Drakensberg Mountains

On the weekend of the March 18 we decided to go to the Drakensburg mountain range in east South Africa. On a map the range is north to northeast of Lesotho, the country within South Africa. We knew that it was going to be quite a drive so we had to plan ahead of time when we could go. Thankfully we had a four-day weekend that weekend due to Human Rights day (National Holiday) on Monday March 21 so it was perfect.

On Friday morning we left at about 9 A.M. There was a group of ten of us split into two cars so we had a fairly large group going there. The drive itself was a lot of fun. We listened to music, did some homework, and a majority of it was spent just talking to get to know each other. Throughout our drive we saw some incredible views of mountains as we were making our way to one of the largest mountain chains in South Africa. We expected about 12-hour drove to our backpacker so we thought that we would get there around 9 P.M. Unfortunately due to poor directions from our backpacker, construction, and getting lost a few times along the way we didn’t get into our backpacker until 2:30 A.M. While it initially made nervous that we were driving around at night it was also a unique experience. This was the first time that most of us had driven at night, so I hope it gives us the confidence to do it in the future. Anyway once we got to our hostel we were all obviously very tired so once we had our keys we immediately fell asleep.

The next day we woke at about noon. Through our backpacker we found an area that offered some great hiking so we left at 1 P.M. to go there. The area was called Cathedral Peak hotel and it took about an hour to get there. This hotel was literally at the base of a mountain so there were plenty of hikes that we could choose from.

This One is For You Mom :)

We decided to choose a relatively short hike since we were all still tired. We decided to hike to a waterfall named Doreen Falls and it took us about an hour to get there. Once we got there we all decided to go swimming so we did that for about a half an hour. On our way back we also decided to go on another hike. This one was to a destination called Mushroom Rock. Unfortunately we did not make it all the way to the top but we did see the rock that we were supposed to hike to. It was a rock that has eroded presumably over millions of years that had a relatively thin base for a large mushroom shaped top. There were several of these rock formations around the one we went to as well.

Doreem Falls

When we got back to our back packer we were immediately served dinner. Each day we could sign up for dinner at our backpacker. The food was always very good and it was nice to have a solid meal considering our hiking each day. The backpacker that we went to was named Amphitheater Backpackers. It was probably the nicest backpacker I have been to yet in South Africa. It has a full bar, projection screen, pool tables, Internet, swimming pool it was just an enjoyable place to be when we came back each night. After dinner we went to the bar for a while to unwind from the day and soon after that we were all in bed.

The next morning we woke at about 6 A.M. We had scheduled a hike to the 2^nd largest waterfall in the world through our backpacker and our transportation left at around seven. The drive took about three hours. For the last 20 minutes of our drive we were driving up the side of the mountain, that was a novel experience. Once we got to an outpost we all got out of the kombi’s to start our hike. The hike itself was not to bad.

 The trail was gradual and zigzagged up the mountain face. It was nice to be able to leisurely take a hike while at the same time having remarkable scenery to look at. We hiked for about 2 hours and reached the top of a plateau near the waterfall. The plateau itself was 3200m(approximately 7000 ft) above sea level. While most would consider these small mountains the best was the topography surrounding it. On nearly every side of the plateau the distance that it fell away was roughly 3000ft. The views were some of the best I have ever seen in my life.

After staying there for a while we hiked about the 15 minutes to the waterfall. The waterfall itself was quite incredible. At 970m it just seemed to keep going. The water was flowing generously due to the recent rain so we got a special view of the waterfall at its best. After staying there for about an hour we started our descent. Instead of taking the same way down we took a way that consisted of scaling town chain ladders along a rock face. In total the ladders were about 40m, one was 15m and the other 25m. This took awhile considering we had to get the entire group we went with down. After we had all finished we started our hike to the outpost. The way down was a little faster than the way up so it probably took an hour and forty-five minutes.

 

Top Third of the Waterfall

   We got back to our backpacker and went to bed very early since we had decided to leave early on Monday. We left at about 5 A.M. and got back at about 7 P.M. All in all in enjoyed Drakensburg. It may have been one of the coolest things that I have ever done. Despite driving for nearly 32 hours while only doing 18 hours of activities I would do it again in a heartbeat.