scenic panorama route to get you there? Along the way, you will see waterfalls, wildlife, and the world’s largest green canyon! In this guide, I’ll provide everything you need to know to visit this area based on my experience.
Let’s get started!
Basic Information
The Panorama Route is a 160km route in the province of Mpumalanga, near Kruger National Park.
Driving the route takes a minimum of 4 hours, but you can spend several days exploring this area. Plan on adding additional time for stops along the way.
Parts of the road have potholes, so if driving make sure to pay extra attention to avoid hitting the potholes.
When we visited, our travel agency paired us with a guide from African Safari Adventures who took care of the driving and navigating for us and also provided us with background and facts about the places we were visiting.
Pack some cash to take with you as we stopped in town to buy snacks and souvenirs along the way.
Blyde River Canyon:
The highlight of the Panorama Route is the Blyde River Canyon which is the world’s largest green canyon. The Blyde River carves through the mountains and creates a dramatic landscape.
The most popular place to stop at is the Three Rondavels viewpoint, which is named after three peaks you can view from here which resemble the traditional houses of the native people. It costs R20 per person to visit the viewpoint but is definitely worth it in my opinion. We spent about 30 minutes at the viewpoint taking in the scenery and watching various birds fly by.
Lisbon Falls:
Lisbon Falls is a dramatic waterfall along the Panorama Route with a height of 94 meters (308 ft) which makes it one of the tallest waterfalls in South Africa. It is just a short walk from where you can park your car to the viewpoint looking out over the falls. It costs R20 per person to visit the falls and is worth a quick stop. We spent about 30 minutes admiring the falls before heading to our next stop.
Wonder View and God's Window:
Perhaps the busiest spot along the Panorama Route is God’s Window, which is a scenic area overlooking the Blyde River Canyon. It costs R15 per person to visit but offers an opportunity to have breathtaking panoramic views. It’s a short climb to get up to the viewpoint but can be challenging if it’s overcrowded with people.
Instead of dealing with the crowd’s at God’s Window, I instead recommend stopping just a few minutes up the road at Wonder View. This is a less popular spot since it’s not as well known as God’s Window and offers the same amazing view. And you can park right at the viewpoint and walk a couple steps to the viewpoint instead of having to climb around other people, win-win! When we visited, we were the only ones at this viewpoint which made it nice and peaceful. Plan to spend about 30 minutes here enjoying the sites.
Graskop Town:
Graskop is a small town along the Panorama Route just south of Lisbon Falls and Wonder View. The town is a nice place to stop at to grab a bite to eat, use the restroom, or stock up on snacks during your drive. There are also several shops you can explore to find just the right souvenir to bring home to remember your trip. We made a stop at Shautany Chocolatiers and got a few delicious truffles to eat along our drive. We also passed someone selling local macadamias along the side of the road and picked up a few of those to snack on as well.
What to Pack
Bring some cash for any things you may want to purchase.
Sunscreen is a must as you’ll be outside admiring the viewpoints.
If visiting during the rainy season, pack bug spray.
Take a camera so you can capture every moment!
