Endurance is not just the ability to bear a great thing………but to turn it into glory……..
– Unknown
Fangs Pass
Into the Cathedral of Stone - Northern Drakensberg
"There are passes you climb... and there are passes you remember for the rest of your life."
The Name
Fangs Pass takes its name from The Fangs, two extraordinary basalt pinnacles that rise like enormous canine teeth from the escarpment.
They dominate the skyline above the Mnweni Cutback and are among the most photographed rock formations in the Northern Drakensberg.
No matter how many times you see them...
...they never lose their power.
The Approach
The journey begins in the Mnweni Valley.
Already the mountains begin closing around you.
The further you walk...
the quieter the world becomes.
Eventually you reach Shepherd's Cave.
It has welcomed generations of mountaineers preparing for:
- Fangs Pass,
- Mnweni Pass,
- Mbundini Pass,
- Rockeries Pass.
Many a nervous conversation has taken place there the evening before tackling the pass.
The Mnweni Cutback
Then comes one of the greatest landscapes in Africa.
The Mnweni Cutback.
Words struggle to describe it.
Imagine standing inside a gigantic stone amphitheater.
Cliffs tower more than a kilometer above you.
Waterfalls plunge after summer rains.
Rock towers guard the skyline.
Every direction offers another masterpiece.
The Cutback belongs among the very finest.
The Pass
Fangs Pass is long.
Steep.
Remote.
And wonderfully wild.
Unlike many passes, it doesn't present one dramatic obstacle.
Instead...
it simply keeps climbing.
The higher you go...
the steeper the slopes become.
Loose basalt.
Grass ledges.
Rock bands.
Occasional scrambling.
Nothing impossible.
Nothing to take lightly.
The Final Climb
Near the summit the pass narrows.
The cliffs seem to lean closer.
The Fangs themselves stand like giant sentinels watching over the ascent.
The final pull onto the escarpment feels almost ceremonial.
One last effort...
One final breath...
Then...
Lesotho.
The wind.
The endless horizon.
Incidents and Tragedies
Fangs Pass has earned immense respect.
Not because of technical climbing...
But because it magnifies small mistakes.
Rockfall
Loose basalt is a constant companion.
Parties climbing close together risk dislodging rocks onto one another.
Experienced groups spread out carefully.
Every foothold deserves respect.
Lightning
The upper slopes are completely exposed.
Summer thunderstorms can build with frightening speed.
There is virtually nowhere to shelter.
Several serious incidents over the years have involved hikers caught high on the pass during electrical storms.
Falls
While Fangs Pass has not acquired the same grim reputation as some technical passes, falls have occurred on the steeper upper sections, particularly where loose rock and fatigue combine.
A simple slip near the top can have severe consequences.
Rescue Operations
Mountain Rescue teams have responded to numerous call-outs involving:
- ankle fractures,
- exhaustion,
- dehydration,
- hypothermia,
- navigational errors in mist,
- and stranded parties unable to continue.
The remoteness of Mnweni means rescues often take many hours before help even reaches the casualty.
The Wilderness
It still feels...
untouched.
You can spend an entire day there and encounter nobody.
No signposts.
No infrastructure.
No crowds.
Only mountains.
Just as they have stood for millions of years.
Why It Changes People
Nobody says:
"We did Fangs Pass."
They say:
"We experienced Fangs."
There's a subtle difference.
The mountain becomes the subject.
The hikers merely pass through.
Bosun's Reflection
"The wilderness owns my soul."
If there is anywhere in the Drakensberg where that sentence feels completely at home...
It is here.
Standing beneath The Fangs.
Listening to the river.
Watching mist pour over the escarpment.
Realising how small we really are.
A story that deserves telling
One of the most sobering incidents associated with the Mnweni region occurred in December 2007, when respected climber and hiking leader Luciano Colombo lost his life after a fall while leading a party in the nearby Camel Pass area. Although it was not on Fangs Pass itself, the tragedy served as a reminder throughout the Berg community that even the most experienced mountain men remain subject to the mountains' unforgiving nature. The news deeply affected hikers across South Africa and reinforced the old mountain truth: experience reduces risk, but never removes it.
"Fangs Pass is not dangerous because it is technically difficult. It is dangerous because it is remote. Small problems become large problems when the nearest help may be many hours away."
That, in my opinion, is the real lesson of Fangs.
"There are mountains that impress us with their height, and there are mountains that humble us with their silence. Fangs Pass belongs to the latter. Beneath the towering basalt teeth that gave it its name, every hiker becomes simply another traveler crossing an ancient landscape. Here, the wilderness has no interest in our achievements. It asks only that we walk with respect, tread lightly, and remember that we are visitors in a kingdom millions of years older than ourselves."
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.
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