Kruger & Panorama Route
Mpumalanga Province
Both the Panorama Route and Kruger are located within Mpumalanga which means “place where the sun rises”. Bordered by Mozambique and Swaziland in the east and Gauteng in the west, it is situated mainly on the high plateau grasslands of the Middleveld. In the northeast it rises towards mountain peaks and then terminates in an immense Escarpment.
In some places this Escarpment plunges hundreds of metres down with sheer drops, to the low-lying area known as the Lowveld. Nelspruit is the capital of the province. Because of its popularity as a tourist destination, Mpumalanga is also served by a number of small airports. Malaria occurs in some parts of the Lowveld regions and visitors should take the usual precautions.
Because of the mountains and perennial rivers in the Panorama area, it lends itself to adrenaline-pumping activities like rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing, 4×4 trails, hot air ballooning and paragliding. For the same reasons there are uncountable hiking trails in this region.
Mpumalanga’s cultural attractions are particularly colourful, such as the iconic Ndebele artwork, beadwork and small painted articles. Kids will love the dinosaur park just outside the deep and convoluted Sudwala Caves.
Kruger Park
The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa, where nearly two million hectares of unrivaled diversity of life forms fuses with historical and archaeological sites.
Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals (among which the Big Five: Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Leopard and Buffalo roam freely). Man’s interaction with the lowveld environment over many centuries – from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela – is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, people and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park’s natural assets. The Kruger Park has a well-developed network of roads and many rest camps which oases in a magnificent wilderness area. Many rest camps provide accommodation in air-conditioned rondavels and cottages as well as safari tents, camping spots, guesthouses and private bush camps.
Plan your Kruger Park safari trip by selecting from the various safari options, ranging from driving yourself and staying in Kruger Park rest camps, to exclusive private safaris at private lodges or private game reserves adjoining the Kruger Park (fences between the reserves have been relaxed to allow the animals to roam freely).
We also offer authentic fully catered guided safaris into the Kruger with the choice of economical national park huts or upmarket private game lodges. Here you can feel the excitement and intensity of a South African safari in Kruger National Park! Enjoy thrilling game drives, walking safaris and find out what it is like to be close to a pride of Lion.
Panorama Route
One of the country’s most scenic self-drives, the Panorama Route explores the Mpumalanga
highlands, or the north-eastern section of the Great Escarpment of the Drakensberg. In these
rugged mountains, the plateau comes to an abrupt and dramatic halt, falling steeply away into the Lowveld accompanied by incredible views out over the grasslands of Africa.
The Panorama Route’s popularity has much to do with its proximity to the Kruger National Park.
It is often part and parcel of any organised trip to the game reserve. But it is also favoured for the
access it provides to one of the province’s major scenic draw cards, the Blyde River Canyon. It is
one of the largest greenest canyons on earth, and increasingly popular with overseas visitors.
The most popular stretch of the route is the R532 that winds its way from the town of Sabie via a
selection of graceful waterfalls – the Sabie Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Mac Mac Falls and Pools – to God’s Window, the Blyde River Canyon, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, The Pinnacle and Three Rondavels.
