Meandering Through Mpumalanga: The Panorama Route

by | Jan 28, 2025 | Lodging, Mpumalanga, Parks/Nature Reserves | 12 comments

In December, the Blogitects embarked on an 11-day journey across Mpumalanga province (with a brief interlude in Eswatini). We spent the first few days in the southern half of the Panorama Route.

Thorsten next to the Lisbon River on the Panorama Route
Thorsten standing by the river next to the Lisbon Eco Lodge, where we stayed. I love the huge fern tree behind him. We spent an enjoyable afternoon here, wading around in the shallow water with the dogs and lounging on the river rocks.

The original motivation for this trip was the wedding of our friends Julia and Jay, who got married in Kaapsehoop on New Years Eve. (You can read about Kaapsehoop, one of Mpumalanga’s smallest and quirkiest towns, in this 2020 post.) I decided the wedding was a great excuse to explore some other areas around Mpumalanga.

Where is Mpumalanga? What is the Panorama Route?

Mpumalanga province is due east of Gauteng and Limpopo, bordering Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Mozambique, and the Kruger National Park. The eastern half of Mpumalanga is in South Africa’s “Lowveld”: a low-altitude part of the country that drops down steeply from the “Highveld”, where Joburg is. This steep drop in elevation makes for interesting weather conditions – there’s often lots of mist, which tends to pop up suddenly in all the places where the best views are.

The Panorama Route runs along the Blyde River Canyon, starting at the town of Graskop and running north to the Limpopo border. The Panorama Route – best known for its many waterfalls, the Three Rondavels, the Bourke’s Luck Potholes, and God’s Window – is popular among South African tourists, I suspect because it doesn’t require a hefty national park fee to see the sights there. We went over the holidays and some areas were really crowded, especially on Christmas and Boxing Day. But I enjoyed seeing so many South Africans out enjoying their own country.

The view above Berlin Falls near Graskop.
Thorsten taking a guy’s photo at Lisbon Falls.
Thorsten taking a guy’s photo at Lisbon Falls.

Where We Stayed

We stayed in the Moffat Miner’s Cottage at Lisbon Falls Ecolodge, which is about ten minutes outside Graskop. Moffat Cottage is a historic house, built in the 1870s, and it was fun to stay there although the accommodation is very basic. The Ecolodge as a whole is lovely – right on the banks of the Lisbon River, which feeds the nearby Lisbon Falls. In addition to Moffatt Cottage, there are several self-catering log cabins along the river.

Moffat Miners Cottage
Moffat Miner’s cottage (sketch by @theThinking_Hand).
Inside the Miner's Cottage
Inside the Miner’s Cottage

There is a beautiful herd of exotic sheep on the property at the ecolodge, and Charl, the owner, has a cute dog duo – Eva the enormous Anatolian sheep dog and Ella the tiny Jack Russell mix. The dogs are well behaved and fun to hang out with. Eva loves to go on walks and will follow you all the way to Lisbon Falls if you let her (it’s a little more than a one-kilometer walk).

Thorsten's sketch of Eva
Thorsten got really into sketching Eva.

The best thing about the ecolodge is that it’s within 30 minutes’ drive of most the sights in the Panorama Route: at least half a dozen waterfalls, Pinnacle Rock, God’s Window, and Graskop Gorge. The Three Rondavels and Bourke’s Luck Potholes (not covered in this post) are a little further north.

Three Days in the Panorama Route: What We Did

View from one of several gorges (not sure which one).

1) Lisbon Falls

As previously mentioned, Lisbon Falls was the closest tourist attraction to where we stayed.

Along the road between Lisbon Falls Ecolodge and the falls. It was a nice walk, but I got really stressed because Eva followed us and seemed to have no qualms about ambling down the center of the road. Large and impossible to miss as she is, I was terrified Eva would get hit by a car, so we wound up walking back to the lodge and then driving to the falls.
Lisbon Fall on the Panorama Route in Mpumalanga
It rained a lot over Christmas so all the falls were full.

Like many of the other waterfalls in this area, there used to be a trail to the bottom of Lisbon Falls. But that trail is now closed. I suspect this is an unfortunate result of the age of Instagram – too many people trying to get too close to the falls for selfies and then getting injured or even killed (sorry for that holiday downer).

2) Mac Mac Falls

Mac Mac Falls seems to be the most well-known waterfall around Graskop and was very busy when we visited on Christmas Day. It is very beautiful but it kind of sucks that you have to look at the falls through a rusty palisade fence.

Mac Mac Falls
The Instagram view.
Real view of Mac Mac Falls through the fence
The real view. Still cool, but the tourism people could do better.

3) Mac Mac Pools hike

Mac Mac Pools is a park upstream from Mac Mac Falls, with lots of shallow pools for swimming and a bunch of picnic spots. It was very busy on Christmas Day. We went there to do the 3.5-kilometer Mac Mac Pools hike, which we thought might lead to a view of the falls. There was no view but it was a pretty hike nonetheless, with rolling green hills and patches of indigenous forest. We were the only people on the trail.

Mac Mac Pools hike
Hiking past ancient rocks on the Mac Mac Pools trail.

4) Berlin Falls

Berlin Falls
Another day, another beautiful waterfall.

5) Pinnacle Rock

I think Pinnacle Rock was the coolest thing we saw on the Panorama Route. Be sure you walk around to all the viewpoints – they are all different.

