The northern end of the canyon rim is where the Panorama Route begins to lose its altitude, and the road starts the long drop toward the Lowveld and the town of Hoedspruit.
For a rider the best part of this section is the descent through the Abel Erasmus Pass area, where the R36 winds through a sequence of bends beside tall rock faces and between patches of bush. The road surface is mostly good, the traffic includes slow-moving trucks and tour vehicles, and there are tunnels and cuttings that can be shadowed and cool even on a hot day. Take it steadily, and be ready for a sudden sharp bend after a long straight, because the road designers here never seemed to trust the landscape.
The land beyond the escarpment has long been a corridor between the highveld and the coast. Early traders, gold seekers and later settlers all used the passes around here, and some of the old routes are still visible as tracks and cuttings beside the modern road. Names such as Abel Erasmus remind you of the nineteenth-century officials who policed the region, while the Pedi and the Swazi had walked these slopes long before the first wagons.
The wildlife begins to change as you go down. Instead of grassland and forest you will see acacia and marula trees, and you may spot vervet monkeys, baboons and the occasional antelope by the roadside. Near the foot of the escarpment the private game reserves that border Kruger National Park begin, and the smell of warm bush and dust is quite different from the damp forest up above. Keep your speed measured at dusk, because animals can step into the road with little warning.
On the practical side, fuel is available in Hoedspruit, which is the largest town nearby and a sensible refill point after the climb and descent, and it also has supermarkets, restaurants and a good selection of accommodation. There are few services on the escarpment road itself, so do not rely on finding a petrol station on the way. If you plan to continue into the Kruger, remember that the gates close at fixed hours, so plan your arrival with the clock in mind and watch the light, which fades quickly in the subtropics.