Truck Day 19– Panorama Route

Breakfast at a very reasonable time of 7.30am this morning. Our upgrade to the safari tent was much appreciated last night after yesterday’s rain had made things a little cooler and damper. We leave Nkambeni Camp at 8am and drive to the Panorama Route which is strung along the escarpment that divides the central plateau and low-lying bushveld of the Kruger. After a slow ascent through thick forested groves of bananas, eucalyptus and pine we arrive at the Three Rondavels and Blyde River Canyon our first stop on the Panorama Route. The canyon is 26km long and the 2nd largest in Africa and the 3rd largest in the world.

As we look out in awe at the beauty of the Canyon we can clearly see the Three Rondavels that are three round mountain tops with slightly pointed tops, very similar to the traditional round or oval African homesteads made with local materials called rondavels.

Our next stop is the Bourke’s Luck Potholes that are incredibly beautiful and the result of decades of swirling currents of water where the Treur River meets the Blyde River. The resulting water erosion has left us with a series of cylindrical rock sculptures that look as though they’re made of coloured sand.

Our final stop on the Panorama Route is, Gods Window, so called for the panoramic view of the Lowveld more than 900m below the lush indigenous forest clad ravine and the private game reserves which have made the area one of South Africa’s main wildlife destinations. God’s Window is a small section of a 250km long stretch of sheer cliffs and extravagant beauty. You can observe the hills and forests as far as the eye can see. The view seems like it goes on forever.

We return to camp exhilarated after gorging on some incredible scenery. It’s our last night with the truck group and after successfully managing to pack our bags we all get together for dinner in the restaurant. A relatively early start in the morning as its a 5 hour drive to Jo’Burg and our last day on the truck.