Pools along the Mnweni Valley

This post aims to draw attention to some lovely sets of pools along the Mnweni Valley, as well as to set the record straight on what they are called. There is some confusion around which the official "Mnweni Pools" are (a confusion I have been a part of).

The official Mnweni Pools are technically in the Chakide (Icidi) River, but right at the junction with the Mnweni. Among the homesteads is a set called the Embezeni Pools. The ones near Mlambu's now disused kraal do not officially have a name, and may be referred to as "Mlambu's Pools" for the time being.



This information comes from a pretty extensive collective knowledge of the area, which includes what the Mnweni mountain guides say.

There are other sets along the valley, but the three indicated above are the ones deemed appropriate for hikers to visit and to swim in. And they are lovely pools indeed!

@mnt_tiska: those appear to be the Embezeni Pools from what I can recognise. Ghaz's first image are also Embezeni. The Mnweni guides are very clear that the pools by the wooden foot bridge spanning a narrow part, are called Embezeni.

I always thought Mlambu's Pools were the Mnweni Pools since the official ones are technically not in the Mnweni River. But I am going with what some Mnweni sages are saying about this. Even this discussion shows how unclear the matter is, and I hope we have gotten it right this time .

Ghaz, your second pic does seem to fit the bill for the Mnweni Pools since the view is straight up to Icidi Pass.

There are three of Sterkhorn's photos of the Mnweni Pools in the gallery, starting from here:
www.vertical-endeavour.com/gallery/drakensberg/310-mnweni-pools.html

It may also be worthwhile pointing out that there exists in the Mnweni quite a difference between indigenous names used by the locals and names familiar to hikers, and that our need to assign names to everything is not always viewed the same way by them. There is quite a list, some of it surprising (for example Ifidi and Icidi appear not to be indigenous names). Embezeni Pools has always been the established name amongst the locals, and when some of the elders were asked about "The Mnweni Pools" they responded that there were two sets of large pools - the ones at the Icidi junction simply being referred to as "Mnweni" by them. There may even not have even been an official name since the way of referring to "The Mnweni Pools" was apparently not that familiar to them. If I were to speculate, it may well be that amongst themselves they used to refer to "the pools further up the Mnweni".

As to which set of pools was the "official" set among hikers still remains unclear - it appears the confusion has existed for some time.

This thread has all the info you need on the pools www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/drakensberg-trips/55587-mnweni-pools.html

You can't book caves at all in Mnweni, might be safer taking a tent as backup, each area does have more than 1 cave option so you could take the chance

There are 3 caves in the valley below Rockeries Pass