I visited the Drakensberg Park as a part of 21 days South Africa, Lesotho and eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) overland tour in a purpose built 4×4 truck, visiting one national park to another, covering eight major national parks. After spending a night in the port city of Durban, we started driving towards The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The park and the adjoining Sehlabathebe National Park in the Kingdom of Lesotho are part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The Zulu name uKhahlamba, means ‘barrier of spears’, and Afrikaans name Drakensberge, means ‘dragon mountains’. This spectacular natural park has numerous caves and rock-shelters with the largest and most concentrated group of rock-paintings in the Africa south of the Sahara. They represent the spiritual life of the San people, who lived in this area over a period of 4,000 years.
On the way to The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, we stopped for lunch near the Howick Falls, at the capture site of South Africa’s most famous man, Nelson Mandela.
The Howick Falls is approximately 95 m (310 feet) in height and lies on the Umgeni River. According to local legend, the pool at the bottom of the falls is the residence of the Inkanyamba, a giant serpent-like creature.At the Howick Falls.“Release”, a stunning monumental sculpture of Nelson Mandela, situated at the site where he was arrested on August 5, 1962, after evading capture for 17 months.. The sculpture is made of 50 steel columns between 21 and 31 feet high whose arrangement appears random from most angles. However, about 115 feet in front of the sculpture, the columns align to form an image of Mandela’s face. The sculpture was created by South African artist Marco Cianfanelli, and was installed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mandela’s arrest.Lunch time near the capture site.I got a Draught beer in a can from a local SPARS store.Our stay at the Monks Cowl, a peaceful propertyA cottage at Monks Cowl Resort.Monks Cowl Resort.A duck Mama duck and her ducklings !Hadida (hadeda) Ibis: A very noisy bird, don;t know it’s name.Resident cat at the Monks Cowl Resort.Beautiful flowers at the Monks Cowl Resort.Beautiful flowers at the Monks Cowl Resort.An antique tractor at the Monks Cowl Resort.
Pictures below are from a scenic hike in the charming uKhahlamba-Drakensberg National Park. From the photos below you can see the mountain range does look like a sleeping dragon.
Welcome to uKhahlamba-Drakensberg National Park, there was no park ranger at the entrance, we needed to pay fees at near by campsite.The mountain range does look like a sleeping dragon.The mountain range does look like a sleeping dragon.Hiking in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg National Park.Hiking in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg National Park.Our Local GuideAt the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg National Park.The Rock Art by the San people, who lived in this area over a period of 4,000 yearsThe Rock Art by the San people, who lived in this area over a period of 4,000 yearsA pair of the Cape vultures,endangered species, resting at the top of the hill. The park is home to The Cape vultures, an endangered species.
After spending two night in the Dragon Mountains, we drove towards Lesotho, a Kingdom in the sky, along the way stopping for a Lunch break at a picturesque town of Clarens.
In May 2017, 23 days before I was going to complete 50 years, grabbed an opportunity and took an early retirement.. Picked up a backpack and traveling ever since.. Love to travel around the world, experience different culture, local cuisine & drinks .. and take pictures.. so far been to 108 countries and still counting...
Window on the World 