Hiking

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.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and members of the Mountain Club of South Africa Mountain Rescue Team in KZN orchestrated the rescue of three hikers near Cathedral Peak on 05 January 2011.

The three hikers Mr Andrew McAughey (44), Mr Tom McAughey (66) and Mr Paul Neame (42) had undertaken a hike from The Sentinel car park at Royal Natal National Park to Cathedral Peak and were delayed by bad weather.

The following is essential information for hikers on how to report emergencies and request a rescue in the Drakensberg.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife would like to draw attention to the fact that conditions in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site are extremely dry and that there is  an extremely high risk of fires. Hikers are advised to contact the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife conservation staff in the area they wish to hike to get relevant information about existing conditions.

At long last, and after almost a year of building anticipation, I encountered the "Dragon Mountains" this past January, after arriving in South Africa for two reasons:  to live with the love of my life, and to meet his second (I hope) greatest love, the Berg.  Beyond being fitting, it was simply understood that one day I would climb into the high treeless peaks with this man who introduced me to the Drakensberg through his thriving love of this range. 

Just received this email, and thought it would be useful to remind again, given that there may be a whole stack of you heading for the mountains this festive season. If you do, enjoy it, and we want to see some pictures and get feedback! Have a great festive season, and enjoy the new years festivities responsibly.

A 69-year-old hiker was airlifted from Ntonjelana Pass, September 26th, 2009, after he became unwell and it was feared that he may suffer a heart attack.

The fatal snakebite incident involving Ian Miller in 1955 has been immortalised by the details published in Dragon's Wrath and Barrier of Spears. Some interesting details have now been released about the rescue.

The "Leave No Trace" policy applicable to the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, as distributed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

A hiker was airlifted from Bannerman Cave on 22 March 2009, after sustaining a head injury.