I Lived the View at Graskop Gorge Lift Company.

Today, I let myself fall off the edge of a gorge. So much happened to me beginning from the moment I heard the third count that set me free-falling into disbelief, thrill, and freedom. Before today, I had never known complete surrender. I had to allow the promise of achieving something to matter more than the surety of gravity, the comfort of being behind the safety railings or saving a few purple buffalos notes.

I arrived at the Graskop Gorge Lift Company with my mind made up. I knew long before my feet touched Mpumalanga soil that I would take on the Big Swing. I’m a laid-back traveller, it’s easy for me to settle where the road takes me if it feels right. However, I do enjoy getting the lay of the land beforehand, so I have a workable understanding of the destination and a bucket list to narrow my choices.

I came on a site inspection a few days ago and went down the Graskop Gorge Lift with colleagues who were also hosted buyers at the inaugural Mpumalanga Tourism Expo 2021. 

The Graskop Gorge Lift took us 51 meters down the face of the gorge into the indigenous forest below it, safely encased in a steel elevator with a glass wall for viewing. I traced the water falling down the other side of the gorge with my eyes as the lift mimicked the waterfall dropping into the cool forest canopy.

“Into the forest, I go to lose my mind and find my soul”.

600 meters of wooden walkways and suspension bridges create a trail between the trees, vines and rocks of the indigenous forest. The effort put into preserving the natural position and shape of the fauna is evident in the concrete walls inconveniently structured atop angular boulders. Every plant species and site of interest is marked so anyone can explore the diverse life that thrives under the dense canopy of trees. The sky is mirrored by the shaded pool that collects the waterfall and then disperses it down a meandering stream. I just had to come back to have an intimate moment with this secret of nature.