By Simon Nare
Once barren land with a lowly foot path – the Graskop Gorge Lift, along the Mpumalanga Panorama route has now become a draw card for tourists.
Fully operational with restaurants, a bar, mini-market, gift shops and adventurous activities, the area is now totally transformed into a must-see destination in the province.
Last year 195 000 local and international tourists visited the area and this year, operators are hoping for more.
But this has not always been the case. With the assistance of the Tourism Transformation Fund, Oupa Pilane and his partners have turned the area into a stop along the breathtaking Panorama route which boasts 12 other stupendous natural waterfalls.
“When we used to come here, there was absolutely nothing. There was just a footpath that people used to walk along to visit the waterfall. That is how the idea came about because we also used to come and view the waterfall.”
“It was a beautiful site like any other along this route you know,” Pilane told Inside Travel at the TTF celebrations on site on Thursday.
He said he and the other partners approached the municipality with the idea and although the response was quick there were doubts as to whether it would be feasible.
“People at the municipality asked, is this man okay upstairs? How would it be possible to have this type of development at the gorge…this guy has mental problems, and he needs help,” joked Pilane.
That was in 2014. Despite misgivings his company got the right to develop the area. After a proper feasibility study, the group struggled to get funding for the project. Finally in October 2016 the tourism department approved their transformation fund application.
“Now it is fully functional, and it has created huge potential. We are still going to add more activities.
We are now currently constructing another cliff walk which we hope to finish at the end of June. “We also looking at modern needs market accommodation as the third phase project. We are talking to our neighbours that have land, we are in the process of trying to buy it so that we can develop accommodation,” he said.
This type of accommodation is geared towards those who would want to stayover on the site and further explore the area. Currently it caters for day visitors only who come to the area for adventure and explore the gorge and its beauty.
At the top level is a restaurant, gift shops and a mini market where locals can sell their handmade crafts. When you take the lift down to the gorge – it is a whole different world – a rain forest. The place oozes tranquility as you walk in the designated path around it.
It’s a self-guided tour with self-explanatory plagues along the path. There is nothing but the sounds of chirping birds and the roaring sound of the waterfall. For adrenalin junkies, there is a zip line that takes flight from a five-metre tower with a 360-degree view and travels the gorge on a 120-metre zipline. It is not for the faint-hearted.
Pilane said there is fun for everyone at the gorge. This is an area where everyone is welcome. He said the fund went a long way in helping the company to develop the area.
Keynote speaker at the event celebrations, tourism deputy minister Fish Mahlalela said the transformation fund needed to spread its wings and help Black people who aspire to be part of a growing the tourism industry.
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