Third Time’s a Charm



The forecast promised sun and clear skies, so we decided to circle back and catch a couple of sights we’d missed along the Panorama Route. It didn’t disappoint.

First stop: God’s Window.

The name says it all. You stand at the edge of the escarpment and the Lowveld drops away beneath you, a thousand meters straight down into a green sea of forest and haze stretching toward the horizon. On a clear day like this one, you can see for miles and miles. It’s the kind of view that makes you go quiet for a moment.





Second stop: The Three Rondavels.

These three towering rock formations rise up out of the Blyde River Canyon like giant stone huts, which is exactly how they got their name — they resemble the traditional round, thatched-roof rondavel dwellings of this region. Their flat tops and rounded sides were carved over millions of years, as softer rock eroded away and left the harder quartzite and shale standing tall. Bathed in the morning light, with the canyon falling away below them, they were genuinely breathtaking.







It turned out to be a gorgeous day for the drive.

From there we pointed the car toward Johannesburg — a five-hour haul from the Rondavels. The route took us back through Mpumalanga, and the agriculture along the way was something to see. This is fertile, productive country: fields of corn stretching to the hills, citrus and subtropical orchards, timber plantations marching in neat rows up the slopes, and pasture dotted with grazing cattle. It’s one of South Africa’s agricultural heartlands, and it shows.






We stopped at a place called Hennie’s for lunch in a town called Dillstroom. Hennie’s is a fun and quirky burgers and ribs type joint. It’s a chain, we saw one in another town also. But it was a lot of fun and the food was actually quite delicious.






We were smack in the middle of trout fishing and cattle country — we passed quite a few fishing lodges. Honestly, it looked a little like the rolling hills of western Oregon or southern Idaho. The town has that small-town western U.S. feel — touristy, yes, but very cute, and very much country-style Afrikaans. Almost like being out in the backcountry of the States. It was a fun stop, and the food was great.

Interesting note: much of what we drove today is high elevation rolling hills and plains; Johannesburg itself is at an elevation of over 5500 feet. I didn’t realize that until today.

We rolled back into Johannesburg around 6 PM and got checked into the hotel where Jos, Garrett, and I are spending the night. Then we drove Liesbeth to the airport for our farewells. She’s headed back to the Netherlands tonight.

A fitting last day — big views, open country, good food, and goodbyes.




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