Up the chain ladder

To balance on the lip of the Tugela Falls and peer into the void is like standing on the edge of the world. This has got to be one of Africa’s best-known mountain scenes, and you have to be there to understand why people get so lyrical about the Drakensberg escarpment.
Below you, the Amphitheatre stretches in an arc to left and right, its sheer precipices falling away as much as 1 000 m into the serene Tugela valley.
It is not nearly as difficult as it sounds to hike to the top of the Amphitheatre and then to the top of the Tugela Falls, which tumble 917 m over the crest.
It is a walk I have enjoyed with many people. Once, I even managed to coax my mother up the chain ladders!

Where? From Phuthaditjhaba, a bumpy road descends to the base of Sentinel Peak. Starting at the car park and permit office, you pay a R20 day entry fee, and continue on good paths that lead to the gigantic northern face of the Sentinel.
From here you hike around the peak to the main escarpment, where a series of sturdy but exposed chain ladders lead to the top of the escarpment. It’s less than an hour’s walk over easy terrain to the falls.

Can anyone make it? Anyone who is reasonably fit should be able to get to the top. Even though the ladders are exposed, there are enough places to hold on to. Fit children older than 13 should be able to do it easily. Those with a fear of heights had better stay home.

How long will it take? From the car park it is about a two-and-a-half hour trek up. Give yourself the best part of an hour at the top for photos and lunch, and another two hours to get down.

And if I want a guide? Amphitheatre Backpackers offers one-day trips up to the falls for R300 per person. This includes transport, entrance fees, the guide’s fee, a community levy and lunch.
Contact: Linda and Elsie 036 438 6675; amphibackpackers@worldonline.co.za

Below the falls

Okay, you’ve been to the top of the Tugela Falls, but have you explored the caverns and kloofs of the Tugela Gorge below them?
In this kloof in the heart of the Drakensberg’s foothills (the so-called Little Berg) you can hike all the way to the walls of the Amphitheatre and the crashing waters of the falls.
The Tugela has cut a meandering path through this gorge for millennia, creating an enchanted landscape of boulder-strewn streams and deep kloofs.
High peaks that seem to touch the sky above surround you on three sides.
You can swim and relax in the rock pools and suntan on the enormous boulders along the way.
At the top end of the gorge where the water cascades down the Tugela Falls, the waterway is deep and narrow, like a giant wormhole. From here you can swim and kloof your way to the foot of the falls, which is the best place to enjoy lunch. It’s possible to do this with just a little wading most of the time, but a sudden storm can see the situation change rapidly, so ask Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife officials beforehand how deep the water is.

Where? Park your vehicle where the road ends near the Tendele Rest Camp in the Royal Natal National Park. Good paths with signage lead into the gorge.

How long will it take? It’s a five-hour round trip, depending on how far you venture and how long you linger.

Advice? Pack lunch and other goodies in a watertight bag.

Cost? Day visitors pay R25 per person and R35 per vehicle.

Contact: Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, 036 438 6303; webmail@kznwildlife.com

Chill out in style

Deep in the little-known Injasuti area is a rock painting of a battle and some natural pools sculpted in white marble, aptly named the Marble Baths.
 Unlike the traditional images of figures and animals, the Battle Cave has a full-scale depiction of a battle scene.
The two parties of Bushmen running at each other and engaging in battle is a masterpiece. The intensity of the fight is palpable.
Unfortunately, this cave has been rather crudely fenced off to keep people out, and the life-size replicas of Bushmen going about their daily chores seem a bit cheesy.
But the images on the wall are worth every step of this excursion, which has the added appeal of a refreshing swim at the nearby Marble Baths.
Among my earliest Berg memories is splashing in the white rock pools with my schoolmates. 
Have your lunch here and wash off the dust on a hot summer’s day.

Where? Visiting the Battle Cave requires an Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife day permit and an official guide.
You can also walk to the Marble Baths with just the normal one-day permit for the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park.
Permits and guides are organised at the Injasuti Hutted Camp, the starting point for walks into the Injasuti area.

How long will it take? A couple of hours to the cave and half a day to the baths. Visit the cave first; it’s near the start of the trail and the guided tour starts early. Then you can head to the baths afterwards for a lunch break.

