We arrived in Graskop in the late afternoon, a scenic small town perched on the edge of the Drakensberg escarpment in Mpumalanga at around 1,400 metres above sea level. Graskop is best known as the gateway to the Panorama Route and an ideal base for exploring the surrounding natural attractions. The town was founded in the 1880s as a gold-mining camp, and its name comes from the Afrikaans words meaning “grassy hill.”
What began as a rough mining settlement later developed into an important centre for the South African timber industry and, eventually, tourism. Today, Graskop has a relaxed atmosphere, with curio shops, local art galleries and its famous pancake restaurants. Its location also makes it a convenient base for visiting attractions such as God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Blyde River Canyon.
After a walk around the town, we headed to the Graskop Gorge Lift, one of the area’s most unusual attractions. The main feature is a custom-designed, glass-fronted elevator that carries up to 26 passengers and descends 51 metres down the sheer cliff face into the indigenous Afromontane forest below.
At the bottom, a network of about 600 metres of elevated timber walkways and suspension bridges lets us explore the forest, cross streams, and experience the gorge from different levels. Along the route, interactive environmental exhibits also explain the surrounding ecosystem and the importance of the indigenous forest.
For those looking for more adrenaline, the gorge also offers the 70-metre Big Swing, which can reach speeds of around 140 km/h, as well as a high-wire zipline crossing the gorge. We enjoyed the more relaxed walk through the forest.
Parking location – Graskop: 24.946449S 30.844769E (🚻,🚿,🏊,💦,🔌,🍽️,🅿️500 ZAR)