South Africa – Drakensberg Mountains
The Drakensberg (“Dragon Mountains”) are the highest mountain range in South Africa. They stretch for about 1000 km in a north-south direction from northeastern Mpumalanga to the Eastern Cape province, i.e. from the Kruger National Park in the north to the Garden Route in the south. The real home of the eponymous dragons, however, is the area between Sentinel and Rhino Peak, where the mountains have an average height of 3050 meters over a hundred kilometers and rise loftily from the Midlands, the region between the coastal city of Durban and the mountains themselves with their gentle green peaks. The rugged mountain peaks actually resemble the jagged back of a dragon in the overall view. These massive mountain ranges with their three-thousand-metre peaks, covered with snow in winter, offer deep gorges, pinnacles, ridges, caves, overhangs and are not called “Quathlamba” in the Zulu language for nothing: “barrier of upright spears”. The 3000m high, alpine-looking escarpment forms the natural border to Lesotho, whereby the Sani Pass, which leads into the Kingdom of Lesotho, is the highest pass road in South Africa with an altitude of 2874m.
Lesotho border is open daily from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The starting point for exploration tours is Piertermaritzburg. The North Drakensberg Mountains at Mount-aux-Sources and the Central Drakensberg at Cathedral Peak and Giant’s Castle are particularly recommended. The tourist routes in this area are marked with a brown sign showing a lamb vulture. Mountain hiking and climbing are particularly good on the 3194m high Cathkin Peak, which offers a magnificent panoramic view. The Royal Natal National Park, one of the most beautiful in South Africa, has over 20 different hiking trails. The view of the mountain formation of the “Amphihteater” is unforgettable. Almost the entire mountain range is a national park area, especially protected because of its numerous rare animal and plant species.
They have settled and survived in this unique combination of raging mountain rivers that have eaten deep gorges into the earth, waterfalls that plunge into narrow canyons, and mushroom-like mountain cones that grow out of the valleys. The Drakensberg is considered one of the very few places on earth where vultures can still be observed in the wild. They spend around 90 percent of daylight time flying, covering up to 700 kilometres in a single day – our hiking stage balance looks much more modest.
In order to really experience the clear mountain air, the fairytale atmosphere, the waterfalls, wildflowers and the birdlife, it is advisable to plan at least one night in one of the numerous family hotels in the foothills.
If you are planning longer tours, you should urgently deregister with the Natal Park Authority in your own interest (Tel.: 0331/845 1000). If something happens on the bad, unpaved roads, search parties would otherwise be completely overwhelmed in the huge area. But the most spectacular part of the Drakensberg is this: over the 500-metre-high, steeply sloping rock face between Sentinel and Eastern Buttress, the Tugela River plunges 850 metres down into the valley in five stages. The abundance of water in the landscape is symbolised by the name of the highest peak of the plateau, the 3282-metre-metre Mont-aux-Sources “Mountain of Springs”, which was named after the no less than eight rivers that rise here. The whole area of the Drakensberg is very worth seeing and you should plan enough time for all the sights.
