The southern Drakensberg lies a bit off the
beaten tourist track and is not very well known. In this beautiful area of
the Southern Drakensberg the nature lover finds
alpine landscapes of dramatic beauty. A Southern
Drakensberg favourite is with trout anglers, since the region has an abundance of crystal
clear lakes and rivers. There are several Southern Drakensberg nature reserves, of which
particularly the Kamberg and the
Loteni are worth a visit. In
both reserves live the almost extinct reedbuck, blessbuck, eland, bushbuck
und oribi. A wonderful circular trail leads through the Loteni Reserve.
The tourist highlight of the southern
Drakensberg is the Sani Pass. It's the highest pass-road in South
Africa and leads all along the upper Mkomazana River up to the border with Lesotho
(2874 metres above sea-level).One frequently comes across people from
Lesotho on their donkeys. At the river one can find many an idyllic picnic
spot. Particularly the last part of the untarred stretch (behind the South
African border post) is extremely steep and rocky and can only be managed
with a four-wheel drive vehicle. But the breathtaking view of the rugged
alpine landscape is a memorable reward. It is highly recommended to cross
the border, because on the Lesotho side there is a little restaurant and a
Basotho village. The border is open daily between 8.00 am and 4.00 pm.
Provision centres for the southern part of the Drakensberg are the towns of
Underberg, Himeville and
Bulwer, where there is accommodation in
different price ranges available. Popular
with hikers, rock climbers, trout fishermen, and other holidaymakers, the
Southern Drakensberg
area offers a wide range of hotels, country lodges, and bed and breakfast
accommodation venues, as well as camping sites and caravan parks.
For the
more adventurous there are also many trails in the Southern Drakensberg which use caves up in the
mountains as overnight stops. A weekend of hiking and climbing, interspersed
with dips in the icy pools and rivers, goes a long way to restoring those
weary of city life. The escarpment of the Southern Drakensberg is frequently covered in snow in the winter months,
transforming the area into a picture-postcard winter wonderland.
Himeville has an excellent museum which
gives mainly information about the first white settlers who came here in the
1890s already. One gets to the Southern Berg either by travelling the R101 (Midlands
Meander) via Nottingham Road (from there the Sani Pass is
sign-posted) or over the southern access via Bulwer (easier drive, but less
scenic).
The Southern Drakensberg is also the home to thousands of Bushman painting sites, evidence
of the small, primitive San people who practised a prehistoric life style in
the area long ago. The earliest of these paintings are about 800 years old,
and the golden age of the painters was between 400 and 200 years ago.
