Maloti-Drakensberg Park

Drakensberg is one of my favorite site in the world. I spent 3 days here and would have liked to spend more but in the end I only though I should accomplish two things:

a) check off the WHS and because I figured it would be mainly about rock art I only planned 1 day for this

b) visit Lesotho and "tick off" a country... kidding I actually wanted to do that trip up the mountains because it you'd get a great view only that there are some reports about road conditions that got me thinking there could be trouble, and it's supposed to have the highest bar in the world (is it though?).

I stayed in a lodge near Himeville. One can visit the rock art on your own which is a bit of a walk and there are guided tours only. The tour is very interested not only about the art but also about the people that used to live here before. In a bit of a controversial statement I will now also say that black people who live in South Africa now are not actually "originally" from South Africa either. I don't mean it's not their home, but they were migrants at one point just like the Dutch, and whereas this is indeed a tricky subject the tour here taught me that the original people are no longer here and everyone else came from other parts of Africa and settled down later. Hate me …

The Maloti Drakensberg Transboundary World Heritage Site covers hundreds of km of a mountain range on the border between South Africa and Lesotho, with protected areas on both sides. The whole region is known for its beautiful mountain landscape and abundant rock art. It’s especially popular with South Africans (pensioners mostly) for weekend getaways.

Traditionally, the South African Drakensberg mountains are divided into 3 parts: southern, central and northern. I started my visit from the south, with the quaint English-style town of Himeville as my base. From the neighbouring town of Underberg daily 4x4 tours leave to travel the Sani Pass. This is a steep gravel mountain road that ends in Lesotho at an altitude of 2876 m. This may be one of the last years to experience this soft adventure, as the South Africans are planning to pave the road up to the top (the Lesotho side is already paved). This would deprive the tourist operators in Underberg of their steady income. But it may have a positive side also, opening up more creative tours besides just driving up and down.

Touristy as it might be, I still enjoyed the trip up the Sani Pass. It has the great vistas that the Drakensberg mountains are known for, with rolling green(ish) hills and a heavy-looking basaltic top layer. It will give you a ‘country tick’ as well as it ends up in Lesotho – but we did not see more of it than the border post and the …

My last of a fabulous few days in the foothills of the Drakensberg. Why fabulous? I was lucky. I picked the right guest house. The owners (aside from being lovely, warm people) are infinitely knowledgeable about THEIR Drakensberg. And passionate about Bushman rock art.

I had been thinking “primitive daubs”. Now I know better. The Drakensberg has the world’s richest treasure trove of stoneage rock art. With artistic skills honed by a tradition of total intimacy with their environment, the Bushmen expressed their life experiences in art painted in the caves and overhangs in the mountains. They are drawings of infinite detail, sensitivity, movement and meaning. I mourn the cruel destruction of a civilisation that had much to teach us about “sustainability”. Only a few artifacts and 35 000 paintings, slowly weathering away, remain to tell the story of the Bushman.

The top three Drakensberg destinations to see Bushman rock painting are: Game Pass Shelter in the Kamberg, Main Cave at Giant’s Castle and Battle Cave at Injasuti. KZN Wildlife operates guided tours from all three of these locations daily.

There are literally thousands of other places in the Drakensberg where you can view Bushman paintings. But if you’re looking for destinations other than the “big three" mentioned above, then you’re going to have to get your hiking boots on. Recent legislation in South Africa has recognized this amazing outdoor art gallery, and that each painting is an irreplaceable treasure. As such they are protected. Please don’t touch. Or I’ll …

I visited Ukhahlamba/Drakensberg Park a year ago with a Canadian friend. We stayed at Giant's Castle, a rest camp management by KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife. The mountains towered above us in a grand and barren way, with thickly overgrown gorges marking the folds in the mountains like creases in an old overcoat. The blue of the sky was unmatched by anything I've ever experienced and the brightness of the Milkyway on a moonless night equally so.

Our time there was limited, so we took only one hike - to see the rock art in some caves about 30 mins away from the camp. En route we saw an eland bull - just across a deep gorge. He was fully aware of us, and completely relaxed - he knew the value of a gorge between himself and two humans. We arrived too late to participate in the tour of the caves, but it didn't matter: the hike and the scenery and the eland were well worth it.

The accommodation was good - all chalets have an unobstructed view, and each vista is special in its own way. We had a very effective fireplace (necessary at night in the mountains in May), and great duvets on the beds. We slept with the curtains wide open, so that not a single sight of the great mountains would be lost.

There was a small problem with a scavenging baboon who threatened us - a typical problem when camp management is slack about clearing out garbage.

Would …

This Drakensberg story is one of retreat, beauty, relaxation and good eating.. The drive towards the Drakensberg Mountains swept over the undulating foothills down side-roads that snake along meandering countryside to our first destination Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse. Cleopatra is tucked away in the beautiful Kamberg valley in the Drakensberg Mountains, it is a gourmet getaway where attention to detail is evident everywhere. The dining room and lounge are extended over a trout-filled dam that looks out across the water to the stunning mountains of the Southern Berg. It is a magical place - a secluded luxury hideaway where the most important factor is not to come here if you are on a diet!

The build up to dinner was an event in itself with all the guests meeting at 7pm for drinks and given an entertaining, detailed account of the gourmet meal that was to follow by Richard the chef and owner. Everything is hand prepared on the premises, some of the sauces (the highlight of most plates) take up to three days in creation. It's three fabulous starters each, in our case a plate of meltingly succulent scallops, then a rich, baked butternut soup with a dollop of creamy pesto and a plate of Mozambican king prawns. A small freshening sorbet provided Richard the time for final preparations of the main course, an elaborate plate of choice lamb cuts on rosti with three different chutneys, and rounded off with a rich chocolate concoction, perfectly offset by homemade orange-infused vanilla …