Blyde river Canyon in South Africa - Three Rondavels and Bourke's Luck potholes

The Blyde River Canyon in South Africa offers fantastic views. We made a stop here during our car journey from Johannesburg to the Kruger Park. Then we managed to see both "Three Rondavels" and "Bourke's Luck Potholes".

Blyde River Canyon in South Africa

The Blyde River Canyon is a 26 kilometre long green canyon located in the north-eastern part of South Africa. The canyon is one of the largest in the world, although there are some larger ones, such as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Fish River Canyon in Namibia and some large canyons in Asia. The canyon forms part of the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, and can serve as an excellent stopover if travelling between Johannesburg and the Kruger Park.

Car journey from Johannesburg to Kruger Park

We started the trip in Johannesburg, together with our South African friends Michelle and Henri. They have a really cool off-road caravan, and with this vehicle we set off in the direction of the Kruger Park.

The journey is relatively long and we made several stops along the way. Among other things, we stopped in charming Dullstroom, where we had Rooibos tea and South African pancakes with bacon and jam. Delicious!

Blyde River Canyon and Three Rondavels

After further travelling by car, we arrived at the Blyde River Canyon, and a fantastic viewpoint of the impressive canyon.

Here you can also see the 'Three Rondavels', rock formations that resemble three African-style round houses, known as 'rondavels'.

At the first vantage point, we mainly had a view of the "Three Rondavels". At the next viewpoint, it was instead the views of the canyon and the landscape that impressed us. Fantastic!

Bourke's Luck Potholes

As we continued our journey, it was soon time for another stop: Bourke's Luck Potholes. This place is only about 20 minutes away from the previous one, and also offers fantastic views, as well as very special round shapes in the rock, created by the movement of the water.

Two rivers meet at Bourke's Luck Potholes, contributing to the unique formations. The Blyde River (River of Joy) and the Treur River (River of Sorrow) meet here, creating constant eddies that over time carve deep rounded shapes into the rock.

So, why these special names for the rivers? The names date back to 1844 when South African Boer leader Hendrik Potgieter and his friends returned safely from Delagoa Bay, when everyone else thought they were dead. It was while everyone thought the men were dead that one river was named the "River of Sorrow". When the next river was named "River of Joy" is perhaps self-explanatory ...

Both these places are incredibly beautiful, and we could have spent even more time here, if it wasn't for the fact that we had an appointment at the Kruger Park ...

Visiting the viewpoint at Blyde River Canyon (with Three Rondavels) was completely free, while we had to pay a fee at Bourke's Luck Potholes. Both sites have shops selling souvenirs and African crafts.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Not far from the Three Rondavels viewpoint is the Kadishi Tufa Waterfall, and it's also not far from the God's Window viewpoint. It is also relatively close to the Kruger Park, which is an incredibly fascinating area filled with wildlife such as lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes and rhinos.

Have you visited the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa?

Have you visited the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa? If not, is this a place you would like to visit?