Travel the Natal Drakensberg
First Trek
KwaZulu-Natal, Central and Northern Berg - 500km
This trek incorporates the KZN interior's Midlands and the Central and Northern Berg.
We are going to take you on a 500 km experience and give you a rough breakdown on how much it will all cost you.
Our base is in Pietermaritzburg, so we head north along the N3, a national highway towards the Drakensberg. Taking the Nottingham Road turnoff; a beautiful village that is renown for its own beer.
There are several beautiful hideaways located in this area such as Cleopatra Mountain Lodge, an amazing gourmet retreat where the owners are setting up a cooking school to compliment the world renown chef's restaurant and accommodation.
A cozier getaway is Rivervale Stud Cottage located on a stud farm where the most amazing horses can be seen.
Rivervale is essentially a stud farm, however accommodation has been set up for those who want a farm experience with a difference. Owners of horses studding at this farm can also stay over in the comfortable lodge.
Kamberg
From Nottingham Road in the Midlands, we head west toward Kamberg (one of five rest camps managed by the Natal Parks Board) where the road traces the folds of the Drakensberg's foothills.
After roughly 30 km's, this road crosses a valley of dense, green irrigated pastures that feed the thousands of Friesland cows, cuts through the eastern end of the Natal Drakensberg Park and then follows the Mooi River to Kamberg.
A pleasant 4km trail, with three 1km loops, leads along the Mooi River making for a breathtaking berg hike.
For wildlife enthusiasts hoping to see some of the 'little 50 000', wildlife here includes blesbok, black wildebeest (which is represented on the Natal coat of arms), reedbuck, duiker and eland, and for the birders there are plenty birds, such as ground woodpecker, mocking chat, Drakensberg siskin and Gurney's sugarbird, and not forgetting the avid fishermen, just below the camp, a trout hatchery is open to the public, and fishermen have access to 13km's of the Mooi River.
Fishing is also permitted in several small dams located near the hatchery.
Highmoor
After exploring the wonders that the Kamberg surrounds has to offer, head back along the road you came in on, only this time you will head North over the Mooi River towards Klein Mooi River and a neighbouring valley called Highmoor.
A dirt road shares a narrow ravine with the course of the Klein Mooi River to guide you back into the mountains.
You'll travel for around 10km and eventually the road reaches the upper end of the valley and a broad, grassland plain.
At an altitude of 2 000 m, this rolling grassland, Highmoor, fades north west towards the distant peaks of Giant's Castle.
Highmoor's only accommodation is a camp site occupying a superb position on a hill crest overlooking the Klein Mooi's deeply-incised valley.
Several lovely trails lead across the surrounding grasslands, and visitors can venture north into Giant's Castle, or south across the Mkhomazi Wilderness Area.
Once again, for the avid birders, many raptors, such as black eagle, jackal buzzard and lammergeyer, are found in the area.
Giant's Castle
Heading out from Highmoor, back along the road you come in on, turn right and northwards, over the Klein Mooi River and continue for 21km's to the Bushmans River where you take the left fork towards Giant's Castle, a mere 19km's further on.
Few places can provide better access to the spectacular scenery of Drakensberg's jagged, magnificent basalt wall which is called Ukhahlamba by the Zulus, meaninga barrier of spears, than the main camp at Giant's Castle.
Giant's Castle Hutted Camp is overshadowed by three of the four highest peaks on the South African side of the Escarpment:
Giant's Castle (3314 metres)
Popple Peak (3325 metres)
Njasuthi Dome (341O metres)
To get to these magnificent peak bases, hiking trails generally follow contour paths which will lead you there.
In winter snow often covers these peaks and three mountain huts provide hikers with accommodation.
Game-viewing is a popular pastime, as is bird-watching, walking and trout-fishing in the Little Tugela and Bushmans rivers.
Although harsh winter conditions limit the variety of grassland wildlife, a variety of animals such as grey rhebuck, mountain reedbuck, bushbuck, baboon and oribi can be seen.
In 1903 a game reserve was established at Giant's Castle to safeguard some of the last free-ranging eland in South Africa.
The eland flourished and the Drakensberg now maintains a population of 1 500, the second largest of its kind in the country.
For birders, the camouflaged Lammergeyer Hide is open during winter.
Although this endangered raptor is widely distributed, it is rare throughout its range. A recent survey recorded only 200 pairs in the Drakensberg.
