You stand at the foot of the mountain and you feel small. One of Southern Africa's biggest mountain ranges begins at this spot. Nestled between the canyons, the Blyde River forms a dam that was completed roughly 60 years ago. It feeds the local citrus farms and supplies water to the small populations. It has some dark history tied to it, according to what I could figure (but this is all my own speculation). But most of all, it presents us with some of the most beautiful views if you can get there! Purely in South African style, the roads are almost completely washed away. But the effort is surely worth it. So please join me on this journey as I take you to the foot of these mountains nestled at a spectacular dam in Mpumalanga, one of the nine provinces in South Africa.

The Dam Wall

Before you arrive at the lookout point where the dam is situated, you see the massive Blyderivierpoort Dam wall. The water flows very strongly and impressively. Intrusive thoughts dare you to walk closer, to jump into the water. But the mind is not so weak so you know you cannot do that. We just stand there and marvel at the incredible feat of human construction.

See also the video below of how strong these waters flow.

The Views (And Some Speculative Stories)

When you arrive at the lookout point, the mountain greets you with its spectacular beauty and magnitude.

The layers of rocks, which seems to be stacked onto each other with precision, look like a prehistoric animal trying to escape the earth. As the beginning of the mountain range, it is only a small "taste" of what is to come (if you know the Drakensberg Mountains).

It calls your name to hike in them. I am not sure if there are any hiking trails that go into them. But there are hiking trails at the bottom of the mountains (I show this below).

But in reading the Wikipedia page of the dam I saw a specific line that caught my eye. Apparently in the 1960s, the local government "removed" a settlement by "compensating" them for the ground to build the dam (see the images below). As noted, the dam was created to feed the local citrus farms. Buried under the immense waters of the dam are "stone walled settlements, cultural artefacts and graves". This smells to me like a forced resettlement especially if you know the history of South Africa in those years. I can only imagine how cursed the waters must be. I would not be surprised if there are some haunted stories telling of ancient spirits trying to get out of the waters that bury them. We can only speculate on these stories and the reality behind the situation.

Here is also a video of how beautiful the walk is toward the lookout point:

The Animals

Whilst hiking, you can see various animals. Some of them you really want to see, think the many sorts of bucks and deers, but some of them you really want to avoid, think hippos and baboons. But the hiking routes are really beautiful and lure you in.

When we walked, we walked past many of these sightings; the droppings of some Kudus, as they roam these areas.

Here is also a very short video of them. They are very camera shy and we could not see much of them. The video is very short due to this reason.

The Poor Roads: A Truly South African Experience

But to get to this beautiful spot, you need to traverse the rough South African roads. This is obviously an exaggerated case, but it is a uniquely South African situation due to the poor maintenance of our roads and mismanagement of funds. The photograph below is more like the usual problem, it is really this bad:

But this video is a bit worse than the normal case. But you need to drive this road to get to the dam lookout point:

Poscriptum, or A View to Yearn For

The views are really what made this trip and journey. As you drive through some of the thicket, the mountains again emerge and you are treated to the most beautiful views. It is really sad that the roads do not lean them towards inviting you as the normal car will surely suffer some damage. But if you can get there, you will be treated to the most beautiful.

This is as you drive out, and it really seals the deal or caps off the trip. It was something spectacular.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this virtual journey with me. I tried to showcase it as we saw it so that you can also experience it. It was surely some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. Do yourself a favor and visit here if you can.

For now, happy travels and stay safe!

All of the photographs and videos are my own, taken either with my iPhone or Nikon D300. The musings and writings are my own unless stated otherwise or hyperlinked.