Solutions for the Amphitheatre

We paid our normal fee at Sentinal Car park for the day, paid the rest before hand to Ezemvelo, this is because I was told that none of the money goes to the rescue fund, not that I've heard of any one not being rescued but still, why pay for some thing that they are not doing and we walk and spend more time in the Ezemvelo area than in theirs any way. The mountain register, try to get it to them before hand if I can usually when I pay, must admit I don't do to many Traverses.

I totally agree. It was a good call on your side. May I ask when you found out the fees paid to Witsieshoek weren't going to KZN Wildlife?

This Monday I should hear from Witsieshoek. I just hope they're realistic and change their fee structure to cover just their side of the land. Having said that, I still think that traverse hikers should only pay for half a day. I have told them so.

I usually email the mountain register to KZN Wildlife beforehand too. I started doing that when I found out the mountain registers people fill out at the Sentinel Car Park are not sent to KZN Wildlife most of the time. It's just a waste of time. Unless you tell somebody you're going hiking nobody knows whether you've finished your hike safely. I can't tell you Witsieshoek doesn't check that; I have tested it a few time. It's pure negligence. The sad thing is that most of the people don't know and assume things are being taken care of.

It's just crazy that KZN Wildlife and Witsiehoek don't work together. I don't know who's to blame. I know there have been politics involved but I don't know all the details. Anyone out there?

Cant remember exactly but was a good few years ago, actually one of my mates who spend a lot of time hiking in and from Qwa Qwa told me it all goes to the "community" some is used to pave the road as well. We always try and pay for only the day but have not got it right yet as they said we sleep in the park, that's not true as we sleep pass Fangs.

I suppose with all the technology around we should be able to pay online – they can e-mail you proof of payment as well as e-mail them a mountain register for you to sign when you come out. Might have to talk to the Officer in Charge at Cathedral to arrange something like that.

Hi guys,

It sounds that, at this stage, Witsieshoek is not willing to be reasonable and are going to maintain their fees as per usual:

Access fees charged are currently (until 28 February 2017) as follows:
• At the toll gate: R40 per person - to gain access to Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge and the road to the Sentinel Peak.
• At the Sentinel Peak car park: R70 per person - to gain access via the chain ladder or gulley to the Amphitheatre.
• Overnight on the Mountain: R70 per person.
• Traverse fee: R160 per person

I feel incline to apply the reasoning as Deon's for those doing a traverse: that is a day fee to Witsieshoek and overnight fees to KZN Wildlife

The traverse fee is for those hiking south and not returning to the Sentinel Car Park.

I haven't been robbed but KZN Wildlife. As most of the people traversing south, we've only been paying Witsieshoek and not KZN Wildlife. Not that we didn't want to, we were just paying the requested hiking fees at the starting point, like one always does anywhere in the Drakensberg Park or any other regulated hiking area in the world, for that matter.

As mentioned on my previous posts, I had always assumed that part of that money was being shared with KZN Wildlife as you, eventually, enter one of their areas, and they're the ones who provide the mountain rescues if needed. However, after those hikers were attacked last April, it surfaced that KZN Wildlife wasn't getting any of that money. They've been trying to talk to Witsieshoek for quite a while but to no avail. So now KZN Wildlife has had enough of it and wants to enforce hiking fees being paid to them for those entering their land from the Witsieshoek side. Not sure how they're going to do that. Witsieshoek knows about it but they refuse to change their fee structure. Very messy indeed.

***UPDATE*** regarding hiking in the Amphitheatre region:

Message from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife regarding hiking in the Amphitheatre area:

Please be advised that a decision to implement the Park Entry Fee payment from the 1st of January 2017 has been put on hold until March 2017. This came as a result of our meeting held on 21 December 2016 at Royal Natal. We have further meeting set for this month when we hope to finalise the way forward.