Visitors to the Graskop Gorge Lift Co in Mpumalanga can now learn much more than the names of the trees lining its forest trail, with 50 new interpretation panels installed to reveal the plants’ hidden role in the Afromontane forest.

Around 50 tree species have long been identified with name plates, but the new panels provide a closer look at their leaves, flowers and fruit, as well as the birds, bats, butterflies and moths that depend on them.

The panels were created by Mbombela-based Hamilton-Fynch, which specialises in developing interpretation and visitor information media.

According to Hamilton-Fynch, simply naming a tree tells visitors what species they are looking at, but not much about the tree itself or its role in the ecosystem. This is particularly relevant at the gorge, where many of the trees have canopies high above the forest floor, making their leaves, flowers and fruit difficult to see.

The new panels bring those details down to eye level, giving visitors a better understanding of the forest and the relationships between its plants and animals.

More Than Just a Forest Trail

The panels form part of a broader effort to help visitors understand the ecological importance of the gorge, rather than simply experience it as a scenic tourism attraction.

The Graskop Gorge Lift Co is situated in an Afromontane forest ecosystem within a 60m-deep gorge. Afromontane forest covers less than 1% of South Africa’s landmass and provides habitat for a range of specialised species.

The gorge is home to species including the critically endangered Graskop cliff aloe (Aloe nubigena), which has a highly restricted range, as well as the Natal ghost frog and Rainforest Brown butterfly.

The tourism operation has been designed to allow visitors to experience this environment while limiting their impact on it. Its 51m glass-fronted viewing lift and network of elevated timber boardwalks keep visitors above the forest floor, helping to prevent soil compaction and damage to the undergrowth.

The 600m Forest Trail was extended to a 1 000m walkway in 2025 with the addition of the Next-Level Walk, which follows the cliff face to the Cliff Café. This unique café sits against the cliff and overlooks the forest below.

Explaining What Visitors Cannot See

Lesley Lane of Hamilton-Fynch says the interpretation is intended to make the forest’s hidden biodiversity easier for visitors to understand. “The forest experience at Graskop Gorge Lift Co invites visitors to step into an enchanting world where towering trees whisper stories of ancient ecosystems,” she says. “It offers a breathtaking journey through the lush, untamed forest; a sensory escape unlike anything else in the region.” The tree panels are part of a growing collection of interpretation material at the attraction.

Earlier this year, Hamilton-Fynch completed several large biodiversity panels, measuring about 2 000mm by 800mm, with information about the life supported by the forest. 

More Panels Planned

The next project will focus on the changes taking place in the forest following recent storms. 

Karl Lane of Hamilton-Fynch says panels explaining gap dynamics – how plants grow and change in an area of forest after a gap is created by a natural disturbance – are being developed. “We are working on an explanation of gap dynamics, why it happens, what its benefits are and how it recovers,” he says.

Panels about the gorge’s bats are also planned. As many as 14 bat species are likely to occur at different levels of the forest, depending on the species.

The projects form part of Graskop Gorge Lift Co’s effort to combine tourism with conservation, using the attraction itself as a way of educating visitors about the fragile ecosystem surrounding them.

A 60-page booklet, ‘Into the Mist: Discovering the Hidden Wonders of the Panorama Route & Graskop Gorge’, is also available for purchase. The booklet explores the wider Panorama Route and includes a map of the area, identification of the main mountain peaks, information on local geology and cultures and a map highlighting the region’s different biomes, including grassland and savanna. It also features information specific to Graskop Gorge, including its trees, reptiles, mammals and insects.