PANORAMA REST CAMP NEAR GRASKOP TO KAIA MANZI, SOUTH AFRICA—Sunday and Monday, March 23-24, 2014

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Panorama Rest Camp near Graskop, Mpumalanga Province--Sunday, March 23rd.

Pretty, clear day today.

Got out our local map of the area and decided which of the attractions we wanted to see along the Blyde River Canyon. It was easier to eliminate those we didn’t wish to see or do, like river rafting, bungee jumping, and something called, the “swing” that seems to go out between two canyon walls. We decided that we would start at the site the guide books said, “not to miss,” which was located the greatest distance away, and then work our way back to camp. That way, if time and/or energy ran out, we would have seen the best view.

The Canyon was formed by the Blyde River cutting through the northern part of the Drakensberg Escarpment. Here the inner South African plateau at 3,937 feet, drops abruptly to the Lowveld with some of the sheerest cliffs of any canyon in the world. It is one of the largest canyons at 16 miles in length and, on average, about 2,461 ft deep.

We drove through the neat, touristy town of Graskop and was promptly directed to follow a detour as road construction was going on. We were surprised to see a Jewish School building located on a back street of this town.

We then drove basically along the rim of the Canyon; however, we were often several km away from the actually drop off. Here we went through planted forests and small communities before arriving at the parking area for the “Three Rondavels.” From this gorgeous overlook you can see across the canyon to 4 dome shaped rock “huts” that are named after Chief Maripi’s 3 wives, with the largest “hut” for him. The view is breathtaking with the canyon walls in various shades of red/orange, yellow, green, and grey. The river can be seen here way, way below and just a bit of the Lowveld, between the two far rims.

We didn’t see birds or animals on this route, but we were surprised to see wild Easter Lilies and Red-hot poker flowers growing in meadows and along the side of the road. Lots of butterflies and other wild flowers were here and there as well.

Our next stop, was at the Berlin waterfall that falls 262 feet. It is just one of the many falls in the area and with all the rain, they were at their fullest. We chose this one to drive to as you didn’t have to walk a great distance to see it. We then stopped at a couple of overlooks along the rim that had other views of the canyon and the Lowveld. The last site for the day, was at a place called, “God’s Window.” It was a short walk through ferns, mint, interesting wild flowers, and trees, to the very edge of the cliff face that offered a different/closer view of the rocks that form the Canyon. This area has a great deal of moisture and is often foggy. We had a clear view, thankfully.

At each of these locations, a small fee was paid for your entrance. I think just 2-3 dollars for each vehicle. Also at each location, booths/stalls were set up for local craft people, mostly women, to sell things they had made. Some of the women could get quite pushy in trying to make a sale.

In all, a nice day out along this Panoramic Route. One site we didn’t visit, was Bourkes' Luck Potholes, which are a group of holes formed in the rocks in the canyon by erosion where two rivers come together. It was quite a walk down to them, and the walk was not in the shade. However, several of our group said they enjoyed them the best.

As we made our turn into the driveway of the Panorama Camp, a flock of Speckled Mousebirds flew into the shrubs in front of us. We were able to stop and get some photos of them. I wonder why the are they named that?? They certainly don’t eat mice, but fruits, insects, seeds and other vegetation, aren’t spotted nor speckled, have very long tails, and look somewhat like a Cockatiel.



Graskop to Kaia Manzi--Monday, March 24th. 331 km (198 miles)



Woke up this morning to THICK fog. Apparently, this is a very common occurrence here. We were so glad we went out to view the Canyon the previous day, as today, you wouldn’t be able to see anything at all. So, we decided not to rush to drive out in it and instead we went to the office/reception area and sent out 3 blogs and checked our e-mail. We were the last of the group to leave at 9:30, but by then, the fog had lifted a bit and visibility on the road was much better which we needed, since we knew we were heading down the mountains with lots of curves.

Much of the area we drove through the morning is planted in forests of three or four different kinds of trees; a pine of some sort, eucalyptus of some variety that grows fast and tall, and a tree that has leaves that look oak-like. Around one of the tight curves, we came upon an accident where we could see two white vehicles down an embankment; one on its side and the other on its roof. Here were a lot of people standing on the side of the road, so we just mosied on by and down the hill. Lots of lantana growing along the side of the road-–funny, we have seen it growing wild in South and Central America also. Dropped down and hit the N-4 and then went through the Nzasm tunnel.

The Elands River valley was pretty with orchards growing alongside the toll-way. We crossed over the river several times and came upon an absolutely HUGE lumber mill with SAPI on the building and signs. Log trucks look the same as those in the US, but the logs are much shorter and the trees much thinner. Near the mill, was a shanty town of terribly put-together shacks. Also, fields and fields of piled coal for the plant.

Stopped at Milly’s Restaurant/gas station and made apricot and cottage cheese salads for lunch. Had pulled the RV alongside of the curb, overlooking a pond, and watched a family in front of us, with all their possessions on the back of a truck, just lie down on the grass and go to sleep. We have seen people just sleeping here and there on the grass or bare ground before, and seems odd to us. Met up with a number of our group at this stop–I guess a good place to eat lunch.

Left there and drove across land that was back to growing corn and had sheep in the pastures. At exit 117, we pulled off at a Shell Ultra City station for some diesel. The opening for the fuel tank is located on the RV inside the front passenger door frame. I had been keeping my binoculars in a pocket in that door and when I opened it up so that the young man could fill the tank, he spotted my binoculars and asked if he could look through them. I said sure, as I saw no harm in it, and he was right there pumping the fuel. He got so excited about what he was seeing, that he called over his friend to look. Soon we had 5-6 young people, about 18-20 years old, taking turns looking. They had never looked through binoculars before and I am guessing that they had never looked through a microscope either!!! We certainly did not grow up in a privileged household, but I had my own microscope with various slides of insects and other things to look at by age 12 or 13.

Congested now on the toll-way as we neared the big cities of Pretoria and Jo’burg. Megga coal and other minerals dot the landscape here. At exit 50, we took the R-25/42 toward the Bronkhorstspruit Dam. After a couple kms further, we turned left for Kaia Manzi where there is a large Indian head sculpture. Passed the entrance to a large Chinese Mall that looks like a pagoda or temple. Continued into the Kaia Manzi Lodge camp area, after traveling through some outstanding modern homes built to overlook the dam. The dam itself is in a real dry dessert looking setting with nothing to “call home” about. Not even any trees are growing around the shores of the dam.

Set up the RV on the grass near the B ablution block. At 4:30 the Wagon-master and his wife hosted a wine and cheese do. We took our folding chairs over and socialized awhile before fixing dinner. While we were there, we watched a flock of sheep that had been grazing on the grass, try to nibble at the goodies out on the table until they were shooed away.

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