Blyde River Canyon is located in the Drakensberg escarpment region of eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. We had not heard of the term escarpment until we took a road tour from Johannesburg to Durban. We asked our driver and guide Thokozani Mdluli, What is an escarpment? Though there are other synonyms that can be used in place of escarpment, such as, bluff, crag, precipice, scarp, cliff or ridge, none quite conveys the magnitude or magnificence of what we were about to witness.
We took a 10-minute stretch break from the van at the overlook to the Drakensberg escarpment. A woman was selling some small sculptures. As I approached, the woman smiled and softly spoke to me in Khosa, the native language in this area. While I do not speak Khosa, I understood she was inviting me to look. I saw a small stone carved turtle that I purchased, and then motioned to her with my camera. She nodded her approval to take her photo.
Our 10-minutes were over quickly, and soon we were continuing on our drive.
An escarpment is a steep slope, descent, or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion. It separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The largest escarpment in the world just happened to be the area in which we were driving. The Drakensberg escarpment forms a skyline of rock with sharp-tipped peaks. The Zulu people named it the Barrier of Spears, and they should know. This is the KwaZulu Natal region after all. Stretching slightly over 186 miles in length make the Drakensberg escarpment one the best sites for landscape photography, as well as hiking. With hiking trails named, Sentinel Peak, Cathedral Peak, Rainbow Gorge, Chain Ladders Hike, Mnweni Circuit, Ploughman's Kop and the Amphitheatre, which is said to have rock walls that are three times larger than El Capitan in Yosemite, the names alone beg for further investigation as to what will be the end visual result.
The Amphitheatre trail begins beside the almost-dry bed of the Tugela River, the largest river in KwaZulu Natal province. The Tugela River, or Thukela, the original Zula name, flows 312 miles east from the Drakensburg mountains until it meets the Indian Ocean, just north of Durban. It remains one of the important rivers in South Africa. The Tugela River has a drainage area used mainly for rural subsistence farming and commercial forestry.
We had a short hike to the Blyde River Canyon overlook on our way to view the famous Three Rondavels in Graskop, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Blyde is a Cape Dutch word meaning "glad", "joyous" or "happy." The river is partly devoted to commercial forestry and also consists of indigenous forests. Trout, bass and yellowfish are the main species in abundance in the river.
There were vendors who live near the area selling local handmade items. We did not want to carry the items along the hike, but promised to make a purchase on the way back from our hike.
When we got closer to the end of our hike, we began a small descent over a ridge, and our senses were met with what seemed to be the pinnacle of the escarpment. The Three Rondavels toward the left of our view, were positioned next to the magnificent, mountainous Drakensberg as if the structures had some type of connection. The rondavels made of rock perfectly mimicked the African-style hut cone on cylinder, which remains the popular perception of a traditional indigenous settlement. Standing above the Blyde overlook, all the spectators did indeed appear happy, glad and joyous to be part of the awe.
The Three Rondavels, also called the Three Sisters, are sedimentary formations explained geologically as the slow erosion of underlying soft stone. As a result, the more resistant quartzite and shale rondavels became exposed as a natural art sculpture.
On one side you can clearly see the Three Rondavels, and with just a short walk further, you can actually peer down to the mighty Blyde River below.
As we hiked back to the parking lot, we fulfilled our promise and purchased South African textile art (paintings on cloth), and a carved wood map of the continent of Africa, from a lone woman who was both grateful and curious as to our country of origin.
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