The Drakensberg Mountains - uKhahlamba (the Barrier of Spears)

Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse - Central Drakensberg

The Drakensberg mountains (The Dragon Mountain) of South Africa, named by the Dutch Voortrekkers but referred to as "Ukhahlamba" the 'Barrier of Spears' by the Zulu, stretches running approximately 1000km north-east and forming the western border of KwaZulu Natal separating KwaZulu-Natal from the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Free State province.

Referred to as the 'Berg by locals, the mountains are mainly basalt rock formed on a base of sandstone which gives the mountains its characteristic look of giant blocks and steep pinnacle peaks. Nature has carved many caves into the soft sandstone and some of these caves have rock art paintings of the San (”Bushman”) who roamed the area before being driven away by the Zulu. There are thousands of these rock paintings depicting their daily life and to preserve this heritage, the Drakensberg was declared a World Heritage Site in December 2000.

The KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg is commonly divided into three regions, The Northern 'Berg with the landmark Mont Aux Sources and Amphitheatre, the Central 'Berg where the peaks of Cathkin, Champagne and South Africa's highest peak at 3450 metres (11,385 feet) Mafadi dominate and the Southern 'Berg which lays claim to the only road access to the Drakensberg via Sani Pass, which at the top, boasts the highest pub in Africa at 3000 metres above sea level. The Southern and Central 'Berg are also popular with with trout anglers and have an abundance of crystal clear lakes and rivers. Several nature reserves including Kamberg and Loteni are worth visiting and both are home to the almost extinct reedbuck as well as blesbuck, eland, bushbuck and oribi.