The Drakensberg Information office is a best source for travel ideas and accommodation in the Drakensberg. Enquire at the Drakensberg Information Office
In the perpetual process of creation, the principal tools of nature have always been water, temperature and wind. In the Drakensberg, still retreating before those erosive forces, the spectacular results of their combined onslaught is clearly in evidence. Peaks, pinnacles, towers, spires, domes and walls make up the forbidding dragon's back of Quathlamba, the Barrier of Spears.
Along with the Cape Peninsula, the Garden Route, the northern Maputaland Coast, and the Blyde River Canyon, the range is one of the prime leisure destinations in South Africa. Each season has its own appeal, and the Drakensberg is a year-round getaway. Sightseeing and hiking are main activities, but there are many others. Horse-riding, fly-fishing, game-viewing, mountain biking, kloofing, abseiling, rock climbing, birding, and 4X4 driving and are other options.
The Drakensberg extends south from Magoebaskloof in Mpumalanga for over 1 000 and only ends in the north of Eastern Cape Province, whose highest point is Ben Macdhui (3001 m), just south of Lesotho.
But the heart of the range is the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg.
The Northern Drakensberg stretches from the Ampitheatre via Mnweni and Cathedral Peak to Monk's Cowl. It includes Royal Natal National Park.
Reached via Clarence, Harrismith and Phuthaditjhaba.
Attractions at a glance: Superb mountain scenery, rock paintings, Sentinel Drive, wilderness areas, day walks, overnight trails, mountain biking, mountaineering, trout fishing. Mike's Pass near Cathedral Peak provides the only road access in the Drakensberg to the top of the Little Berg.
Nowhere in the core area of the Drakensberg is it quicker or easier to get to the summit on foot than at the Ampitheatre. Scenically, this is also one of the most spectacular areas.
Eight kilometers long and strikingly symmetrical, it is flanked at each end by two mighty peaks, the Sentinel and the Eastern Buttress, with the Tugela Waterfall plunging into the abyss. One of the highest falls in the world, it drops 850 m in five clear leaps, with a main vertical section of 183 meters. It rises at nearby Mont-aux-Sources, the birthplace of several major rivers, which was christened in 1836 by two French missionary-explorers.
It takes less than two hours to hike from the Sentinel Car Park (reached after driving along one of the highest roads in southern Africa that is accessible by ordinary vehicle) to the bottom of the Chain Ladder. Witsieshoek Mountain Resort, en route to the car park, is a comfortable overnight stop before and after a hike to the summit. There is some budget accommodation especially for hikers and trekkers -- with access to the fleshpots of the hotel!
The Chain Ladder was installed by the Natal provincial authority in 1930, a sensation at the time. It obviates the need for a strenuous 150 meter gully climb -- an impossibility in snowy conditions, when the gully would quickly become blocked up.
One of the first areas of the Drakensberg to have been opened up, the Ampitheatre was mentioned in guide books of the 1930s, when it was commonly referred to as the Saddleback.
The Sentinel, one of the grandest peaks in the Drakensberg, was also its first major peak to be climbed -- 90 years ago. At the southern end of the Ampitheatre, next to the Eastern Buttress, is the Devil's Tooth, one of the toughest technical climbing challenges in the range.
A thin, narrow spire, it has 200 metres of sheer and apparently unclimbable rockface. When by 1947 Monk's Cowl, Column, the Bell and the Western Injasuti Triplet had all been conquered, Devil's Tooth continued to confound the best climbers of the day. It was finally summited in one of the true epics of South African mountaineering only 50 years ago.
One of the most popular points of access to the southern edge of the Northern 'Berg is Cathedral Peak Hotel, and the camp ground near by. Here, vehicles can be left, and either the hotel or the camp ground used as a base for day-walks or a trek right to the top, or for some technical climbing.
The Cathedral range, a 6,5 km right-angled extension of the main Drakensberg Escarpment, presents a jagged bulwark of legendary peaks and spires that include the Mitre, the Chessmen, the Inner and Outer Horn, the Bell, Cathedral Peak itself, and the Puddings.
It requires a demanding 10 km ascent from the Cathedral Peak Hotel to get to the top, which is over 1 500 m higher than the starting point. An alternative is to camp just below the summit using tents, or staying in a cave -- and attempt the summit push the next day.