Cost? R20 for a day visitor fee, and R50 per person to visit the cave with a guide. There is only one tour a day, which leaves at 8.30 am, so make sure you get an early start.

Contact: Injasuti Hutted Camp (Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) 036 431 7848; webmail@kznwildlife.com

Pub lunch and a cold beer

One of the best things about hiking and climbing in the Cathedral Peak area is being able to dump your pack on the veranda of the Cathedral Peak Hotel and tuck into a hearty meal and a cold lager.
This is why a stop-off at one of the grandest and most established of the Drakensberg’s resorts is so popular. The hotel with its commanding views is in the valley beneath Cathedral Peak.
For those who wish to venture past the lawns and stables, Cathedral Peak Hotel is also the starting point for many hikes.
For the fitter, keener hikers, the hotel offers a full-day round-trip hike to the top of Cathedral Peak, which includes a climb up a chain ladder near the top.
If you just want to chill, the hotel’s patio is the best place for drinks and a snack. Or tee off on the golf course, ride a horse, fish for trout or take a helicopter flip to the summit at sunset.

Where? Travel to Bergville from Johannesburg, and to Winterton from Durban. Follow the signs leading you to the twisting tar road that ends at the hotel. Visit Cathedral Peak Hotel’s website for an accurate map.

Contact: 036 488 1888; info@cathedralpeak.co.za; www.cathedralpeak.co.za

Aim high, very high

Many readers will have already attempted Sani Pass and celebrated the trip with a Jägermeister or a meal at the “highest bar in Africa”. But next time you’re up there, stay a little longer and hike up the highest mountain in southern Africa.
Affectionately named Thabana Ntlenyana, or “the pretty little mountain”, by the Basotho people, this is the highest peak on the African continent south of Kilimanjaro, rising to an airy summit of 3482 m above sea level.
Starting from the top of the pass, whether you do it on horseback or in your walking shoes, this is one of the best day outings!

Where? To hike to the top of the roof of southern Africa, the easiest start is from the Sani Top Chalet at the crest of the Sani Pass. The pass is about 50km from Underberg. The South African border is at the bottom of the pass and the Lesotho border at the top, so remember to take your passport.  
Keep in mind that the border post closes at 4 pm. A round trip by road takes about six hours.
You can book a guide at the resort (for about R150) to show you the way.

How long will it take? This is a long trek at high altitude (about eight hours), but it’s over easy terrain. It can also be done on horseback. A day trip will start in the morning at Sani Top Chalet, so you will have to stay over the previous night. Don’t attempt to camp unless you know the area well.

Contact: Matthew Wiggill offers a day trip up the Sani Pass in one of his sturdy Land Rovers for R320 per person 033 701 1411; 082 595 8444; matthewwiggill1@yahoo.com. Jonathan or Rowena will attend to all your needs at the Sani Top Chalet 082 715 1131; sanitop@futurenet.co.za; www.sanitopchalet.co.za

Maluti downhill

If you share my frustrations at the lack of ski or snowboard facilities in Africa or you are keen to find out what all the fuss is about, then it’s time for you to visit Lesotho.
Five hours from Johannesburg, on good tar roads and up the spectacular Moteng Pass, you’ll find the Afri Ski Resort, which has Africa’s longest ski run: a 1200 m-long slope at the top of the 3200 m-high Mahlasela Hill.
The run is fully operational, with an imported ski lift to get you to the top, snow blowers to make snow when there isn’t any around and two grooming machines to create the perfect conditions.
When I first visited Afri Ski two-and-a-half years ago, they were still trying to make snow, but their enthusiasm has seen some solid developments. So much so that, on my second visit during the previous winter, their lift and slope had been working for three months.
We were lucky enough to arrive in the middle of the biggest snowstorm in years, an event that saw us snowed in, with nothing to do but ski.
 This near-nirvana ended abruptly five days later when we tried to start our Land Rover (see below) only to discover its engine had cracked! Moral of the story: Always use antifreeze in Lesotho.
Engine rebuilding aside, Afri Ski will cater for all your needs on the day, including ski and snowboard hire, clothing and goggles, as well as much-needed hot chocolate and food at the restaurant, and beers and drinks at the bar.

