5 Reasons to visit Mpumalanga next

Some of the fondest childhood memories I have are the family trips we did to Mpumalanga. It is incredible how many moments feel like deja vu regardless of the blurry pictures in your mind. Happy feelings creep up and play tag with your heart as scenes and sights roll out.

Over the long weekend in June, my craziest travel friends decided that our annual trip this year would be to Sabie in Mpumalanga. For those travelling from Johannesburg, it was a meandering short and scenic drive. Those coming from KZN, well ours was a gruelling 8 hour trip.

Why would we do this to ourselves? Well here are my 5 reasons (there are many many more but I was short of time).

Toboggan ride adrenalin kick.

The best way to embrace the inner child or adrenalin junkie is to make your way to Misty Mountains Resort on the Long Tom Pass.

It is called Long Tom Pass because of the cannons that were used here during the Anglo-Boer war. Rumour has it that you can still see some of the craters in the valley below that these weapons of destruction created. Now there is an oxymoron…how can destruction create anything.

But I digress…we were here to experience 1.7km of pure unadulterated speeding fun. Short safari ride to the top of the hill, strap into a yellow plastic bullet on a thin rail, click the seat belt in (some of us forgot this step and got an additional adrenalin spike when they realised it halfway down) and lean into the curves.

It is a bumpy ride of curves and jolts amongst bush and grass. The crisp winter air of Mpumalanga bites at your cheeks and at the end there is a permanent smile frozen onto your face. I definitely wanted more. Not for the feint of heart or those with back issues.

A new craft beer to taste.

The one and only activity I was really interested in was finding a local microbrewery. As luck would have it (and perhaps a bit of research), Sabie is the home of Sabie Breweries.

We took a short tour through the brewery and loved the concept of their Cockney Liz Wild Card brew. It is an experimental brew that is changed regularly and not part of the regular repertoire. I could come back in a few months and have a new beer to taste. Happy heart.

After tasting the 8 different beers and ales, I settled on the Long Tom Lager. Sometimes you just have to stick with a theme. The naming of each beer comes with a local legendary story attached, so you can get some history with your afternoon pint.

The brewery also offers some great meals and seems to be a very popular spot for both locals and tourists.

Exploring Luck.

Where the Treur River branches off the Blyde River, we find the Bourke’s Luck Potholes. A rocky canyon with a network of rounded hollows in the river bed. A natural wonder, because really, how on earth did that happen?

It is a fun stop on the way north towards the Blyde River Canyon, with bridges to cross, corners to explore and the endless play of the water to observe. It’s path converges and falls, splits around outcroppings and swirls in the Potholes. The sound is both powerful and peaceful wrapped into one.

The Mac Mac Falls were also an obligatory stop. A short walk on well trodden pathways leads you to a viewing platform where the Mac Mac falls can be observed in their twin drop into the pool below. During the gold rush, it was a place where the Scottish miners came to pan for gold. Another spot of luck in Mpumalanga.

A glimpse of heaven.

I had heard about the beauty of the Blyde River Canyon and in particular the view of the Three Rondavels. This was one of the places I had not seen as a child so it was on the bucket list.

I walked with great anticipation up to the viewing points, both because I had high hopes and I may also have played it up a bit to my mates to get them to agree to come.

I was not disappointed and I think my mates were also blown away. There was a gentle haziness that had settled over the canyon and so the quiet that reached up from the river allowed a sense of deep calm to fill my soul. To me, this was a taste of heaven.

I did not want to leave and moved from one vantage point to another just drinking in the nature in front of my eyes. I sat on a rocky ledge and looked down as the earth plummeted below me to the river. I stared at the perfectly round Rondavel shaped hills across the canyon. I felt the wind rise up from below and push me back against the solid and safe rock behind me. A tiny bit of danger was worth sinking my 5 senses into that display.

Breathe in. Breathe out. This is what travelling is all about.

Eating fancy pancakes.

Seeing that kind of majesty, works up an appetite. Harrie’s Pancakes in Graskop are well known in the area, they have rave reviews and it’s a great stop on the way back to Sabie.

Savoury or sweet, your tastebuds will be satisfied, if not, the sweet tooth can also find a chocolate molten treat at the Belgian chocolate store in the same building.

Bonus…A good laugh with friends.

Now there is nothing better than sitting around a fireplace with some of your greatest friends and some new. Add a glass of good red wine and boardgames that make you laugh until the tears of joy roll down your face and you have the perfect recipe for the perfect weekend away.