Natal Drakensburg Attractions

This range, one of South Africa's most popular holiday regions, is now known as the Natal Drakensberg. The Boer settlers called the range the Drakensberg, seeing the form of the hills as resembling a recumbent dragon. In the Zulu language the mountains, with their jagged crest, are called Qathlamba, the "Rampart of Raised Spears".The Natal Drakensberg reaches heights of 3,377m/11,080ft in Champagne Castle and 3,482m/11,424ft in Mt Thabana Ntlenyana (in Lesotho). To the east the mountains fall almost vertically down to 1,000m/3,300ft. Below this steep escarpment is the Little Berg, a range of hills, some of them bizarrely shaped, ranging in height between 1,800 and 2,000m (5,900 and 6,600ft).During the winter (April-September) there are frequently falls of snow (there are no ski-lifts). The driest months are June and July. In winter, though the nights are cold, there is plenty of sunshine during the day, and in sheltered valleys it can be quite mild, with temperatures of just under 20°C/68°F. In summer it is usually warm, with temperatures between 15 and 30°C (59 and 86°F), but almost every day there are violent thunder showers (frequently with hail). Most of the annual rainfall of between 1000 and 1700mm (40 and 67in.) occurs between January and March. After cloudbursts the rivers and streams are swollen and the roads may sometimes become impassable at short notice.The slopes of the Drakensberg are covered with grass, interspersed below 2000m/6600ft with tufted grass, sclerophyllous (hard-leaved) plants and proteas, and above 2800m/9200ft with low-growing plants like Erica and strawflowers. In sheltered valleys and gorges there are dense forests of mountain cypresses, tree ferns and yellowwood trees. Altogether there are more than 800 different species of flowering plants, including 63 orchids.In numerous caves and rock overhangs in the area, particularly in the Giant's Castle Game Reserve, more than 20,000 rock paintings have been preserved, depicting wild animals and scenes of hunting and fighting. The oldest of these date back some 2000 years; the last Bushmen lived in the Drakensberg in the early 20th C.The Natal Drakensberg is a popular holiday region throughout the year and has excellent facilities for visitors. There are three tourist areas: the Royal Natal National Park in the north; the central highlands round Cathedral Peak, Champagne Castle and the Giant's Castle Game Reserve; and the southern highlands, with the Loteni, Kamberg and Mzimkulwana Nature Reserves. The central and southern regions are due to be combined to form the Natal Drakensberg Park.The main access route to the Natal Drakensberg is N 3, which runs from Johannesburg (400km/250mis away) via Pietermaritzburg to Durban (150km/95mis away) on the Indian Ocean. From this road various side roads run west to the different holiday areas in the Drakensberg.Good centers from which to visit the northern highlands are Harrismith and Bergville; the central area can be reached from Bergville, Winterton, Estcourt or Mooi River; and the best route to the southern highlands is by way of Pietermaritzburg, Underberg and Himeville.Accommodation for visitors is available in the towns mentioned and - much to be preferred - in holiday centers in the Drakensberg itself. There are numbers of holiday camps in which huts can be rented, and comfortable hotels like the Karos Mont-aux-Sources Hotel, the Sani Pass Hotel and the Drakensberg Sun Hotel. Most of the hotels and holiday camps offer a range of sports facilities.The best way to explore this mountain country is on foot. There are hiking trails in all grades of difficulty, most of which do not call for mountaineering skills. Before undertaking a hike of some length visitors should enter their names in the camp register. The best months for long trips in the mountains are April and May: in summer many streams turn into raging torrents which are impossible to cross. In many areas it is possible to join organized hill walks or to explore the region on horseback.