Drakensberg family adventure, South Africa – Jan & Feb 2015
Enjoying breakfast with a view from Lotheni camp in the southern KZN Drakensberg
With the South African component of my MBA behind me, the year began with a much-needed focus on family. Katherine was travelling regularly to East Africa with her job and, while this gave Charlie and me lots of boy’s time to bond, what we desperately needed was a fun-filled family adventure. So when a family-friendly 4×4 assignment came my way, I jumped at the opportunity to take the family and a new Subaru Outback on an exploration of the KZN Drakensberg.
Happy hikers heading out at Giants Castle
The Drakensberg Mountains comprise a jagged spine of dramatic rock formations punctuated by towering peaks, lofty basalt buttresses and tumbling waterfalls on a 1200 kilometres journey from the Eastern Cape to Mpumalanga. But nowhere is South Africa’s premier mountain chain more impressive and awe-inspiring than during its passage through Kwa-Zulu Natal where it forms one of Southern Africa’s premier adventure playgrounds for young and old alike. SA 4×4 magazine (http://sa4x4.co.za) provided me with a new Subaru Outback and an open-ended brief to explore the dusty back roads and scenic bypasses of this magnificent mountain region. I wasted no time in getting to Johannesburg where I picked up the vehicle and loaded up my wife, son and supplies before striking out on the quintessential outdoor adventure for a nature-loving family.
A spectacular Injisuthi day hike
Our Drakensberg quest involved exploring as many mountain bypasses and little known back roads as humanly possible during a weeklong soft-roader adventure. We made our way south, stopping for a delicious lunch at the Pig & Plough in the charming hamlet of Winterton, before eventually reaching off-the-beaten-track Lotheni: an incredibly scenic mountain retreat. Inconceivably, we had the place to ourselves! After a couple of days exploring the picturesque area on foot we made our way slowly north to the internationally renowned Giants Castle.
We had begun our mountainous sojourn with two of the Drakensberg’s finest retreats, but the empty wilderness and outdoor paradise that greeted us at Injisuthi was another revelation with some spectacularly scenic day hikes. Cathedral Peak and Champagne Castle followed. While the tall peaks and Drakensberg scenery remained as epic as ever, the scale of hotel and resort development here made this area the ‘grand central’ of Drakensberg exploration. But, the best was still to come as we had unknowingly saved one of the highlights – Thendele rest camp in Royal Natal National Park – for the final stop on our Drakensberg itinerary.
Didima rest camp at Cathedral Peak
Enjoying the last two nights of our family escape in the shadow of the world famous Drakensberg amphitheatre was a real privilege. At five kilometres wide and in places close to a thousand vertical metres high, the sheer stone cliffs and flanking rock buttresses are nothing short of breath-taking.
A final family hike up to the distinctive Policeman’s Helmet rock formation was followed by a farewell braai. As the fire crackled to life, Charlie charged across the grassy lawns chasing guineafowl with the energy and exuberance of youth. Later, as we tucked into some tasty spare ribs under a star-strewn sky, Katherine and I agreed that this Drakensberg nature escape was without doubt the best family holiday that the three of us have enjoyed together to date.
The Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains boast a scenic outdoor playground and truly memorable destination for a family adventure in the shadow of towering rock giants.
A happy family poses in front of the iconic rock amphitheatre of Royal Natal World Heritage Site