Pinnacle Rock
Pinnacle Rock
Pinnacle Rock with Driekop Gorge stretching out below. There is also a waterfall here.
Pinnacle Rock with Driekop Gorge stretching out below.
Heather at an overlook near Pinnacle Rock
You have to poke around all the Pinnacle Rock pathways to find this secret spot. Standing there was not as dangerous as it looks.

6) God’s Window/Wonderview

We tried three times to visit the famous God’s Window, a dramatic viewpoint looking out over the escarpment. The first two times, it was so foggy that we couldn’t see a foot in front of our faces. The third time (Boxing Day), it was so crowded that we just drove right past and wound up 1.5 kilometers away at Wonderview.

Thorsten looking out at Wonderview
The Wonderview.

Apparently the view at Wonderview is very similar to the view at God’s Window, but hardly anyone goes there and there is no entrance fee. (I do think there is a nice trail and more diverse viewpoints at God’s Window – I’m sure it would be worth it on a less crowded day.) But Wonderview is clearly signposted – just drive north from God’s Window and look for the brown tourist sign.

7) Graskop Gorge Lift

The Graskop Gorge Lift, an elevator that sinks down more than 50 meters to the bottom of the Gorge, had been on my list since it opened in 2017. But we very nearly missed it; like God’s Window, it was incredibly misty in the morning and incredibly crowded in the afternoon. Luckily we decided to go try it on our last morning, despite the fog. We got there right as they opened, just after 8:30 a.m., and were among the first people to go down in the lift.

Looking up at the Graskop Gorge Lift in the mist
The view from the bottom.

Going down this lift in the morning was the best choice we made all week. We had the indigenous forest floor almost all to ourselves and it was beautiful down there. By the time we were ready to go back up, the fog had cleared and the crowds were starting to (literally) descend.

Thorsten on the suspension bridge in Graskop Gorge
You can easily spend an hour or two walking along the series of boardwalks and suspension bridges, reading the many informative placards about the flora and fauna in the forest. We loved it.
Motitsi Falls
The gorge has its own waterfall (of course), Motitsi Falls.
Guy swinging over the Graskop Gorge
There are many activities to do at the gorge, including the swing (which is like bungee-jumping but not head-first). We didn’t do it but it was fun to watch the swingers from below.
Looking at the buildings around the Graskop Gorge Lift
A look at the lift from above. We loved this experience and it was totally worth R260 per person. (See all rates for the various activities here.)

Final Notes and Tips

#1: We weren’t trying to see everything, so this isn’t a comprehensive list of things to do on the Panorama Route.

#2: Every place we went (except Wonderview) charged admission; most of the waterfalls and similar sights charged somewhere between R25 and R50. I got the feeling these admission prices change frequently. A couple of times we were asked if we’re South African (because non-South Africans pay more), but no one ever asked for actual documentation of our nationality. It would be great if Mpumalanga Tourism could institute some kind of Panorama season pass so visitors don’t have to pay these annoying small amounts over and over at every location.

#3: We visited the Panorama Route during the summer, when it was rainy and very green. The area will look different (more brown) during the winter dry season, and I imagine some of the waterfalls might not have water (or a lot less water) during winter.

#4: Each location has its own tourist market and there are very nice souvenirs for sale at each one. I highly recommend browsing at least one of these markets and supporting the local economy.

Peter the bird carver holding our chicken
We met Peter, a master bird carver, at his setup next to the road between Graskop and Sabie. Thorsten bought this chicken and we love it.

This concludes the Blogitect tour of the Panorama Route. We made two more stops on this trip that I plan to blog about: Eswatini and a fun visit to another part of the Lowveld. But my blog is currently undergoing a major migration and facelift so it might be a while before I’m able to do that. Please stick with me!

12 Comments

  1. Barend vd Merwe

    I visited those places in the 90’s as a kid. Don’t recall there being a fee. Perhaps some adult paid for me. I find it unfortunate that people have to pay. If Table Mountain is free, then surely God’s Window must be free as well? Anyway, thank you as always for your wonderful article and good to see the blog is posting again!

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Yeah, it’s irritating. I have a feeling the admission fees are a new thing…I don’t know who owns the land where all these landmarks are so I’m not sure who’s getting the money. But I guess someone realized it would be easy to cash in!

      Reply
  2. ronald thompson

    Always enjoy your blog though more sporadically these days.
    When are you going to do another book ?

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thanks so much, Ronald. I’m having some technical problems with my blog other now, which is why I’m posting less often, but I plan to change that in a few weeks! I do have a book project brewing but no specific news as of yet 🙂

      Reply
  3. dizzylexa

    We do live is such a beautiful country!

    Reply
  4. Ms. Nancy Anne McDaniel

    It looks like another beautiful part of the country., Thank you for sharing! (How was the wedding?)

    Reply
    • 2summers

      It was really fun!

      Reply
  5. AutumnAshbough

    It looks beautifully lush and green. Great photographs of all the falls, but it is a bummer you couldn’t get closer. At least you stayed safe.

    Reply
    • 2summers

      It was sooooo green!

      Reply
  6. Lani

    I adore how you integrate Thorston’s sketches with your photography, and your love of exploring all that South Africa has to offer. xo

    Reply
    • 2summers

      Thank you! T made so many amazing sketches on this trip – it was agonizing to decide which ones to use!

      Reply

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