Where? An early start from Gauteng or KwaZulu-Natal will get you to the Butha-Buthe border post (open 6 am to 10 pm). Don’t forget your passport! Once through the border, follow the signs to the resort some 75 km away. A mega pass must be negotiated, and although this road is a good tar thoroughfare suitable for two-wheel drive sedans, it can be iced up and slippery. After a big snowfall, 4x4s, snow chains and a fair amount of guts is required.

Cost? The 2007 prices are R190 per person per day from Monday to Friday for a ski pass, plus charges for kit hire. On weekends, charges for both are higher.

Contact: Afri Ski 012 347 7215; www.afriski.co.za.

Pluck up the nerve

I have climbed this wonderful mountain many times, the most memorable occasion being when my girlfriend at the time and I decided to camp near the summit of Mount Memory, but ended up under an overhang, sheltering from an electric storm.
In the morning I had the startling experience of a baby berg adder curling around my baby toe when I put on my boot!
 Mount Memory is the north summit of Sterkhorn, a pyramid-shaped mountain with three gnarly-looking peaks that rise above the trees from the Monk’s Cowl Forest Station.
To the south is Cathkin, an immense square block of basalt with a flat top. But Cathkin is only for experienced mountaineers, and there’s many a grim tale of courage and bravery surrounding the numerous attempts to scale it.
Mount Memory is far friendlier, and makes an awesome one-day scramble without sophisticated climbing gear.
The climb follows the eastern ridge, which is spectacularly narrow in places, before breaking right over steep ground (not for the faint-hearted), leading to the final stretch to the top.
At a small col near the summit, you have to squeeze through a narrow tunnel in the rock to get to the top.
Take time to savour the 360-degree view and spare a moment for the men who died in World War II – a cross was erected on the mountain in their honour.

Where? Follow the signs from Winterton to Monk’s Cowl. The trail starts at the Monk’s Cowl Forest Station, where a one-day permit must be purchased. Don’t forget to sign the rescue register.

How long will it take? All day. Start early to avoid poor weather and being overtaken by darkness.

And if I want a guide? A guide is recommended, as the climb is tricky for the less experienced. A private guide costs R150 per person, which includes the entrance fee (minimum of four people).

Cost? There is a standard day visitor entrance fee of R20.

Contact: Monks Cowl (Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife), 036 468 1103; howella@kznwildlife.com. For a guide, call Brighton on 082 216 9974 or 072 538 1331.

Become a fly on the wall

Are you brave enough to take to the cliffs? Do you have a head for heights? Then you can tackle Sentinel Peak.
It is a one-day climb to the summit of this spectacular summit – a 3 165 m-high block of freestanding basalt situated at the confluence of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg and the Maluti Mountains.
The Sentinel was first climbed in 1910 by two tough cragsmen, WJ Wybergh and NM McLeod. Their pioneer climb has become something of a classic and a good beginners’ route, being an accessible and easy scramble most of the way.
Even inexperienced climbers can tackle it with a guide, provided they’re reasonably fit.
The main difficulties present themselves early on. At the base of the southwest face, a 20 m gully marks the start of the climb. This may be wet and slippery in summer or iced over in winter, so send the guide up first!
With the hardest climbing behind you, an exposed sideways traverse leads to the bulk of the south-western face, which is covered in thick green bush.
At the top of this face a second, easier yet tremendously exposed climb makes for an exhilarating finale before the summit, where incredible views in every direction are a just reward for the hard work. 
Don’t forget to sign the summit book to record your conquest.

Where? Park at the Sentinel car park. Continue up the path that leads to the chain ladders. At a point beneath the saddle between the Sentinel and the main escarpment, a rough path working its way left leads to the gully. Don’t try it on your own, though. This technical climb requires ropes, harnesses and helmets, and mountaineering knowledge.

How long will it take? About five hours up and three hours down.

And if I want a guide? Professional guide Gavin Raubenheimer of Peak High Adventures will take up to two people to the summit (and get them back down!) for R2 400.

Contact: 082 990 5876; peakhigh@futurenet.co.za; www.peakhigh.co.za

(Note: Prices accurate in April 2007)