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Tourist Attractions this Summer | Mpumalanga, South Africa

Visiting the Lowveld in South Africa this summer will be awesome!

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Nelspruit, South Africa – If you are planning a trip down to the province where the sun rises aka Mpumalanga, then you should definitely travel down to the gorgeous Lowveld using our World Class Award Winning International Airport, Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, where tons of amazing life experiences awaits you!

Luckily for you my overly sunscreen smeared friend, ShowMe Nelspruit is here to help point you into the right direction and hopefully assist in ticking off some of those daunting bucket list dares while taking in some of our breathtaking landscapes along the Panorama Route. Make sure to check out the related articles at the bottom of this page to see more ShowMe Nelspruit helping hands and follow us on all social media platforms for regular updates.

Without further-a-dew (insert drum roll here) roll out the red carpet, pack your biggest camera and get browsing on the coolest online community platform in South Africa! Lets begin…

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Kruger National Park

A must for any wildlife fanatic and the ultimate African Safari getaway. Kruger is South Africa’s most iconic reserve. It’s a pristine wilderness that’s practically a country in itself. It comprises nearly two-million hectares of South African bush and is also part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park – a peace park that links it to reserves in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Kruger is home to an unrivalled density of life forms: 336 tree species, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the Lowveld, this national treasure is today a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques. Read more…

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Blyde River Canyon

The Blyde (means happy) Canyon is a significant natural feature located in Mpumalanga, and forming the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment. It is 25 kilometres (16 mi) in length and is, on average, around 750 metres (2,461 ft) deep. The highest point of the canyon, Mariepskop, is 1,944 metres (6,378 ft) above sea level, whilst its lowest point where the river leaves the canyon is slightly less than 561 metres (1,841 ft) above sea level. This means that by some measure the canyon is 1,383 metres (4,537 ft) deep.

While it is difficult to compare canyons world-wide, Blyde River Canyon is one of the largest canyons on Earth, and it may be the largest ‘green canyon’ due to its lush subtropical foliage. It has some of the deepest precipitous cliffs of any canyon on the planet. It is the second largest canyon in Africa, after the Fish River Canyon, and is known as one of the great wonders of nature on the continent.

Possibly the best view in the whole of the Blyde River Canyon is of the “Three Rondavels“, huge, round rocks, thought to be reminiscent of the houses or huts of the indigenous people, known as rondavels.

Be sure to book in at Blyde River a Forever Resort for unmatched accommodation leisure and close enough to Blyde Canyon Adventures for that unmissable and unforgettable Hot Air Balloon Flight!

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Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre

In 1950 Lente Roode’s father, Willie Schürmann, bought a 2 000-hectare farm in the Hoedspruit district, which today forms part of the Kapama Private Game Reserve. He made a living by farming sheep and cattle. At that time, lions, leopards and cheetahs were seen as a dire threat to livestock and were often unfortunately shot on sight.

It was during her childhood that Lente developed a passion for animals and the African bushveld. At the age of six she was given an orphaned cheetah cub to care for after a neighbouring farmer shot its mother. They called her ‘Sebeka’ and she soon became part of the Schürmann household. Lente and her mother lovingly cared for the cub, and as a result, Lente and Sebeka formed an inseparable bond.

After completing her studies in education, Lente married Johann Roode. In 1985, the couple bought their first farm on the border of her father’s land. After Willie Schürmann’s passing, Lente inherited the family farm. Further acquisitions of adjoining farms resulted in a sizeable property and their first venture was to ranch a herd of Bonsmara cattle. A continued battle with predators led to the inevitable decision to transform the land into a game farm. Kapama Game Reserve (covering 12 500 ha of land) was born.

As a result of Lente’s passion for the cheetah, a cheetah-breeding project was established on the reserve. At the time the cheetah was listed as an endangered species. The facility was tasked with the conservation and breeding of the species for possible release into the wild, as well as providing research opportunities to scientists in zoological and veterinary fields.

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Elephant Sanctuary, Hazyview

The Elephant Sanctuary (SA) has three African Elephant Sanctuaries across three provinces in Southern Africa. The Elephant Sanctuary, started in 1999, grew from five elephants to a total of twelve African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana).

These Elephants have been domesticated through positive reinforcement animal management principles, and as a result, provide us with the unique opportunity to interact with them. Visitors are taken on a journey into the world of the African elephant and are guided through an unforgettable experience with these magnificent creatures.

Visitors are able to touch, feed and get to know these animals. The Elephant Sanctuary is unique in that it offers visitors the incredible opportunity to walk hand-in-trunk with the elephants. Enter the world of the Elephant with Elephant Back Riding. Truly a magical experience!

