To the Boers who first trekked north
away from British rule in the Cape,
these jagged peaks wreathed in mist
looked like the back of a giant dragon.
The word Drakensberg literally means
‘dragon mountains’.
To the Zulus, the storms crashing around
the peaks in summer sounded like
warriors beating their shields with
their spears, so they named the mountain
range uKhahlamba, or ‘barrier of
spears’.
In 2000, the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
became the fourth of South Africa’s
World Heritage Sites. It is one of only
23 such sites worldwide to be recognised
for its natural as well as its cultural
value – comparable with Machu Picchu in
Peru or Ayers Rock in Australia.
Extraordinary Beauty
Covering
over 243 000 hectares, this is a place
of extraordinary beauty –summer-green
grasslands, high twists of montane
forest, a place of sheer cliffs, clear
streams, a fairy world of tree ferns and
mosses that just begs to be explored on
foot.
In winter, the mountains are often
shape-shifted by mist and snow – the
perfect place to relax before a roaring
fire with something belly-warming to
hand. The basalt and sandstone peaks
have eroded into shapes that evoke their
names: Giant’s Castle, the Amphitheatre,
Cathedral Peak, Devil’s Tooth, Champagne
Castle, the Monk’s Cowl, and the
Sentinel.
Biodiversity Hotspot
The
mountain range is considered a South
African biodiversity hotspot with well
over 2 000 plant species, many of them
found nowhere else in the world. At
least 299 bird species have been
recorded, including Verreaux’s eagle and
the endangered bone-cracking bearded
vulture. Leopards lurk in the mountains,
hunting the antelope that thrive on
the fertile, watered earth.
Ancient
Artworks
It was the San (also known as the
Bushmen) who first lived in these
mountains. By 1880, they had been
decimated by black and white settlers,
but they left a magnificent collection
of rock paintings on rocky overhangs and
cave walls.
There are thought to be roughly 40 000
individual images painted in the
Drakensberg, one of the richest
‘collections’ of rock art in the world.
Some are thought to be at least 3 000
years old, and are now recognised as a
unique expression of human creative
genius. They are also the best preserved
rock paintings south of the Sahara. The
animals depicted on the rock walls are
acutely observed and movingly portrayed,
but their meaning is not just
descriptive. Certain paintings in the
Drakensberg alerted academics to the
fact that the paintings have a rich
spiritual significance, and were often
painted by shamans in trance states.
Facilities
and Activities
KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation
Services (also known as Ezemvelo KZN
Wildlife) administer the Park, and they
offer accommodation that ranges from
budget to semi-luxury throughout the
mountain range.
Hiking is the best way to explore the
mountains. There are excellent trails
and maps. Many of the camps have
horse-riding facilites and mountain
bikes are generally allowed. Ask about
trout-fishing.
