Drakensburg Attractions 
The Drakensberg is a chain of hills extending for 1,000km/620mi from the Kruger National Park in the north to the eastern border of the kingdom of Lesotho in the south. It is the eastern and scenically most spectacular part of the Great Escarpment which girdles the interior plateau of South Africa and separates it from the coastal regions.
Within the Drakensberg range are the highest mountains on the African continent after Kilimanjaro, with numerous peaks rising above 3,000m/10,000ft. They were formed in the late Palaeozoic era, some 300 million years ago, when massive deposits of the Karoo Series were built up throughout the whole of southern Africa. These can still be seen in the Drakensberg. When the African continent came into being in the Mesozoic era huge masses of lava were thrust up from the earth's interior and cooled to form black basalt which covered the light-colored sandstone to a depth of up to 1,400m/4,600ft and at one time extended as far as the east coast of South Africa. In the most recent period of the earth's history, the Neozoic era, this basalt layer has been steadily eroded by wind and water and the Great Escarpment has gradually moved farther inland.
Within the Drakensberg range are the highest mountains on the African continent after Kilimanjaro, with numerous peaks rising above 3,000m/10,000ft. They were formed in the late Palaeozoic era, some 300 million years ago, when massive deposits of the Karoo Series were built up throughout the whole of southern Africa. These can still be seen in the Drakensberg. When the African continent came into being in the Mesozoic era huge masses of lava were thrust up from the earth's interior and cooled to form black basalt which covered the light-colored sandstone to a depth of up to 1,400m/4,600ft and at one time extended as far as the east coast of South Africa. In the most recent period of the earth's history, the Neozoic era, this basalt layer has been steadily eroded by wind and water and the Great Escarpment has gradually moved farther inland.
Transvaal Drakensberg, South Africa
The Transvaal Drakensberg, with peaks rising to 2,286m/7,500ft, lies in northern South Africa, to the west of the Kruger National Park, separating the highveld from the fertile lowveld, which lies 1,000m/3300ft lower down, with hills ranging only between 150 and 600m (500 and 200ft). This part of the range consists of older rocks, mainly dolomites and quartzites.
The Transvaal Drakensberg, which has increasingly been opened up for tourism in recent years, has many natural beauties to attract visitors.
The Transvaal Drakensberg, which has increasingly been opened up for tourism in recent years, has many natural beauties to attract visitors.
