Drakensberg

To round off our time in S Africa we had 2 weeks free to travel wherever our fancy took us. We started by drivng south through Gauteng & the Free State to KwaZuluNatal. We spent 1 night in Thendele Hutted Camp in the Royal Natal N P described quite rightly in our Rough Guide as "1 of the most sought after places to stay in S Africa" & without straining our budget overmuch at only 45 pounds a night. Luxurious as the accommodation was, the reason it's sought after is it's location at the end of valleys dotted with Zulu villages & farms at the foot of the Amphitheatre, a 5 km rock wall in the Northern Drakensbergs. The views were awe-inspiring.

We did some walking there, 1st to Tiger Falls & then a 22km hike along the Tugela Gorge. There was a good deal of confusion at the end of this 2nd walk! A group of assorted Europeans (Czech, Dutch, German, Scottish) spent more than an hour trying out various unmarked trails which we hoped would lead to the 900 m high Tugela Falls which we'd expected to find as the reward for our efforts in the blazing sun. We eventually gave up & settled for a picnic by a 10 m high waterfall instead. We later discovered that the Tugela Falls dry up at this time of year, but the park management didn't think it was worth mentioning.

Our next 3 nights were spent at the Amphitheatre Backpackers Lodge - a great place to stay (fabulous bar & delcious veggie food) with terrific views of the mountains. In fact, we were treated to the most fantastic sound & light show while we were there. As we huddled in the shelter of our patio, thunder rolled & lightning fashed over the mountains all around us for several hours. We had experienced several spectacular stoms while in Africa, but this was the most amazing of them all. We were dumbfounded by the sheer power of the elements on display. (Howard says, " Don't worry Mum, really, we were safe. We stayed away from trees & couldn't find a golf club to swing about!")

We did some more walking at Cathedral Peak, along a riverside & up into the hills, with a Zulu guide called Moses leading the way, to Bushman's Rock, where we could see the rock art left behind by the Koisans, the aboriginals of S Africa.