Skywalk at God’s Window to be completed within two years
Plans for the long-awaited skywalk at God’s Window in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve seem to be on track with a proposed deadline in 2023.
The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) held a sod-turning ceremony on September 17 to officially announce the start of the project, which is aimed at boosting tourism in the province.
The skywalk will offer visitors a panoramic view of the Lowveld with a drop of more than 900m down into the local indigenous forest-clad ravine.
It will consist of a cantilevered glass walkway suspended off the edge of the cliff, protruding about 12m outward. This walkway is expected to be located even higher than the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which stands at between 150m and 280m, and the Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in China which is 260m at its highest point.
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According to a statement by the MTPA, the skywalk will also host other activities, such as a sky swing and a zero-gravity room. “The plan is for a significant part of the activities to be run by local unemployed youths from the area.”
The project will benefit the Mapulana Tribe, which owns the land on which the skywalk is to be built. It is estimated that the construction of the skywalk will create 300 jobs, while it will offer more than 100 jobs once completed.
Jerry Mabena, CEO of Motsamayi Tourism Group, says the Blyde River region attracts nearly a million visitors yearly.
“Projects like the skywalk will do a lot to increase those numbers and encourage people to roam in the area for longer, which in turn will increase visitors’ spend to the region while exposing more people to one of South Africa’s most beautiful locations.”
