This is arguably the most renowned trek in South Africa, and is frequently rated as one of the World’s top ten big walks. Not without good reason! Starting with a spectacular ascent up 17m chain ladders, or a rocky gully behind the Sentinel, this is a classical traverse of the northern section of the KwaZulu-Natal escarpment, and takes in some of the Drakensberg’s most spectacular scenery and notable landmarks, including the impossibly symmetrical Amphitheatre and the soaring pinnacles and buttresses that dominate the area around the Mnweni Cutback - Mnweni Pinnacles and Mponjwane to name a couple.
The experience
A big draw of the trek is that you will pass through an extensive, pristine wilderness, mostly off marked tracks, experiencing nature and unrivalled geography in complete isolation (save the occasional Basotho herdsman) as you proceed - this section of the high ‘Berg is probably at its most varied and interesting, and its relative inaccessibility once beyond the Amphitheatre adds to its allure. You traverse along the South African watershed (the water is the purest on the continent!), with drop-offs of several thousand feet falling into South Africa on one flank, and the stark, rolling, high-altitude moorland interior of Lesotho keeping your vertigo at bay on the other flank. For naturalists, there is plenty on offer - the high Drakensberg is home to a variety of unique mountain flora, which is at its best in November, occasional fauna, and a variety of mountain birds, including the magnificent Lammegeier, whose wingspan can reach 3m, Black Eagles, Bearded Vultures and Jackal Buzzards. The vulture colony at the top of Rockeries, where over 100 birds congregate, will fascinate all and sundry.
Route and time required
The traverse can be made over either 5 or 6 days, depending upon how long you wish to linger in the beautiful Mnweni Area, and the scenery is varied and changing as you proceed. Descents are made of either the Rockeries or nTonjelana passes (depending on pace, and the degree to which you follow the edge of the escarpment, which is by no means linear), both impressive descents that bring you down between the spires into an ethereal world of soaring cliffs, tussock-strewn slopes, desert sandstone buttresses and tumbling brooks. A night spent below one of the respective passes and a final long walk out through the tribal lands of the Amangane people in the lower Mnweni valley system makes for an interesting finish, that stands in contrast to the high alpine traverse of the first and middle stages. An alternative ending is to descend into the Cathedral Peak valley system, which is possible on a 6 day trek.
Basics
This trek is normally run on a fully supported basis using porters, and transport to and from trail-heads, although it can be arranged on a self-carry basis for fit participants. We use a choice of three hotels/camps as a base, situated close to the Amphitheatre, which range in price. Transport to and from the Drakensberg can also be arranged by us if required, for small or large parties, and there are logical extensions to the Zulu War Battlefields, KZN Games Reserves and the Maputaland coast.