Graskop, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Graskop is a small town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. It was set up in the 1880s as a gold mining camp but it now serves as a tourist destination and a hub for the timber industry. The name is Afrikaans for grassy hillock. “God’s Window”, a scenic view from the escarpment of the Lowveld below, is located outside the town.

Graskop is 14 km south-east of Pilgrim’s Rest and 28 km north of Sabie. It was laid out between 1880 and 1890 on a farm belonging to Abel Erasmus, Native Commissioner of the Transvaal Republic. Named after a grassy hillock (Afrikaans gras, ‘grass’, kop, ‘hillock’). Originally it was a gold mining camp. It is the best place to view the “Edge of the Lowveld”, with a sudden drop of 700 meters.

Things to do in Graskop

One of the local attractions to Graskop is off course Harry’s Pancakes! This quaint restaurant specializes in gourmet pancakes. If you visit Graskop, Harry’s pancakes should be one of your stops.

Some of the sites to visit should be Bourke’s luck potholes which form part of the Blyde River Canyon. At the confluence of the Blyde River and the Treur River, these beautiful sandstone-carved potholes are a site to see. Tom Bourke, a local gold mining prospector in the 1880’s, only found fools gold during the Barberton gold rush in these pools.

Hiking trails are abundant in this lush green area of South Africa. One of the most renowned trails is the Hippo trail. Which is on your way to Sabie.

For the more adventurous, there is the 4×4 Mac Mac summit trail that runs through the mountainous forestry plantations between Hazyview and Graskop. This trail is made up of numerous interlinking roads, instead of one solid trail and spans over an area of 770 square kilometers.

One of the latest additions to the Graskop area is the Long Tom Toboggan. The sled, not the hat. This sled rail spans over 1.7 kilometers and runs through the Drakensberg Mountain range. This ride takes you to some of the most idyllic sites in the Panorama Route.