Blyde River Canyon -- See the World's Third Largest Canyon

Blyde River Canyon, South Africa

 

Blyde River Canyon, sometimes also called the Motlae Canyon, lies at the convergence of the Treur and Blyde rivers. Blyde River Canyon is a stunning geological jewel, enhance and further beautified by the excessive and intoxicating greenery which sticks to its walls.

Blyde River Canyon’s mysterious mist-covered rock formations rise over the lush canyon slopes, offering superb vistas of this river below. It is without a doubt one of the world's most lovely canyons as well as one of South Africa’s most spectacular natural attractions.

Almost every person alive today already knows about Arizona’s incredible Grand Canyon—perhaps the planet’s best geological wonder without rival. And those who have yet not seen this natural wonder in person are aware of its mind-blowing depth, its many layers of color, and, of course, its international fame. Still, just as Olympic athletes winning silver and bronze medals frequently feel eclipsed by those who win the gold, so also are the smaller canyons frequently overshadowed by the United States’ greatest natural attraction.

However, despite the Grand Canyon claiming first place, doesn’t mean either silver and bronze runner-ups are far behind.

Spend a week or longer in the eastern provinces of South Africa and, be sure to pull over somewhere by the Blyde River Canyon before continuing to other popular attractions like Kruger National Park. 

It's a sight to die for! The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve expands almost 30,000 hectares as far as the eye can see in the northern province of Mpumalanga, at the outskirts of the Drakensberg escarpment. The canyon winds its way in a nearly zigzag fashion via red sandstone cliffs which are covered in greenery. It's certainly a must-see highlight, particularly if you are going to Kruger.

Top Attractions in Blyde River Canyon

The Blyde River Canyon is home to a number of excellent lookout angles that would be a crime to miss. Every sight is distinct and breathtaking. By including a good range of them during a visit to Blyde River canyon, you will admire the geological diversity everywhere, brimming with verdant mountainsides, unique rock formations, and stratifications of color.

Some of Blyde River canyon’s best attractions consist of God’s Window, the Three Rondavels and Pinnacle Rock.

• God’s Window

Explore the routes near the canyon rim, weaving via the thick vegetation so you may see the gorge below.

From God’s Window, the canyon's harsh cliffs plummet more than 700 meters into the lowveld. But from the escarpment, amazing views of the prevailing scenery stretch outward and towards Kruger Park, going then into Mozambique.

With time and a little luck, if the clouds part, from God's Window you'll catch a jaw-dropping panoramic view. Take in fully the canyon views for two or three minutes. But do not lose yourself here, if you also plan on visiting the other world-renowned lookout points prior to sunset.

• The Three Rondavels

The Three Rondavels comprise three round and grass-dusted mountaintops which are thought to resemble the conventional rondavel huts that dot the whole South African countryside. They make up one of the Blyde River Canyon’s best-ranking attractions, plus could be seen from a viewing place which happens to branch off the R-532.

• Pinnacle Rock

Pinnacle Rock is yet another major attraction located in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. Just behind the rock spire, you'll observe a waterfall pouring into a majestic, lush valley below.

Most Famous Must-See Tourist Attractions in South Africa

Cango Caves -- Africa's Greatest Attraction -- First in Many Things

Cango Caves, South Africa

 

In fact, the Cango Caves have become Africa's biggest show caves as well as one of the Seven Wonders situated in Southern Africa, and which causes the Cango Caves to be a historical and archaeological attraction of the Klein Karoo.

Cango Caves lie 29 kilometers from Oudtshoorn precisely in the beautiful Cango Valley, plus is located in a limestone ridge which runs alongside to the famous Swartberg Mountains and moreover, here you’ll see the lovely dripstone caves, with their vast far-reaching halls and very high limestone formations in a wide range of colors.

Previously, it was believed to be just around 1 kilometer long, except the caves now have been confirmed to stretch normally for way over 5 kilometers, but it can be somewhat longer, bigger and even more puzzling than recent estimations. You could visit about 1/4 of the whole 5 kilometers system of interconnecting tunnels. The remainder is currently shut for conservation purposes.

Experience the Cango Caves

While entering the caves, an immediate splash of warm humidity and temperature will greet you. The chambers are well lit so you can admire all the raw and natural charm of the cave chambers.

From the entry point, a set of stairs takes you below to the massive Van Zyl’s Hall, an unbelievable cave that’s 107 meters in length, 54 meters at its broadest and reaching as high as 17 meters. Also, you could anticipate finding other formations such as the 10-meter-tall Cleopatra’s Needle, the Organ Pipes, the Ballerina and the Frozen Waterfall.

