Drakensberg

Although everyone here knows the Drakensberg Mountain range and I had driven past some of it before, I have never taken pictures of them. During Gaelyn's visit, she wanted to go for an overnight hike there so I stayed in camp, taking pictures of them and the insects.

There are many hiking trails which include places beautiful scenes and waterfalls, with wonderful places to stay in the area. In winter, these are one of the few mountains high enough to get snow and for a brief period, people go skiing there. Covering an area of 240,000ha the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is dominated by sheer cliffs, deeply incised valleys and crystal clear rivers.

San Art
The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is one of the richest rock painting areas in the world. Many enthusiasts and experts have searched for paintings in the park over the last 40 years. During this time 30 000 individually painted images in 520 different rock shelters have been recorded.

There are a number of prime destinations in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park to see these paintings and have their cultural and spiritual significance interpreted for you. The Main Caves Museum at Giant's Castle is an easy half hours walk from the Giant's Castle main camp and the Battle Cave is relatively close to the Injisuthi camp. There is a new rock art centre at Kamberg with guided walks to Game Pass shelter and in late 2003 a magnificent San rock art centre is due to be opened at the new Didima Camp at Cathedral Peak.

Mountain Biking
At Cathedral Peak mountain bikers can enjoy the awesome views of the Drakensberg as they traverse the existing network of tracks originally put in place for forestry purposes in the sixties. A simple 14km mountain bike trail has been established in the beautiful Lotheni valley in the Southern Drakensberg. Mountain bikers have the opportunity to stop at the historic 'Gelib Tree' site and on a warm day there is the opportunity to swim at the magnificent 'Cool Pools'. The 75km Giant's Castle Mountain Bike Challenge is a major annual mountain biking event. This event combines the majesty of stunning Drakensberg views with the opportunity for mountain bikers to pit themselves against South Africa's toughest mountain bike challenge.
Flowers
Yellow irises grow in profusion on the alpine meadows of Lesotho within metres of the escarpment edge. The 'suicide lily' clings to its precipitous habitat on the damper basalt cliffs and from uder its leaves to the foot of the little berg is a spectacular variety of flowers making this a superb destination.

Fishing
Kamberg Nature Reserve is the a most popular trout fishing venue for novices and more experienced anglers alike. An added attraction here is the trout hatchery. River fishing is found at Kamberg, Royal Natal, Injisuthi, Cobham, Garden Castle, Giant's Castle and Lotheni. Dam fishing is found at Coleford, Kamberg, Royal Natal, Highmoor and Lotheni. Dam fishing at Lotheni is reserved for the occupants of Sime's cottage only. Highmoor is reserved primarily for stillwater trophy fishing and is closed intermittently for several months of the year. This is arguably one of the most productive stillwater flyfishing venues in KZN and caters primarily for the more experienced angler in wilderness surroundings.

WILDLIFE

The Drakensberg has a diverse population of birds, mammals and reptiles. The more common larger mammals that can be found are Mountain Reedbuck, Grey Rhebok, Grey Duiker, Eland, Klipspringer, Bushbuck and Oribi. The main predators in the Drakensberg are Leopard (found in very small numbers) Black-backed Jackal, Caracal, Serval, Cape clawless Otter and Spotted-necked Otter, various species of mongoose and genet. Troops of Chacma baboons, porcupines and colonies of rock hyrax are also found throughout this mountain park. The Drakensberg is home to over 300 species of birds. Thirty two of the species are endemic to Southern Africa. Some of the specials that can be found are Wattled crane, Cape vulture, Bearded vulture, Orange breasted Rockjumper and Yellow breasted Pipit. The Drakensberg is also home to 25 species of amphibians, 18 species of lizard (six of which are endemic) and 21 species of snake.

CULTURE

The Drakensberg is rich in cultural heritage. It is home to 35% of South Africa's San rock art sites. In South Africa the San inhabited the Drakensberg from the late Stone Age times until the late nineteenth century. The San had very few material possessions and did not build permanent shelters, but lived either under sandstone overhangs or temporary grass shelters. They left some of the finest examples of rock art in the world. The most common types of paintings are animal figures (mostly eland) and human-like figures.It is truly an awe inspiring experience to view this rock art. Guided Walks to some rock art shelters can be booked at Giants Castle, Injisuthi, Kamberg, Cathedral Peak and Royal Natal.

HISTORY

The Drakensberg was once inhabited by the San people, also known as Bushmen. They were hunter gatherers who lived in caves and overhangs in the sandstone cliffs of the little berg. They have left us a legacy of their paintings on the sandstone cliffs and cave walls, depicting their way of life and the various animals and people they encountered. In due course, the Amazizi, a tribe of the Nguni race arrived, and occupied the river valleys and approaches to the Drakensberg mountains.

They were pastoralists and agriculturalists, while the San people never tilled the soil or kept cattle. As there was no clash of interests, there was peace between the San and the Amazizi. In the early 1800's due to a series of events in Zululand, the Amazizi were attacked by the Amangwane. The Amazizi sought refuge in the mountains which were occupied by the San people and they clashed, probably over cattle. A third Nguni tribe, the Amahlubi moved into the valleys now vacated by the Amazizi but they, in turn, were attacked by the Amangwane.

The Amahlubi were in turn forced into the mountains just as the Amazizi had been. For ten years the wars raged until the Amangwane eventually settled in the valleys, having disposed of the Amazizi and the Amahlubi. Four years later The Zulu King Shaka's troops attacked the Amangwane who fled westwards into the mountains. After this period of slaughter and destruction, relative peace returned to the Drakensberg mountains and the survivors of the various tribes came down from the mountains and re-established themselves in the river valleys. This alleviated the pressure on the San people who had been badly affected by these wars. Respite was brief as within ten years the arrival of the Voortrekkers and the English settlers led to further troubles. The clash over hunting grounds, private ownership of land, and the arrival of cattle led to increasing numbers of cattle raids by the San people. Eventually the situation became so bad that the San themselves were hunted and decimated by the settlers.

In 1849, due to the failure of various attempts to prevent the cattle raids, a series of buffer 'native locations' were established between the settlers and the Drakensberg mountains. For some years thereafter, raids, particularly in the Bushman's River area near Giant's Castle, ceased almost entirely. A brief resurgence in cattle raids followed in the late 1850's through to the 1870's after which the raids fell off sharply. The last sighting of San people in the Drakensberg mountains was in the early 1880's.

EDUCATION

The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park offers a wide variety of educational opportunities in many disciplines. These range from vegetation and animal studies to culture, sociology and geology. This mountain range rises some 8000 ft. or 2440 m. from its base on the midlands plains with vegetation zones that reflect altitude and aspect starting at sub-alpine on the summit, down through podacarpus forest, grasslands, wetlands and valley bushveld.

The ancient rocks of basalt and sandstone and the shale beds lie exposed with the earths history of upliftment and erosion revealed for the student. All these characteristics have resulted in a host of habitats and consequent diversity of plant and animal life. The incredibly rich rock art heritage from the San people and the interesting history of the Nguni peoples` movements and conflicts that has resulted in the current tribal occupation along the length of the Drakensberg, plus the interaction of the Zulu and Sotho speaking people on the eastern and western sides of this " barrier of spears" makes for fascinating cultural studies. It is a World Heritage Site and a Ramsar Site. There are education centres at Royal Natal and at Wagendrift from which the central Drakensberg is easily accessible within one hour on good roads.