It has a northwards course in steep-sided valleys and ravines of the Mpumalanga Drakensberg, before it enters the lowveld region of the Limpopo province.

This occurred in 1844 when Hendrik Potgieter and others returned safely from Delagoa Bay to the rest of their party of trekkers who had considered them dead.

[6] Orchards and croplands were established along the lower Blyde in the latter half of the 20th century, with 23,521 ha devoted to irrigation in 1995.

The Treur River joins the Blyde at Bourke's Luck Potholes, in the canyon's upper reaches.

The Blyde's average annual contribution to the Olifants is 436 million m3 of water,[6][10] a significant proportion due to the combination of relatively high precipitation and low evaporation in its catchment area.