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Skydive Kruger

Situated at the Hazyview Airfield, Skydive Kruger provides extreme skydiving vista’s really close to the Kruger National Park and is for sure on most Adrenalin junkies bucket list!

They are a professional operation catering to TANDEM enthusiasts as well as licensed skydivers by pre-booking only. Skydive Kruger is the prime destination for Eco-sport and adventurous tourists in the Lowveld region – Its BIG 5 Country !!

They feature a wide array of recreational facilities, event, and meeting spaces, including spectator facilities and refreshments.

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Skyway Trails

If you loved the books and movies of Jungle Book or Tarzan and have always wanted to experience a tree top jungle adventure, then this is the place to do so!

Skyway Trails offers two different fun packed adventure activities: the Aerial Cable Trail and the Tree Top Challenge. Both activities are set in wonderful natural surroundings offering a thrilling experience while being close to nature. Both activities are ideal for outdoor family fun, corporate fun days or team building events and suitable for all ages.

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God’s Window & Wonder View

At almost 900m in height above the Lowveld plains, God’s Window is one of the Lowveld’s most iconic places to go. A truly breathtaking view awaits you and called so because of the panorama view it gives you of Mpumalanga – miles in either direction!

Remember that big camera we mentioned earlier? This is the place to use it!

Wonder View is still a couple of kms up the road and is the highest point on the Panorama Route at almost 1 729m above sea level!

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The Big Swing

Experience the adrenaline of a 68 metre freefall at 180 km/h in under 3 seconds on one of the worlds highest Cable Gorge Swings! Or fly across the gorge on a 135 metre High-wire “Foefie Slide”, 130 metres above ground zero and witness breath-taking Graskop Falls as never seen before!

This is not for the faint hearted and an extra pair of undies should be considered…

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Chimp Eden

Ever wondered what it would be like to meet and interact with the humans closest relative of the animal kingdom, then Chimp Eden is the place!

Situated within the beautiful 1,000 hectare Umhloti Nature Reserve, 15 kilometres outside Nelspruit, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) South Africa Chimpanzee Sanctuary is home to chimps that have been misplaced from their natural habitats in Africa.

Chimp Eden was established in 2006 and is the first and only chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa.  This JGI chimpanzee sanctuary brings the world of chimpanzees closer to humanity through education end Eco-tourism

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Pilgrims Rest

Pilgrim’s Rest is a small town in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa which is protected as a provincial heritage site. It was the second of the Transvaal gold fields, attracting a rush of prospectors in 1873, soon after the MacMac diggings started some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away. Alluvial panning eventually gave way to deeper ore mining. In the 1970s the town, not greatly changed, became a tourist destination.

Fun Fact: The discovery, of workable gold in the Blyde River Canyon in the 1870’s, led to the production of the first Hydro-electrical power station in the Southern Hemisphere in 1910.

This power station called the Belvedere Power Station can still be viewed today,  while participating in the Belvedere Hike which departs from the Bourke’s Luck Potholes. It is interesting to note that the power station, which provided power to Pilgrims Rest and the surrounding mines, allowed Pilgrims Rest to have electricity before London in the United Kingdom!

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African Rail Toboggan

If you’re looking for a one of a kind adventure, something you cannot experience anywhere else in Africa. Something that will get your heart pumping, stir your senses and get you really close to nature. Then Misty Mountain’s ‘Long Tom Toboggan’ is it!

Africa’s only alpine coaster (sommerrodelbahn)– a unique, adventure tourism product.

Feel the wind in your hair and the thrill in your belly when you wind and whoosh around Mpumalanga’s Long Tom Pass mountains on the Long Tom Toboggan, the longest toboggan run in Africa with an impressive 1.7 kilometre track.

Simply hop on board your Long Tom Toboggan cart and prepare to take a deep breath when you reach a speed of 45 kilometres an hour during your three-minute ride, as you twist and turn through wild flowers and beautiful forest!

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Sudwala Caves

The Sudwala Caves is a popular destination for visitors from all over the world who are looking for things to do near Nelspruit. The caves are known to be the oldest caves in the world and are said to be more than 240 million years old!

The Caves are open daily from 08h30 to 16h30. A standard tour is about one hour long. It is recommended that visitors consult the booking office when arriving to find out when the next tour will start.

Related Articles:

Panorama Route Self Drive Part 1 & 2

Hiking in Mpumalanga

10 Tips for self-drive Safari

Explore the empty north of the KNP

Small Towns in Mpumalanga

Casterbridge Shopping Joy

Top 10 ideas for “padkos” (food on the move) for day tripping in KNP

Birding in the Lowveld Botanical Gardens

The complete list of Waterfalls in the Lowveld

Crossing the border to Mozambique

Nightlife, restaurants and entertainment

Elephant Whispers

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