Motlatse Canyon Provincial Nature Reserve
To most visitors, the 29 000 ha Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve (also known as Motlatse Canyon Provincial Nature Reserve) is a two-level attraction to be approached from either west or east. A public road runs along the long western boundary and there is easy access to beauty spots like The Pinnacle, God's Window with its kloof-framed view of the Lowveld, Bourke's Luck Potholes, and a lookout point pointing on The Three Rondavels - unusually shaped hillocks.
Anyone wanting to explore the upper level more carefully should take to the trails from the resort, located a short distance to the north. The eastern approach, at Lowveld level, is via a road that enters the reserve on the flank of Mariepskop and follows the canyon bottom to the Aventura Resort at Swadini.
Bourke's Luck Potholes
In the Blyde River Canyon engineers have built an inconspicuous dam wall in a bottleneck below the confluence. The result is the Blyde Dam. The Blyde Dam is the heart of the reserve, but its nerve centre is the nature conservation team's headquarters at Bourke's Luck.
Just a stone's throw away, a network of pathways and footbridges allow visitors to explore the Bourke's Luck Potholes, some of which are 6 m deep, at the confluence of the Blyde and Treur rivers.
Another attraction at Bourke's Luck is the visitor's centre, which has several fascinating displays. A 180 m circular trail, accessible to the physically disabled, starts at the visitor's centre. Many other hikes are available which provide opportunities to view beautiful waterfalls, which are common-place in the area.
Hiking
There are numerous hikes into the canyon and along the top of the escarpment. The Blyde River Canyon Hiking Trail, otherwise known as the Blyderivierspoort Hiking Trail, takes around five days to complete and takes you through the canyon, exploring over 60 km of varied wetland, grassland, bushveld and riverine habitat. The Trail is versatile as it can be walked in shorter 2-3 day sections. It is one of the finest ways to witness most of the region's species and experience its exquisite beauty.
The pool at the end of the first day's hike is a gem. It's formed where the Watervalspruit leaps over a precipice to join the larger Sefofane River. If on a still morning you sit there quietly, you may be rewarded by seeing otters at play.
Birdwatching
Due to the prolific birdlife in the area, Blyde River Canyon is an avid birdwatcher's paradise. The area consists of a multitude of different species co-existing splendidly with varied habitats. Guests can spot more than 360 species in the area, particularly some 20-odd localised forest birds, such as Knysna loerie, Narina trogon, blue-mantled flycatcher, orange thrush and olive woodpecker.
The trails through the canyon are a good place to seek out rare birds, though the Loerie Day Trail above Sabie is conceivably better, passing through several stands of indigenous forest.
The walls of the Blyde River Canyon provide breeding sites for a number of handsome birds of prey, including black eagle, jackal buzzard and Lanner falcon, as well as the world's third-largest Cape vulture colony. Endemic to South Africa, and to all appearances similar to the more common and raucous hadeda, the southern bald ibis, is often seen in the vicinity of Bourke's Luck.
If you have time, you simply must explore the Panorama Route, one of the most dramatic drives in South Africa (and one of the favourite part...