Blyde River Canyon is one of the "must sees" when visiting South Africa. It is the third deepest canyon in the world and is very well developed for exploring.

Most people look at it from the top, following the "Panorama Route" which included God's Window and other vistas. To be honest, it left me a bit cold. We had a fine day, but due to the heat it was very hazy and the view was wishy-washy. To enjoy the canyon my recommendation is to go to the buttom of it and take a boat tour. It is easy to get to from the lowveld site. Follow the signs to Swadini to get to the boat tour.

We stayed near by in one of the best accomodation we ever stayed in. It is called Otter's Den and the place is situated on a river island. To get to the place one has to cross a river via a suspension bridge and wild hippos are in the river below. The people are very nice and relaxed and the atmosphere is more like visiting a distant (and nice) relative instead of staying at B&B. Very much recommended. They are also the organizers of ballooning tours, where the pictures of this page are from.

Click here to see some photos of Otter's Den.