Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, Natural reserve near Graskop, South Africa

The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is a biosphere reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa, protecting one of the deepest green canyons on the planet. Rock walls rise along the Drakensberg escarpment and form a series of cliffs that drop down forested slopes toward the river bed below.

Authorities established the reserve in November 1965 to protect the gorge and its forests from logging. In the following decades the protected zone expanded to include the entire canyon with its tributary streams.

The Three Rondavels are named for three wives of the 19th-century chief Maripi: Magabolle, Mogoladikwe and Maseroto. The flat-topped peak beside them is Mapjaneng, "the chief", remembered for opposing invading Swazis. Near the dam, the isolated Thabaneng hill is called the "sundial" because the position of its shadow is said to show the time of day.

Visitors reach the area through two access routes starting from different towns, leading to viewpoints along the canyon rim. The roads are paved but winding, so allow time for breaks and photo stops.

The Three Rondavels are named after three of Chief Maripi's wives: Magabolle, Mogoladikwe and Maseroto. The flat-topped peak beside them is Mapjaneng, "the chief", remembered for opposing invading Swazis. The nearby Thabaneng hill is called the "sundial" because its moving shadow is said to indicate the time of day.