Quathlamba
“A mass of Spears.
Named thus by the Zulu warriors before the white man came. Today called the
Drakensberg, Mountains of the Dragon. Evocative names, both equally applicable
to South Africa’s mightiest mountain range with its spear-like peaks –
reminiscent of the saw-toothed spine of a gigantic dragon.”
“Listen to the streams as they gurgle from their cradles
and you will hear the story of the mountains. You will hear fascinating tales
if only you listen! Lie next to a stream and listen to the song of the
mountains. The smiling faces of the flowers, dancing in the wind. Venture into
the remote valleys or stand on a peak at sunrise or sunset, after snow has fallen,
and you will hear a song that you will never forget - the Song of the High
Mountain".
DRAKENSBERG WILDERNESS PHOTOS ©
WILLEM PELSER
“When all the trees are cut
down, all animals dead, poisoned, air unsafe, only then will you discover you
cannot eat money.”
Unknown
Drakensberg
Walking in the
Tugela Gorge
There are other parts of the Drakensberg
Wilderness that are wilder, or better for hiking, but no other compares with
the majesty of the natural wonder of the Amphitheater. It’s a 5 kilometer wall
of basalt, rising about one kilometer from its base. Near its western ‘book-end’
the Sentinel, the Tugela headwaters from the world’s fourth highest waterfall,
whose total drop is 614 metres before it tumbles through the Little Berg and
reaches the Tugela Gorge. Part of the aesthetic beauty of the Amphitheater is
its near perfect symmetry, boxed in at one end by the Sentinel and by the
Eastern Buttress at the other.
Tugela Gorge
Route: Tugela Gorge from the car park just
below Thendele Camp
Distance: 14 km
Duration: 5 to 6 hours
Grade: Moderate to strenuous
General: Short of hiking to the top of the Amphitheater, this is the most spectacular walk in the park, and one of the
finest of all Berg walking experiences. Because of its relative shortness and
ease, it is a popular hike. Added to these factors is the variation in vegetation,
scenery, and topography as the path passes through protea grasslands, forest
and finally exciting the gorge itself – only then is the real jewel of this
hike revealed for the more intrepid souls who venture as far as their courage
takes them.
The path begins at the car park: start from the
visitors’ centre, round the little dam and head for 2.5 km to the car park at
the bottom of Thendele camp. Park here and put on your boots: not the river
braiding along the first sections, where deposition of a high-energy river has
caused the small boulders to form braided channels. This is best seen in the
drier seasons and slightly downstream of the start to the hike.
The path is easy to follow as it skirts the main
valley. However, it does veer slowly away from the main channel to go a short
way up the Vemvaan/Devil’s Hoek Valley before turning off to the left and
crossing the Vemvaan River after a kilometer. Along this stretch you are in
protea veld where it gets surprisingly warm in summer, so carry water, even
though you are following a river. Various types of proteas can be seen.
In the days before farms and fences animals would
feed high up in the foothills in summer, and then retreat to the pastures of
sweeter Thornveld in winter when the montane grasses become brittle and
unpalatable to most grazers. This poses a major problem in the Berg, where
those Lowveld pastures are now located outside the park, as it severely
restricts game numbers and variety in the park. Speaking of farms, this area was
first surveyed in 1884 and many of the names in the park are the names of the
original farms – Dooley, Goodoo, Vemvaan, and the Pastures. For about the next
2.5 km the path meander along the cooler slope below the Policeman’s Helmet,
crossing a few side streams and passing through three small but delicious
forest patches; the third is just over 300 m long, so provides a wonderful
forest diversion.
These forests are part of the temperate Afro-montane
biome and, depending on your terms of reference, are called yellowwood,
temperate or Afro-montane forests. A variety of ferns and flowering herbs grows
among the forest litter and along the stream banks, most notably the little
white or pale blue trumpets which so love the green gloom and silence deep in
the forests. Along the stream banks you should look out for a variety of
lily-like flowering bulbs, the star of which is the scarlet river lily.
The main gorge is reached, usually after a
crossing or two and some boulder hopping, at the confluence of the Tugela and
Eastern Buttress gully: there is no need to mention pools as they are so
numerous you can take your pick. From here you gain dramatic views up the gully
to the Devil’s Tooth and Inner and Outer Towers of the Eastern Buttress. Until
1950 the Tooth was deemed unclimbable, but most mountaineers are a headstrong
lot and in that year the first successful assault was done on what is still
considered one of the Berg’s toughest rock challenges.
A short climb with a ladder at the top allows
you to avoid wading through the gorge: this may be essential in wet weather
when the gorge can become a death trap. This point is a good lunch stop, but if
you decide to head back from here you’ll miss the best part of the hike. A trip
up the gorge is highly recommended in clear weather especially – if you are
hiking in boots consider carrying trainers for this part as you will get your
feet wet.
Near the end there is a slightly tricky but not
difficult pool section to negotiate, and once you are through that the tunnel
opens out at the base of the Amphitheater where you will be gob-smacked by the
enclosing basalt walls, echoing with booming silence. You can boulder hop and
scramble from here for a few hundred metres further up the Tugela’s course, as
time and conditions allow. Have lunch in this bowl, where the scale of the
place is a humbling experience, surrounded as you are by one of the greatest
natural formations in Africa and beyond. And, another boon, you are unlikely to
see other people.
We as hikers, explorers,
and adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses.
Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!
The End.
Safe Hiking.
References and Acknowledgements
From the book – “Best Walks of the
Drakensberg” – David Bristow
Photos: ©W Pelser
Compiled
by: Willem Pelser
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