The Central Drakensberg stretches from Injasuti via Hillside to Giant's Castle and includes the Giant's Castle Game Reserve.
Reached via Bergville and Winterton
Attractions at a glance: Spectacular mountain scenery, rock paintings, vulture hide, day walks and overnight trails with huts, mountaineering, game-viewing, horse-riding and trout-fishing.
A major attraction among the 160 bird species recorded in the Giant's Castle Game Reserve is the bearded vulture (Lammergeier). With a wingspan of up to 2,6 m, it is one of the most impressive raptors in flight, capable of reaching velocities of up to 230 km/h. About 40 of the mere 200 breeding pairs in central southern Africa breed in the Drakensberg.
Lammergeier is a misnomer -- as it suggests that this species preys on lambs. Its diet consists mainly of bones which are swallowed whole or shattered by dropping them onto a rock slab.
Hillside is best known for its guided horse trails. The mountain scenery is most impressive in Injasuti, with Cathkin Peak, Monk's Cowl and Champagne Castle dominating the landscape.
The Southern Drakensberg stretches from Giant's Castle via Loteni and Vergelegen to Bushman's Neck. It includes Giant's Castle Game Reserve, the Mzimkhulu Wilderness Area, Garden Castle State Forest, Cobham State Forest, Mkhomazi Wilderness Area, Vergelegen Nature Reserve, Loteni Nature Reserve, Mkhomazi State Forest, Kamberg Nature Reserve and Highmoor State Forest.
Reached via Himeville and Underberg, and via Kokstad
Attractions at a glance: The mountain scenery is also exceptional; an abundance of wilderness areas, walks and overnight trails, mountaineering, mountain biking, rock paintings, trout-fishing skiing and Sani Pass.
Garden Castle Hotel is to the Southern 'Berg what Cathedral Peak Hotel is to the Northern 'Berg. One of the finest and most imposing trekking peaks in the Drakensberg, Rhino Horn, 3 015 m, is within a day's trek from here.
A cave near the summit is a convenient stopover. Another famous peak in the area is Mlambonja, 3309 m.
The Southern 'Berg typically offers the best guarantee of snow in winter.
(Tiffendell's, near Ben Macdhui in the Cape Drakensberg, is South Africa's only skiing resort.)
The Southern 'Berg also has the most famous 4X4 mountain pass in the sub-continent. From the South African border post the pass follows a tortuous route through a series of spectacular hair-pin bends, gaining about 1 000 m over the final six km. Sani Pass is the easiest way to ascend the escarpment, which is 2 874 m above sea level at this point.
Today it's the only road link between KwaZulu-Natal and the remote areas of eastern Lesotho.
The only other official border post between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho is at Bushman's Nek. The South African border post is 10 km from Lesotho, which is accessible only on horseback or on foot, and trails lead from here to Lesotho's Sehlabathebe National Park.
The highest peak within South Africa is Injasuti, 3 410 m, in the Central 'Berg. Only Ntaba Ntlenyana, 3 482 m, a trekking dome in Lesotho's southern Maluti mountains, is higher. The highest trekking peak in South Africa is Mafadi, 3 446 m. In perfect weather, the trekking peaks normally do not demand the use of technical climbing equipment; however, steep and fairly strenuous scrambling may be required. In wet or snowy conditions the use of technical gear may become essential even on trekking peaks.
