Blyde River CanyonThe magnificent Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world and on

Blyde River CanyonThe magnificent Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world and one of South Africa’s many wonders. It is situated in the geologically interesting Drakensberg escarpment region in the province of Mpumalanga and has many fascinating features to offer.Generally the canyon is characterized by rock layers made out of hard and resistant quartz arenite (sedimentary rock with very high quartz content). The softer shale and occasional dolomite layers have weathered away leaving behind these unique and beautiful formations. It was about at this point that the ancient continent Gondwana broke apart, leaving behind a broken edge which started to tilt upwards, creating the escarpment.The canyon is about 26 kilometers long and is joined by the 11 kilometer long Ohringstad Canyon. It is the product of the Blyde River which comes out of the Drakensberg escarpment and spills into the Blydespoort Dam at the bottom of the canyon. The river was originally named Treur River (“river of mourning”) under the impression that an explorer’s party had been killed while travelling through its valley. However, when they returned unharmed it was renamed to Blyde River which means “river of joy”. The actual Treur River is now the name of a smaller river which meets the Blyde River creating the spectacular Bourke’s Luck Potholes (http://on.fb.me/1ksA1z4).Another geological feature of the area are the “Three Rondavels”. They are three huge pinnacles of rock rising above the canyon looking like the typical African beehive-shaped huts. The peaks were isolated through erosion and are natural islands, where biological speciation takes place.Along the sheer cliffs dropping over 800 meters into the riverbed there is a spectacular and scenic panorama drive with many lookout points like the “God’s Window”. The Natural Reserve also offers a variety of hiking trails through the lush and green subtropical canyon and is definitely worth a visit.XandiImage Credit:http://bit.ly/1IE25ePSources:http://bit.ly/1IDuhP1 http://bit.ly/1Px6tLX http://bit.ly/1JfvgEP http://bit.ly/1OZBPIm -- source link

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