Drakensberg

This is the future index page for passes in the Free State Drakensberg.

An index of passes in the Central Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal.

This is the future index page for passes in the Southern Drakensberg.

This is the future index page for passes in the Eastern Cape Drakensberg.

An index of passes in the Northern Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal.

The Tugela Falls is world famous and one of the most spectacular places on Earth. Said to be the second highest waterfall in the world, it falls about 950m into the Royal Natal National Park. There is the rare occasion that it runs dry, it flows most of the year, and in the summer wet months after heavy rain it cascades over the escarpment with awe inspiring beauty. The falls has three big drops, 60m at the top to a cascade, then a huge 250m free drop and then a third drop of about 170m, thereafter numerous smaller drops of 70 to 20m before levelling out and leading to a winding steep sided valley before a deep narrow sided gorge of the tunnel.

"Wilderness is like the Tao; it is the Way of no way… " Quote by Meridy Pfotenhauer, September 2016

Meridy Pfotenhauer passed away peacefully in Pietermaritzburg, on 4 September 2017, at the age of 67. Her life was dedicated to the Drakensberg mountains – a World Heritage Site of mountain wilderness, magnificent scenery, sparkling rivers, fascinating Bushmen rock art, and local communities who were mentors and friends.

More of Mnweni on Milliot’s Trail

Milliot was a local prophet who lived in the Mnweni in the early 20th century. He was well-known in the area and is still spoken of today. He spent much of his life living in caves and wandered around the Manzana area and surrounds. Manzana is one of the three AmaNgwane wards which together comprise what many hikers simply call "the Mnweni". The commonly hiked trails are in the Mabhulesini and Khokwana areas, and Manzana sees very few visitors.

In climbing parlance the rewards of the summit assault and final steps ‘into thin air’ are mentally satisfying and hopefully visually pleasing, moreover if the climb is a first ascent and establishes itself in august written testimony. Consider this pioneering triumph after a long slog through unknown territory:

Strange echoes were heard in April 1836 as two devout French missionaries . . . . T. Arbousset and F. Daumas stood at the edge of the [Drakensberg] Escarpment and looked down in utter amazement as they watched the waters of the Tugela crashing down to the gorge below. Realizing the geographic importance of the mountain, they named it Mont-aux-Sources. (Dodds, 1975, p 20)

The X-Berg challenge is a fresh concept developed by Pierre Carter. It is a race that traverses the Drakensberg from the top of Oliviershoek Pass, through to Underberg, with six checkpoints along the way. A twist is that you can either go on foot, use a bicycle or a paraglider. Once you chose your means of transport, you are stuck with that for the rest of the race. It is a simple trade-off of going for a lightweight run, or taking the extra weight up the hills to go faster down them.

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