Northern 'Berg -- Namahadi Pass to Umlambonja Pass (Cathedral Peak) Ampitheatre Wall, 2 972 m (technical climbing)
Mont-aux-Sources, 3 282 m (trekking)
Eastern Buttress, 3 047 m (technical climbing)
Ifidi Buttress, 3 219 m (technical climbing)
Devil's Tooth, 3 019 m (technical climbing)
Mponjwana, 3 117 m (technical climbing)
Cathedral Peak , 3 004 m (trekking)
Central 'Berg -- Umlambonja Pass to Giant's Castle
Pyramid, 2 914 m (technical climbing)
Cleft Peak , 3 281 m (technical climbing)
Ndedema Dome, 3 078 m (technical climbing)
Monk's Cowl, 3 234 m (technical climbing)
Cathkin Peak 10, 330 m (technical climbing)
Champagne Castle, 3 377 m (technical climbing)
Mafadi, 3 446 m (trekking)
Injasuti Buttress, 3 202 m (technical climbing)
Giant's Castle, 3 314 m (trekking)
Southern 'Berg -- Giant's Castle to Devil's Knuckles
Hodgson's Peaks, 3 256 m, 3 244 m (trekking)
Rhino Horn, 3 015 m (trekking)
Mlambonja Peak, 3 309 m (technical climbing)
Northern 'Berg
Namahadi (Mont-aux-Sources)
Chain ladder (Mont-aux-Sources)
Ifidi (Ifidi Buttress)
Mnweni (Mnweni Cutback)
Central 'Berg
Umlambonja (Cathedral Peak)
Organ' Pipes (Cleft Peak)
Ndedema (Ndedema Dome)
Grey's (Champagne Castle)
Leslie's (Injasuthi/ Mafadi Peak)
Bannerman (Popple Peak)
Langalibalele (Popple Peak)
Giant's Castle (Giant's Castle)
Southern 'Berg
Lotheni Pass (Carbineer Point)
Sani Pass (Nthaba Ntlenyana)
Masubasuba Pass (Hodgson's Peaks/ Giant's Cup)
Mlambonja Pass, Mashal Pass (Mlambonja Peak, Rhino Peak)
The following are some of the best-known
caves near on at the summit
Northern 'Berg
Crows (Mont-aux-Sources)
Pin's (Mnweni)
Fangs (Mnweni)
Twins (Cathedral Peak)
Bell's (Cathedral Peak)
Central 'Berg
Injasuti Summit Cave
Nkososana (Grey's pass)
Junction (Leslie's Pass)
Southern Mashal Shelter (Mlambonja Pass/ Mashal Pass, Rhino Peak)
Certification of mountain climbing, kloofing and hiking guides is done by the South African Mountain Guides Association (SAMGA), whose members are registered with Satour. Ideally, all commercial mountain guides should be SAMGA-certified and Satour-registered, but that is not yet the case.
A few local guides are available at Cathedral Peak. They are free-lancers and not KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service (KNNCS), but they are assisted by KNNCS in bringing their services to attention of the public.
The guides perpetuate an old tradition. A famous predecessor was Mtateni Xosa, familiarly known as John, who guided on and around Cathedral Peak for 45 years earlier this century.
At times he climbed the peak every day of the week, except Sundays, "when he insisted," recorded Reg Pearse in Barrier of Spears, the"Bible" of Drakensberg trekking and climbing, "on his pipe and a beer and a few hours in the warm sunlight."
The final push to the top of Cathedral Peak requires some hard scrambling over steep terraces, and many trekkers have had to deal with the disappointment of not being able to find a route to the summit. For this reason alone, the use of a local guide is highly recommended.
There is no tradition of using porters in South Africa, but they can be hired at Cathedral Peak.
Enquiries:
Enquire
at the Drakensberg Information Office
Each season has its own appeal. Snow usually falls in winter and night temperatures commonly drop to below 10 deg C. Hikers and climbers are advised to be prepared for any kind of weather -- the range has had snow in December! Thunderstorms are common on summer afternoons, when high points on the summit should be avoided as a precaution against lightning strikes. For more advice on how to prepare for trekking and climbing in the Drakensberg, contact SAMGA. Spring and summer are best for flowers. The trout season for rivers is from September to June. Dam fishing is legal year round.
One of the Drakensberg's greatest treasures is cultural. Some 20 000 individual rock paintings have been recorded at 500 different cave and overhang sites between Royal Natal National Park and Bushman's Neck.
Subjects range from animals (mainly eland) to humans, therianthropes to ox-wagons and mounted men with rifles. In Ndedema Gorge 3 900 paintings have been recorded at 17 sites. One of them, Sebaayeni Cave, contains 1 146 individual paintings. In the Cathedral Peak- Mdelelelo Wilderness Area there are another 130 sites with a total of over 8 800 individual paintings. Other prime sites include the Main caves in Giant's castle game reserve, Battle Cave in the Injasuti Valley and Game Pass Shelter in the Kamberg Nature Reserve.
Information Sources:
Pearse, RO, Barrier of Spears, Southern Book Publishers (1989)
Olivier, Willie and Sandra, Exploring the Natural Wonders of South Africa,
Struik Publishers, 1996 Ecotourism Afrika