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DRAKENSBERG - KWAZULU NATAL
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| Drakensberg, South Africa: A
thousand kilometres of mountain majesty, the Drakensberg range is the adventure tourist's
playground. It is also perfect for nature photography, easy walking and simple relaxation.
Full of game sanctuaries, Bushman rock art sites, challenging peaks and
cascading waterfalls, the views in the Drakensberg will compete with anything the rest of
the world has to offer. |
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DRAKENSBERG DESTINATIONS
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  Equidistant from Johannesburg and Durban, the pretty little town of
Bergville, also known as the gateway to the Northern Drakensberg, lies on Route 74 - the
more scenic alternative to the Toll Road. This route takes you via the Oliviershoek Pass,
traditionally used to access the 'berg, from ... more » Bergville
Info |
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 The spire-like Cathedral Peak is described by many as simply awesome and is
one of the most instantly-recognisable summits in a line of free-standing peaks that have
been separated from the main escarpment by erosion. Climbing the peak itself, although a
fairly rocky scramble, is possible ... more » Cathedral
Peak Info |
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 Lying in the central Drakensberg, the Champagne peak is one of the highest
peaks in this mountain range, although the prominent peak from here is Cathkin. But it is
the enchantedness of this valley that draws visitors away from city stressors to escape to
a place of rare beauty that manages ... more » Champagne
Valley Info |
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 Lower down in the valley from Van Reenen’s Pass, and in the heart of
the Anglo-Boer War territory, Estcourt is a fairly large town that serves as the gateway
to the central Drakensberg, together with Winterton
just 40 kilometres to the north. Initially known as Bushman’s River, due largely to
its ... more » Estcourt Info |
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 Lower down in the valley from Van Reenen’s Pass, and in the heart of
the Anglo-Boer War territory, Estcourt is a fairly large town that serves as the gateway
to the central Drakensberg, together with Winterton
just 40 kilometres to the north. Initially known as Bushman’s River, due largely to
its ... more » Giants Castle Info |
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 This charming village lies in an area well known for its excellent trout
fishing. The Himeville Nature Reserve has two lakes amply stocked with trout, as
well as campsites, rowing boats for hire, braai (barbecue) facilities, and issues angling
licenses for trout fishermen. The Swamp Nature ... more » Himeville Info |
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 The Kamberg valley is described by its people as ‘the valley, which God
created once he had practised on the rest of the world”. It lies in the foothills of
the Drakensberg Mountains just beyond the Nottingham Road
turnoff from Durban, and there is a
dominant sense of tranquillity, open ... more » Kamberg Info |
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 The little town of Kokstad sits on the boundary between KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape, nestled in
the heart of East Griqualand. Kokstad lies in the shadow of Mount Currie on the outer
slopes of the Drakensberg and was, until recently, best known for its cheese until Oprah
Winfrey placed the ... more » Kokstad Info |
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 Situated in the lesser explored southern Drakensberg, the quaint little town
of Matatiele lies 70 kilometres from Kokstad, at the junction of
the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and
southern Lesotho. The village is situated in the shadow of the Matatiele Mountain in the
former ‘no man’s land’ that ... more » Matatiele Info |
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 Monk’s Cowl is named after the distinctive mountain in the shape of a
monk’s hood that lies between Champagne Castle and Cathedral
Peak in the central Drakensberg. The peak marks the access point to the Mlambonja and
Mdedeleo Mountain wilderness areas - some of the most magnificent ... more » Monks Cowl
Info |
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 Nottingham Road is a village easily reached from the N3 between Johannesburg
and Durban, only 20 minutes from the foothills of the Drakensberg. The landscape here is
truly the green rolling hills of Natal, dotted with fly-fishing dams and an ordered beauty
that has earned Nottingham Road its ... more » Nottingham Road Info |
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 Rosetta is one of those little villages that, until recently, would have
been relegated to a passing glance as you drove through it, on the way to elsewhere.
