Graskop

Graskop is a small town on the lip of the Drakensberg escarpment in Mpumalanga, where the highveld ends and the ground drops 700 m to the Lowveld. It began as a gold-mining camp in the 1880s and became a town in 1914; the name is Afrikaans for “grassy hillock”. Today it is the most convenient base for the Panorama Route, the string of viewpoints and waterfalls along the Blyde River Canyon, and it has made a second career out of pancakes.

Getting there

You need a car. From Johannesburg the usual road runs through Belfast, Dullstroom and Lydenburg, then over the mountains either via Pilgrim’s Rest or over the Long Tom Pass to Sabie and north on the R532. From Hazyview and the Kruger gates, the R533 climbs the escarpment to town. The town is compact and you can walk between the pancake houses, but every viewpoint needs the car.

When to go

Graskop has a temperate climate with a lot of rain, and the mist is the thing to plan around. In summer, October to March, cloud and fog roll over the escarpment most afternoons and can sit on God’s Window for days, so set out early. Winter, May to September, is dry with clear skies and cold nights; the views are more reliable then, though the waterfalls carry less water. Most viewpoints open 07:00 to 17:00.

What to do

Work north along the R532 and R534. The Pinnacle, a rock column standing out of the forested gorge, is about 3 km from town. God’s Window, about 9 km out, looks over the Lowveld from the edge of the escarpment. Lisbon Falls and Berlin Falls are each a couple of kilometres off the main road. Bourke’s Luck Potholes, where the river has scoured deep round holes in the rock, is about 35 km north, and the Three Rondavels viewpoint over the canyon about 53 km.

In town, the Graskop Gorge Lift Company, on the R533 just outside town, runs a glass lift 51 m down the cliff to a 600 m circular trail of boardwalks and two suspension bridges through indigenous forest. The same site has a 70 m big swing into the gorge and two 120 m ziplines. It is open daily 08:30 to 17:00 and cashless. Then go and eat pancakes: Harrie’s is the best-known, and both sweet and savoury fillings are the local style.

Good to know

Check the weather before you drive out to God’s Window; in cloud there is nothing to see, and people who have been say it is better to swap the day around than to wait it out. Most viewpoints have a pay gate, so bring a card and some cash. Roads on the route are tarred and fine for a hire sedan, but the Long Tom Pass approach is prone to heavy mist. Pilgrim’s Rest, 14 km away, the restored gold-rush village, is close enough for a half-day.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Wikivoyage, Graskop Gorge Lift Company.