|
In order to fully appreciate and to take in the natural beauty of the Panorama Tour one needs a full day. However for those with limited time, with morning or evening game drive schedules to keep or with planes to catch the Panorama Tour can take as short a time or as long a time as you wish.
A full day Panorama Tour would ideally start with the pick-up at your hotel, lodge or B&B at 08h00 and the route would take us through the town of Sabi, which is the Forestry Capital of the Lowveld.
In and around the town of Sabi there are a number beautiful waterfalls to be seen such as the Sabi Falls, the Horseshoe Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and the Lone Creek Falls.
From the town of Sabi the Panorama Tour takes us onto the Mac Mac Falls which are steeped in history. A small detour to view the delicate Maria Shire Falls and on through the town of Graskop to the view point at the Pinnacle.
From the Pinnacle it is a short ride to Gods Window where there are a number of view points overlooking the wide expanse of the Lowveld and the vast plains of the Kruger National Park. Please remember that the weather plays an important role when doing the Panorama Tour. Because Gods Window is at about 6 000 feet above sea level, when its cloudy there is nothing to see!! For those energetic enough, a climb to the Rain forest is a must. To fully appreciate the beauty of Gods Window you should allow at least an hour there.
From God’s Window we pass Sir Percy Fitzpatrick’s (of Jock of the Bushveld fame) outspan area and onto Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Again, as with God’s Window, time is needed to fully appreciate what the power of water can do over a period of time to solid rock.
From Bourke’s Luck Potholes it’s about a 45 minute drive with mountains of Dolomite to the west and weird Quartzite and Sandstone formations to the east till we get to the first of 3 lookout points over the Blyde River Canyon. This is said to be the third largest “true” canyon in the world, after the Grand Canyon and the Fish River Canyon!! It’s about 25 km’s in length and 800 meters above the Blyde River, and took millions of years to form. It is truly a magnificent sight.
If time permits, on the return trip to your hotel, lodge or B&B we will call in at the 92 meter high Lisbon Falls and the 48 meter high Berlin Falls. Please remember that all the falls on the Panorama Tour are best viewed during our summer months, our rainy season, for obvious reasons. But even during the dry winter months the falls in the area are spectacular even though there is not a great volume of water flowing over them.
To include all the view points described above you will need a full day. This tour can be shortened to suit your specific time restraints.
For lodges situated in the southern Sabi Sand Reserve to the first view point on the Panorama Tour takes about 2 hours. It also takes about 2 hours to get from the last view point back to the lodge. So effectively 4 hours are spent just travelling to and from the start and end of the Panorama Route.
To incorporate a Panorama Tour with a KMIA / Sabi Sand lodge pick-up /drop-off has the same restraints. What time does the plane get in / depart? Then from KMIA or the lodge to the start of the Panorama Tour is about 1½ to 2 hours. Then what time does your guest need to be back at the lodge or KMIA bearing in mind that from the last view point to KMIA is 1½ hours and from the last view point to a Sabi Sand Lodge is 2 hours? We can make the Panorama Tour as long or as short as your guest wants.
To incorporate a Panorama Tour from a lodge situated in the southern Sabi Sand with a Johannesburg transfer is not practical. A straight road transfer from a lodge situated in the southern Sabi Sand via Sabi, Long Tom Pass, Dullstroom, Belfast to Johannesburg takes 5½ to 6 hours without stops. To go from a lodge situated in the southern Sabi Sand via Nelspruit to Johannesburg is about 4½ hours without stops so there is just no time to do any of the Panorama Tour.
|
