Hike preparation. Hike preparation is very important when exploring the wilderness that is the Drakensberg mountains. Most of us live in comfortable homes with walls and a roof and have running water and hopefully power to flip on a light or boil some water. So it is quite exciting and maybe a bit scary to be in the wild mountains where the weather and terrain all affect you. A change is as good as [...]
The Highest Peaks In South Africa. I am fairly certain that 99% of South Africans would not be able to name the highest peak in their own country, let alone the three highest! Last week, a group of ten (seven of them South Africans belonging to the other 1%...) joined us on a five day hike to summit them all. Given that all but one of the group were novice hikers it was clear [...]
Thabana Ntlenyana the highest peak in the Drakensberg. Thabana Ntlenyana is the highest peak in the Drakensberg and Lesotho. I bet that almost every South African has never heard of it, let alone walked up it. I am continually amazed that so many of us are quick to spend a fortune climbing the highest peak in Africa for the sake of 'Kili' bragging rights on Instagram. There is a far cheaper, challenging, and rewarding [...]
Mafadi is South Africa's highest peak. Mafadi is South Africa's highest peak that almost every South African has never heard of. I am continually amazed that so many of us are quick to spend a fortune climbing the highest peak in Africa for the sake of 'Kili' bragging rights on Instagram. There is a far cheaper, challenging, and rewarding opportunity on our doorstep! Fortunately, me and a few like-minded souls gathered at Injisuthi camp [...]
Why I hiked the Drakensberg Grand Traverse. George Clooney placed his warm hand on the small of my back and guided me gently on to the gondola for our Venetian sunset ride. Suddenly, a loud bellow rang out, ‘kettle’s boiled!’ Wait, that can’t be right. Slowly, I opened one swollen eye to see a billowing orange canvas. Reality rushed in. I was in a freezing cold tent with an howling, angry wind outside, perched [...]
Amphitheatre Overnight Hike Report. In late May a group of different people from different backgrounds all met at Witsieshoek for an overnight adventure to camp next to the Tugela falls on top of the Amphitheatre in the Northern Drakensberg. The mountains made us all equal and it was an excellent weekend spent in nature. I woke up really early on Saturday and drove 4 hours to meet everyone at Witsieshoek mountain resort. We paid [...]
Drakensberg Grand Traverse Hike. The Drakensberg grand traverse hike is certainly one of the best but also most challenging hikes in South Africa. We start at the Amphitheatre in the Northern Drakensberg and finish at Bushmans nek in the Southern Drakensberg. I do the Drakensberg grand traverse every May because the weather is generally the best. This year was no different. We had excellent weather with only one afternoon with rain that turned to [...]
Bannerman Hut Giants Castle Hike The Bannerman hut overnight hike is in Giants Castle Nature reserve. This time Peter emailed me because he wanted to take his family on an overnight hike to stay in the comfort of a simple mountain hut. What's better to do than an adventure in the Drakensberg on the Easter weekend. We met up at the Giants castle office and signed the mountain register. We must always do this [...]
Drakensberg Northern Traverse Hike Report. The Drakensberg Northern Traverse hike report is about an incredible 6 day hike we did from the Sentinel at the Amphitheatre to finish at Cathedral peak hotel. This time we hiked at the end of April and the weather was the best ever. Check here for pictures of our hike. But first we camped at Sterkfontein dam. I love doing this as it breaks the long drive and we [...]
Mnweni Hike Report. Mnweni is a tribal area found in the Northern Drakensberg between Royal Natal and Cathedral peak. It is my favorite part of the Drakensberg mostly because I think the cliffs are most impressive but also because not many people come to hike here. There are a lot of amazing and wild passes and valleys to explore but this time we walked up Ntonjelana pass to visit Easter cave, and it was [...]
Amphitheatre Hike Report So John from Australia had hiked with me before and loved the Drakensberg. Of course he had to come again but with 12 Australians this time. We picked them up in Johannesburg and drove down to stay the night at Sungubala. What a lovely place. Great to relax after a long flight. Anyway next day my good friend Cindy took them for a walk in the Cavern property to check out [...]
The Amphitheatre in the Northern Drakensberg. The Amphitheatre in the Northern Drakensberg is certainly an impressive mountain. It is found right at the Western border of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg park with the huge Sentinel (3165m) at the end. This big Basalt wall stretches for 5km to the Eastern Buttress (3124m) at the other end. Once on top of the Amphitheatre it seems quite flat compared to the rest of the Drakensberg. Read here about [...]
The 3 highest peaks in Southern Africa. I must admit that I hadn't given much thought to sumitting the 3 highest peaks in Southern Africa. But then Stuart from the UK emailed me and asked "what were the chances of organizing this trip?" What a great idea. I hadn't gone to Emlembe in Swaziland/Eswatini the country is now called. Unfortunately I still haven't gone to Emlembe as my good friend Geoff of Pizzology fame [...]
Malachite Sunbirds in the Drakensberg Malachite sunbirds, or to use the Latin name: Nectarinia Famosa are certainly absolutely stunning birds. As you can see from their Latin name, Malachite Sunbirds in the Drakensberg they will eat nectar by preference. However, what most people don't realise is that they also eat insects, spiders and small lizards. So, they will really eat anything small enough to fit into their beaks. In the Drakensberg they are quite [...]
Sentinel to Mnweni Hike Report. Here is my Sentinel to Mnweni hike report that a bunch of us did in March 2019. The day started off with us driving to our camp at Sterkfontein dam. This is a beautiful dam in the Free state with stunning views looking towards the Drakensberg. It is also the 2nd biggest dam in South Africa and is actually fed by water from the Tugela river in KwaZulu Natal. [...]
Drakensberg Protea (Protea Dracomontana) The Drakensberg Protea Dracomontana is commonly found on the grassy slopes of the Drakensberg at altitudes between 1600m and 2500m. It only grows up to 1m tall, so you can see why it is commonly known as the dwarf protea. Protea Dracomontana flowers vary in color from creamy yellow, to pink and even light red. Like all Proteas in the Drakensberg it relies on the winter fires to help it [...]
