20/01/2024
The Graskop Gorge Lift Co || Mpumalanga
The Graskop Gorge Lift is the first of its kind in South Africa. A glass-bottomed elevator takes visitors 51 metres down the side of a cliff into the Afromontane forest of the gorge below
Is centrally located on the Panorama Route. While it is an ideal stopover point, it is also an end destination in its own right, with lots to do on-site and in the area. Most areas are wheelchair and pram friendly.
When you visit the Graskop Gorge Lift, you realise what a feat of engineering skill it was to construct, but it's the Afromontane forest below that is at the heart of this experience.
In South Africa, Afromontane forests cover only 0.5% of the country’s land area. They occur in pockets along mountain ranges in well-watered areas, including ravines and south-facing slopes. Under the vivid green canopy of trees lies a lush wonderland filled with a spectacular variety of plants, animals, insects and birds.
✅ The viewing lift takes visitors 51m down the face of the gorge into the indigenous forest below, where wooden walkways & suspension bridges make up a 600m trail.
✅ Some facts to note: 240 tons of concrete in the foundation. 88 tons of steel in the shaft. Lift was manufactured by Otis. The distance from the base to the top of the shaft is 60m. The lift travels at 1m/s and takes one minute to go down.
✅ The trail below has a number of interpretation exhibits and includes information about the forest, its biodiversity, water conservation, birds and insects. It includes giant replicas of indigenous mushrooms, a huge stained-glass display and much more.
✅ The trail takes about an hour to complete. The first 100m or so do not have any steps or steep inclines or declines so are very accessible to all, even people in wheelchairs.
✅ The spectacular 52m-long Suspension Bridge spans the northern and southern sides of the gorge. Enjoy breath-taking views while standing 70m above the ground.
✅ The Big Swing is one of the world’s highest cable gorge swings and launches off the top of a waterfall. The experience is very different to a bungee-jump because participants freefall for 70m before the jump rope pulls them into a high-speed arch and they swing from one side of the gorge to the other. When falling, they reach 140km/h in three seconds.
✅ Visitors to the centre who still want to get their hearts racing but who think the Big Swing is too extreme for them, can choose to fly across the gorge on a high-wire Zipline.
This stop is another reason why the Panorama Route in Mpumalanga is such a treasure to South Africa. Three Rondavels, Bourke's Luck Potholes, God's Window, several waterfalls, and then Graskop Gorge all within 50km of each other 🇿🇦❤️
Contacts Us Today To Book You In:
Email:[email protected]
Facebook: Awaits Travel & Tourz
WhatsApp: +27 78 394 9297
Call:+27 63 366 1626
With Your Preferred dates and we will be happy to assist you with availability and quote
