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::God's Window
::Sudwala caves
::Many Waterfalls
::Pilgrim's Rest |
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SOUTH Africa's eastern escarpment is a region blessed
with spectacular beauty. The rivers flowing from
the highveld have eroded deep, lush valleys on their
way down to the lowveld, and standing on the edge
of the plateau gives the viewer a commanding view
over the vast bushveld plains.
 The
difference in altitude between the high- and lowveld
has created some very welcome attractions in the
many waterfalls along the edge of the escarpment.
Sabie, a town located on the Escarpment's edge
at 1 060 metres, is situated close to the Bridal
Veil, Lone Creek and Horseshoe falls. The road
to Bridal Veil is tarred, but travellers will
have to make do with gravel routes to the other
two.
There are many campsites, restaurants and hotels
in and around the town, and the Sabie river itself
is popular amongst trout fisherman.
From Sabie the R532 takes you past the splendid
65-metre-high Mac-Mac falls to Graskop, a major
forestry centre with one of the largest man-made
forests in the world.
Graskop, previously a mining town, also offers
a trail that leads from the municipal tourist
park across a plateau to the edge of the escarpment.
Here you'll find the camp (still little changed
from 1887) described in Percy Fitzpatrick's "Jock
of the Bushveld".
Graskop is a good place to take a break from
your panoramic drive, as there are several tempting
bakeries and coffee shops to stop at.
 From
Graskop the R532 continues to the Berlin and Lisbon
Falls in the Blyde state forest. The Berlin falls
(80-metres high) is forced through a narrow gap
before crashing to the pool below. Not far away
is the spectacular, 92-metre-high, Lisbon Falls.
One of the most well-known attractions of this
route is the aptly titled God's Window, situated
at an altitude of 1 730 metres in lush, green
surroundings. It's not called God's Window without
reason as it offers the viewer spectacular panoramas
of the lowveld.
Another landmark on this route is the 30-metre-high
Pinnacle, a weathered column of free-standing
sandstone, only seven kilometres from God's Window.
The next stop is the romantic small town of Pilgrim's
Rest, a gold rush town that has remained amazingly
well preserved and has, subsequently, been declared
a national
monument.
A visit to the Royal Hotel, with its mining memorabilia
and historic furniture, is a must, as is Dredzen's
Store, a restored 19th-century general dealer.
On the way to Lydenburg (via the R36) you'll
cross the Robbers and Verraaiersnek mountain passes.
Before reaching Lydenburg though, take some time
to visit Dick Heysteck's "Game Farm".
Here, even amateur game-spotters should be able
to spot the elephant, buffalo, rhino, giraffe
and lion on display because they are all
handmade out of concrete and therefore unlikely
to be going anywhere.
Lydenburg is an active agricultural and mining
town and boasts many historical buildings, such
as the Dutch Reformed church, the
oldest church north of the Cape.
The rivers and streams surrounding the area are
well stocked with trout and lure many fishermen
annually.
After Lydenburg a scenic drive takes you past
Klipspruit and Goedewil, over the Schoemanskloof
and Montrose Passes, to the intriguing Sudwala
caves.
These caves were formed by rainwater percolating
through cracks in the surrounding dolomite. The
area open to the public provides splendid views
of the many dramatic stalactites, stalagmites
and the labyrinth of passages. Some of the formations
have fanciful names such as "Screaming Monster"
and "Devil's Pulpit".
Outside the caves, lifelike dinosaur replicas
roam among the swamps.
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