The Cango Caves pioneered the following:

• It’s today South Africa’s earliest tourist attraction. Actually, the first tour here happened in 1891, becoming an instant hit and a favorite tourist attraction.
• It was really the first cave to get serious attention by the government, which then led to the cave receiving protection by environmental legislation. Lord Charles Somerset in 1820 published the very first Caves Regulation, which went on to become the first law drafted to protect a rare environmentally related resource situated in South Africa. It even went so far as banning the accumulation of souvenirs and penalizing anyone discovered harming the cave’s formations.
• It’s also the first to come up with a full-time tourist-like guide. Several of the most important discoveries in the Cango Caves occurred through the hands of its first full-time tourist guide, Johnnie van Wassenaar, employed for 43 years, beginning from 1891 to his retirement in the year 1934. Johnnie opened several side chambers, introducing the first wave of people to tour through the caves.

• It's even the first show cave given a radio communication system which permits the tourist guides to communicate freely with the world through these radios, meaning that whatever happens during the tours are communicated at once to the outside, plus anything needed to be addressed could be done literally in only seconds, helping to make the overall journey much safer as well as more comfortable.

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Daily tours

The Cango Caves now offer a fair range of daily tours that are conducted by accredited, knowledgeable, and experienced cave guides. Moreover, tours are provided in English. Also, languages such as Afrikaans, German, French are now available. 

Most Famous Must-See Tourist Attractions in South Africa

Pagsanjan Falls -- a Natural Wonder in the Philippines

  Pagsanjan Falls

Pagsanjan Falls, also called Cavinti Falls, and locally, Magdapio Falls, is one of the Philippines' most famous waterfalls. Gracefully descending in a nearly magical site, it's without a doubt a very early tourist attraction in the Philippines, that was introduced to the outside world via an American missionary visiting it in 1902. And it was this early tourist who initially gave it that name, "Pagsanjan Falls," although its name was originally Magdapio Falls. A legend exists giving credence to all this name business, told by Dr. Gregorio Zaide, narrating Magdapio who, after losing his brother in a drought, grew sad and roamed through the lush gorges searching for water. But locating none, he screamed to the gods. Sympathizing with him, the gods made a waterfall to start pouring out in what is today the renowned waterfall. However, the name Pagsanjan derives from the Tagalog term “Pinagsangahan” that translates to “where it branches," which refers to two rivers, Balanac and Bumbungan, branching off.

Pagsanjan Falls Tour

Despite the waterfalls itself belongs to the jurisdiction of the nearby Cavinti town, the boat ride to the falls, an extremely important part of the experience, is in Pagsanjan town. From this point, you can book your trip with whichever tour guide provided by resorts. As of the year 2007, the going rate was at P660 (or $56.49) due to so much haggling. In addition, there's a toll fee which goes to the town. Then you have to pay another P90, or $10.00, to rent the bamboo raft which takes you quite close to the falls so that you can even feel them descending and splashing. Permit at least a budget of P1,000 ($150) for the whole experience, plus a small tip to offer the boatman, which is customary there.

Make no mistake: the “shooting the rapids” tour is an exciting adventure filled with visual rewards. Many years ago, the whitewater travel of Cagayan de Oro and then Chico River got developed, and skilled boatmen navigated their bancas right through the rough rapids of the wild Bumbungan River. In fact, this has grown into a sort of art, but today a license is even needed for certifying your skill. An additional incredible bonus is the Pagsanjan Gorge that lies on two sides of the river. Since the forests are still much the way they always were, you can catch monkeys everywhere across the river. A word of caution: tourists may be required to put on helmets on account of monkeys throwing rocks at people. A side trip to consider is Talahib Falls, which can be taken before going to the Pagsanjan Falls. When it rains other waterfalls begin to swell and thus become highlights as well: Wedding Veil Falls, Kalukuy Falls, and other waterfalls.

And finally, the raft trip to the Pagsanjan Falls starts, as the trip's climax. Usually a bamboo raft and a skilled boatman will take visitors through the waterfalls to get uncommonly close to the Devil’s cave. This adventure, along with the "shooting the rapids," puts Pagsanjan Falls in an entirely different category from the other waterfalls to continue to be the most sensational waterfall experience found in Luzon. 

Most Famous Must-See Tourist Attractions in the Philippines