The Drakensberg

A trip to Natal including the Drakensberg, Midlands Meander and a visit to Patsi and Joe Schuhmann

We left Pretoria early on Monday morning February 17th for a visit to KwaZulu Natal. Although one can drive to Durban and the Natal coast in about eight hours we planned a leisurely trip with a stop-over for the night in the Drakensberg mountains. Our route took us through the Free State south of Johannesburg to Harrismith, where we stopped for lunch and over the Van Reenen's pass to Winterton and the Dragon's Peak Resort in the Drakensberg. It was a cloudy morning with the un breaking through from time to time. The countryside was beautiful after ample summer rains with the Savanna grassland showing off earth colours dotted with bright Cosmos flowers along the way. Peter kept on telling me how similar the scenery (South of Johannesburg) was to North Dakota where he grew up on a farm. He said that he would not know the difference should anyone blindfold him and put him down there without him knowing where he was.

The Tugela river in the Drakensberg

Dragon Peaks Resort

"Recognised by the ancient mystics of our land as breathing new life into the human spirit, the inescapable allure of this 200-kilometre long wonderland owes much to its intense relationship with people...the million-plus years of Stone Age occupation in particular. This culminated in the tragic disappearance, during the late 19th century, of the San hunter-gatherers colloquially referred to as Bushmen. Migrating chiefdoms from the Great Lakes of Central Africa had in the 13th century been humbled by the sheer magnitude of this uKhahlamba - Barrier of Spears - destined to become the western extreme of their Zulu Kingdom. The ox-wagons of Boer settlers negotiated its precipitous passes in 1837 on the Great Trek from British dominion in the Cape Colony to a 'Promised Land'. The name Drakensberg was coined forty years later when a Boer father and son reported seeing a dragon - a giant lizard with wings and a tail - flying high above the cloud-shrouded mountain peaks.

The inscription in late 2000 of uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park as a World Heritage Site brought long-overdue recognition of its universal value to mankind. Meeting the criteria for both Natural and Cultural listings, the site can now officially boast 'superlative natural phenomena and beauty, unique richness of biological diversity, the conservation of all-important endemic and threatened species plus masterpieces of human creative genius in the form of 35 000 'San rock art images'. Many people have known this for a long time!"

Howick Falls, KwaZulu Natal

After a lovely breakfast on the sunny patio Patsi and Joe accompanied us to show Peter the Kloof Gorge. Then we stopped at the beautiful Camelot golf estate. This beautiful residential estate has a golf course, a replica of a castle where medieval functions are presented and all the houses are built in Tudor style.

After walking around there for a while we drove on and arrived too late to see some traditional Zulu dancing at Rob Roy hotel but there was time for drinks (passion fruit for Peter at this particular occasion (LOL) and I had to take some photos before we went on to the Pot and Kettle Restaurant for lunch. I had fun buying some fridge magnets of butterflies that stuck nicely to my CI and decided that these magnets would make perfect gifts for my numerous CI friends as well. The day was beautiful and sunny and I had a better view of the Valley of a 1000 Hills than on a previous visit to Patsi and Joe.

After indulging in more eating and drinking we said goodbye to our friendly hosts and went on to Umhlanga Rocks on the Natal North coast where we were to stay for the next few days.

Pot & Kettle Restaurant & Craft shops

We arrived at the small town of Winterton during the early afternoon and decided to have a look at what's on show at the small museum. This small museum situated in Church Street was well worth a visit. The museum has fascinating displays on the history of farming in the area, the Zulu and a unique gallery of San paintings. Since we did not have time to visit the San Paintings in the mountains this was the ideal opportunity to see replicas of them. The other exhibits included a blacksmith shop, and the Anglo Boer War battles of Spioenkop and Vaalkrans which took place nearby.

After the museum visit we proceeded to the Dragon Peaks Resort and our comfortable self-catering unit at the resort. The Drakensberg Mountains formed a majestic backdrop and I had visions of taking beautiful photos the next morning hoping for some sunshine and a less cloudy day. However, the next morning the mountains were hidden behind heavy fog and it started raining. However, the rain did not wash out the visions of the previous afternoon when enjoyed a lovely walk through the resort.
The uKhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site is described as follows:

Need I say more? Peter will have to come back so that we can hike to the caves to see those San paintings! Maybe then we will also have time (and be able to hear!) the sweet voices of the Drakensberg Boy's choir in concert since Dragon Peaks (where we stayed) is also the home of this well-known South African Boys Choir that received similar acclaim than the Austrian Vienna Boy's Choir on their tours abroad.

The next morning we were on our way to Patsi and Joe in Kloof following the beautiful Midlands Meander. This route boasts interesting farm stalls, craft shops and more of the beautiful scenery of the Drakensberg. Our first stop brought us to Thokosiza, a craft village with interesting present day African art and a lovely tea garden where we indulged in some cakes and rooibos tea. From there we stopped to buy some home-made goat's cheese and wine at a farm stall and headed for the Nottingham Hill Hotel that Patsi recommended for a taste of home-brewed beer and lunch. Peter was delighted to try out a selection of beers that was ideal to wash down some spicy mutton curry.

The rest of the drive was similarly beautiful and included a stop at the Howick waterfall before we arrived at Patsi and Joe's home in Kloof. Needless to say we were welcomed with true South African hospitality including warm hugs, a delicious meal and lots of laughter as we sat talking till late with me and Patsi yakking till the wee hours of the morning after we "put the men to bed".