Drakensberg: Hike up Tugela Gorge
The Tugela Falls (950 m), on the right of the picture, is the second highest waterfall in the world. The Mountain Club’s hut here is the last built shelter on the trail.
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.
(Note: Price accurate at time of publication)
Contact?
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, 036 438 6303; webmail@kznwildlife.com
Submitted on 28 November 2011 | 13:32:45
just to add on that. the hiker can also do two falls in one day, if he is strong enough. howver, i will also recommend the Gudu falls on the seconday.
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