Graskop perches right on the lip of the Drakensberg escarpment in Mpumalanga, where the highveld plateau drops about a thousand metres to the lowveld below, and nearly everything worth seeing in the area is a view. It is a small tourist town with craft stalls, cafes and guesthouses, and its position at the top of the Panorama Route makes it the natural base. Locals call the edge here the Berg, and when the mist comes up from the lowveld in the morning it fills the gaps between the forested spurs like milk.
The sights are strung along the road within a short ride. God's Window looks out over the lowveld on a clear day all the way to the Kruger Park, and nearby are the Pinnacle, a single quartzite spire rising from the forest, and Lisbon Falls and Berlin Falls, which pour over the lip of the plateau. Further north, the Blyde River Canyon cuts into the escarpment for about twenty kilometres, one of the largest green canyons in the world, with the Three Rondavels, huge round rock formations, rising above the Blyde dam. The name of the river, which means river of joy, was given by Voortrekkers who returned safely after leaving their party on the river Treur, the river of sorrow.
Gold built the region. In the 1870s prospectors found alluvial gold nearby, and Pilgrim's Rest, a few kilometres to the northeast, became a boom town, now preserved as a living museum with tin-roofed Victorian houses. The pine and eucalyptus plantations that cover many of the hills were planted to supply the mines with timber, and they give the air its resinous smell.
The riding is rewarding but needs care. Roads on and below the escarpment are generally paved, with smooth bends, hairpins on the descents and long views. Mist and heavy rain are common, particularly in summer from November to March, and the road can be slick, while fog can shut out the view entirely. Potholes appear after the rains, and minibus taxis, trucks and pedestrians share the road, so ride defensively. Winter, from May to August, is dry and clear, with cold mornings.
Graskop has fuel stations, a few supermarkets and a good number of places to eat, with the small town's cafes famous for stuffed pancakes. Beyond, towns are spaced out, so fill the tank here before heading up the Panorama Route. Keep valuables out of sight at viewpoints, where opportunistic theft has been reported, and enjoy the cool air at the top.