Originally the area was dominated by the Rosetta Farm, granted by the Crown in 1861, and
the village possibly resulted from the colonial ... more » Rosetta Info |
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 The tight zig-zagging curves of the Sani Pass, one of the most magnificent
mountain passes in South Africa,
ascend through the sheer cliffs of the Drakensberg, linking KwaZulu Natal to the independent
country of Lesotho. The route is also known as the ‘roof of Africa’ and for good
... more » Sani Pass Info |
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 The last town in the southern Drakensberg, Underberg, lies immediately
beneath the majestic mountains of this area, their looming greatness offering a multitude
of hikes and moments of breathtaking beauty. Underberg forms part of the Sani Saunter, not
as well known as the ... more » Underberg Info |
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 Van Reenen’s Pass, a sweeping pass renowned for its slippery and
precarious roads (particularly as a result of the frequent misty conditions), and some of
the most gorgeous views, is the main route through the Drakensberg Mountains connecting
Jo-burg and Durban with Van Reenen ... more » Van Reenen Info |
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 The pretty town of Winterton serves, quite literally, as the gateway to the
central Drakensberg some 14 kilometres away, and lies in the foothills of these towering
giants, a typical pioneer settlement and one of the largest villages in this area. Almost
every lodge and venue in the vicinity describes ... more » Winterton Info |
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DRAKENSBERG ATTRACTIONS
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| UKHAHLAMBA-DRAKENSBERG PARK |
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 World Heritage
Site: The Ukhahlamba - Drakensberg Park has exceptional natural beauty in its soaring
basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks, and golden sandstone ramparts. Rolling
high altitude grasslands, the pristine steep sided river valleys and rocky ... more » Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park
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| CATHEDRAL
PEAK |
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 Cathedral Peak State Forest: The Cathedral
range, with its numerous free standing peaks and magnificent mountain scenery, is one of
the most favoured parts of the Berg for backpacking and rock climbing. Bordered in the
north and north-west by the Upper Tugela Location and ... Cathedral Peak State Forest
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| COBHAM STATE
FOREST |
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 Cobham State Forest: Cobham
is situated in the Southern part of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, and is approximately
150 km from Pietermaritzburg. Dominated by Hodgson's Peaks which enclose the Giants Cup,
Cobham is a 52,000 hectare section of the uKhahlamba ... More>
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| DRAKENSBERG
BOYS' CHOIR |
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 Drakenberg Boys'
Choir: There aren’t that many things in South Africa that
you can say are unique or world class, but the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir is one of
them. Doors opened in 1965 to the first 20 pupils. The dream was of a multi-racial,
multi-cultural Choir School to rival the Vienna Boys. Not in ... more » Drakenberg
Boys' Choir
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| GIANT'S
CASTLE NATURE RESERVE |
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 Historic Giant's Castle Game Reserve, home of the eland and the majestic
bearded vulture, lies in the Central Drakensberg region of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg
Park, a World Heritage Site. Giant's Castle camp is situated on a gassy plateau among the
deep valleys running down from ... more » Giant's Castle Nature
Reserve |
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| ROYAL
NATAL NATIONAL PARK |
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 One of South
Africa's finest attractions, probably best explored on horseback. Scenic highlights
include the Amphitheatre, Mont-aux-Sources and the Tugela Falls. In addition to
breathtaking scenery and mountain streams stocked with trout, visitors have a choice of
... more » Royal Natal National Park |
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| GARDEN
CASTLE STATE FOREST |
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 Garden Castle State Forest: Garden Castle
is the southern most part of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park and incorporates the
beautiful Bushman's Nek Valley. The reserve is 35 300 hectares in extent and offers the
visitor a vast variety of experiences. Dominated by the Rhino the area is ... more » Garden Castle State Forest
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| WEENEN GAME RESERVE |
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 Weenen Game
Reserve covers an area of typical inland KwaZulu Natal acacia grassland with occasional
thickets. There are extensive game viewing facilities, guided walks and environmental
education in the Weenen Game Reserve. More than 230 species of birds have been
recorded (there are two ... more » Weenen Game
Reserve |
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| HIMEVILLE
NATURE RESERVE |
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 The reserve stretches along the eastern boundary of Himeville Village and
was proclaimed to its present size of 104 ha in 1973. Himeville Nature Reserve offers
trout fishing in two dams situated in the reserve. Boats are no longer available for hire
but anglers may use their own small ... more » Himeville Nature Reserve |
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| SPLASHY
FEN MUSIC FESTIVAL |
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 The festival is held on the farm Splashy Fen, which is situated 19 kms from
Underberg in the Southern Drakensberg Mountains. The focus of the music in the early years
was folk and light folk rock, as well as black music styles such as mbaqanga and
iscathamiya. In the past few years the focus ... more » Splashy
Fen Music Festival |
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| KAMBERG
NATURE RESERVE |
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| Kamberg is known for its excellent fly fishing and recently a Bushman Rock
Art Site has been opened to the public. The Kamberg Nature Reserve nestles in the
foothills of the Drakensberg Park, its central position ideal for visits to many other
well known Drakensberg areas, from Giants Castle ... more » Kamberg Nature Reserve |
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| CHAMPAGNE RESORT GOLF COURSE |
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 Situated in the
Central Drakensberg at Champagne Sports Resort this course has recently been extended to
an 18-hole layout designed by Huch Biaocchi. The backdrop of Cathkin and Champagne Peaks
makes it one of the most scenic courses in the country and it is a fair ... more » Champagne Resort
Golf Course. |
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 Off the beaten
track - the Mount Currie reserve is off the Richmond - Umzimkulu Road from
Pietermaritzburg or on the Franklin-Swartberg Road between Port
Shepstone and Harding / Kokstad. Mount Currie is dominated by its mountain, with a
collection of grassy slopes scattered intermittently with ... Mount Currie Nature
Reserve »
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« KwaZulu Natal Game Reserves
| South
Africa Game Reserves » |
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