GOT a head for heights? Then head to South Africa next year for a scary skywalk that will allow you to stroll out over the 900 metre-high edge of a dramatic river canyon.

And did I mention that much of the floor is glass, so you can see straight down?

God’s New Skywalk is currently being completed in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, along Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route, and it’ll be like nothing else on earth.

Higher than America’s iconic Grand Canyon Skywalk, which stands a mere 280 metres, the five metre-wide walkway will protrude about 12 metres out from the cliff, offering vertiginous views.

But that’s only half the story because an adjoining visitor complex will offer a range of attractions including a sky bridge, a sky swing, a zero-gravity room and a conference and meeting facility.

The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency says the project will help the local community by ensuring that a significant part of the activities will be run by local unemployed young people.

Visitors will enjoy views of the Lowveld more than 900 metres down into a lush indigenous forest-clad ravine. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Indian Ocean and Maputo.

Jerry Mabena, chief executive of Motsamayi Tourism Group, says: “We applaud Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency for having the vision to develop one of its most iconic destinations.

“The Blyde River region attracts nearly one million visitors annually. Projects like the skywalk will do a lot to increase those numbers and encourage people to roam in the area for longer.

“This, in turn, will increase visitor spend to the region while exposing more people to one of South Africa’s most beautiful locations. It will be the first skywalk of its kind in South Africa, and one of a very few to have been built around the world.”

For updates on the planned 2023 opening, see www.mpumalanga.com