Giant's Castle is particularly rich in San rock art, much of which depicts their great admiration for the eland. Although eland have survived, the San have not, and the 5 000 rock paintings that have been catalogued in Giant's Castle are the only impression they left on the landscape.
From the camp, a short walk zigzags up the valley to a unique museum situated in a sandstone overhang that was once a San shelter.
About 500 authentic paintings, some of which are thought to be about 800 years old, cover the cave walls. Artifacts and lifelike models depict the lifestyle of the Drakensberg's first people.
Champagne Castle
The second highest summit in South Africa, the 3377 metre high Champagne Castle juts out from the Escarpment wall and overshadows the Sterkspruit Valley.
Other main peaks in the area include:
Cathkin Peak (3149 metres)
Sterkhorn (2973 metres)
Monk's Cowl (3234 metres)
Intunja (2408 metres), a conspicuous peak with a hole through its summit.
As this lovely valley lies within 31km's of the N3, it has become the 'Berg's most popular retreat.
It boasts a cluster of hotels, cottages and timeshare resorts, and many walks lead into the State Forest area. Sterkspruit Valley is renowned for the Drakensberg Boys Choir School, and for Dragon Peaks and Monk's Cowl caravan parks.
Cathedral Peak
The Cathedral Peak Hotel high up in the lovely Mlambonja valley was built in 1937 and has been run by the Van der Riet family for two generations.
It is surrounded by the Natal Drakensberg Park, and visitors can choose to ride horses, fish, play golf and tennis, or flit over the peaks in the hotel's helicopter.
A labyrinth of paths explore the surrounding valleys and mountainous spurs.
From the conservation office near the hotel, Mike's Pass climbs 500 metres in under 5 km's along a route that includes four abrupt corners and several steep gradients.
From the parking lot at the end of the road, motorists can enjoy a dramatic view of the high 'Berg.
Some of the most striking peaks are:
Cathedral Peak (3004 metres)
Mlambonja Buttress ( 007 metres)
Cleft Peak (3281 metres)
Outer Horn (3005 metres)
The Bell (2930 metres)
Inner Horn (3005 metres).
Trails lead from the parking lot into Ndedema gorge, a delightful valley that protects the Drakensberg's largest indigenous forest and its greatest concentration of San rock art.
Many hikers regard Ndedema as the most spectacular of the 'Berg's many valleys.
Spioenkop Public Resort Nature Reserve
The pretty 1500 hectare Spioenkop Dam rests at the foot of an acacia-dotted hill where, during the Anglo-Boer War, British troops attempted to break through Boer lines and hundreds of British were pinned down by tire from Boer sharpshooters on the hilltop.
Many graves and memorials are still scattered across Spioenkop's summit.
Today the 7283 hectare nature reserve that protects the dam and surrounding land is perfect for fishing, boating, hiking and game viewing.
A camp site is located at the dam's edge and facilities include tennis courts, a swimming pool, children's playground, curio shop and battlefield museum.
Upstream from the camp site lies the secluded Ntenjwa rustic bush camp.
It is only accessible by boat, and overlooks the upper reaches of the tranquil Spioenkop Dam.
Picnic sites are located along the southern shoreline, where fishing is permitted and two short walks have been laid out.
Animals which may be seen here include hartebeest, waterbuck, impala, springbok and blesbok.
Although boats can be launched from the southern shore, they are not allowed to berth on the northern shore which has been set aside as a reserve area.
Here, buffalo, giraffe, white rhino and eland are common.
Royal Natal National Park
All roads to the northern 'Berg resorts lead, at some stage, through the centrally located village of Bergville, and from here, the road leads to the 8856 hectare Royal Natal Park.
The focal point is the awe-inspiring Amphitheatre, a crescent-shaped basalt ridge that is 6 km's wide and towers 1500 metres above the lower valleys.
The superb Tendele rest camp, situated on a hillside above the Tugela River, provides unparalleled views of the mountain.
In the lower-lying valleys, the Royal Natal Hotel and Mahai camp site occupy idyllic settings, and provide access to the walking trails that traverse the park.
The Amphitheatre's summit can be reached by following the hiking trail that passes The Dome and joins the road on the Free State side of the mountain. The road ends at a parking lot at a lofty 2550 metres.
The trail continues for another 4 km's and, with the aid of two chain ladders, finally reaches the crest.
Where the flat summit yields to the vertical rim of the escarpment, the Tugela Falls, second highest in the world,
plummet 948 metres to the valley below.
Information from http://www.restinations.com/
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