Which province is the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains?
KwaZulu-Natal province
The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is a protected area in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, covering 2,428.13 km2 (938 sq mi), and is part of a world heritage site.
What makes uKhahlamba Drakensberg unique?
The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park has exceptional natural beauty in its soaring basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks, and golden sandstone ramparts. Rolling high altitude grasslands, the pristine steep sided river valleys and rocky gorges also contribute to the beauty of this world heritage site.
What does the name uKhahlamba mean?
In Zulu the range is known as uKhahlamba, meaning ‘barrier of spears’, which does justice to its dramatic basalt buttresses. Early settlers called it the Drakensberge, because they believed it resembled a dragon’s back.
How much does it cost to enter uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park?
Entrance is R20 per person. Keep the entrance ticket as it also covers access to the nature reserve. The central Drakensberg is about 90 minutes drive away and an easy daytrip.
Is Lesotho in South Africa?
Lesotho, country in Southern Africa. A scenic land of tall mountains and narrow valleys, Lesotho owes a long history of political autonomy to the mountains that surround it and protect it from encroachment. Since the Neolithic Period, the mountain kingdom was the domain of Khoisan-speaking hunter-gatherers.
Why is uKhahlamba a World Heritage Site?
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is one of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Africa with a mixed classification – due to its natural and cultural components. The cultural element is the San Rock Art that has been described as comprising the world’s greatest outdoor art gallery.
What are facilities of uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park?
For diverse facilities to suit all budgets, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park offers scenic rest camps and fully equipped Drakensberg accommodation. This Drakensberg accommodation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, offers luxury lodges, fully-equipped cottages and chalets and overnight caves.
Where can escarpment found in Africa?
The Great Escarpment is a major geological formation in the southern part of Africa, and a large portion of its areas lies within the borders of the nation of South Africa. It extends to form the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique and in the western region, it continues up to northwards into Angola and Namibia.
Why was uKhahlamba Drakensberg mountain named?
Etymology. The Afrikaans name Drakensberge comes from the name the earliest Dutch settlers gave to the escarpment, namely Drakensbergen, or Dragons’ Mountains. The highest portion of the Great Escarpment is known in Zulu as uKhahlamba and as Maluti in Sotho (“Barrier of up-pointed spears”).
What is there to do in the Drakensberg Mountains?
- 1 – DRIVE THE SANI PASS TO LESOTHO.
- 2 – STARE AT THE DRAKENSBERG AMPHITHEATRE.
- 3 – HIKE TO TUGELA FALLS.
- 4 – SCALE NERVE-TESTING CHAIN LADDERS.
- 5 – CHAT TO THE LESOTHO SHEPHERDS & GOATHERDERS.
- 6 – CLIMB THE 3,000 METRE CATHEDRAL PEAK.
- 7 – BOULDER HOP UP SHEER-SIDED GORGES.
- 8 – INDULGE AT THE CATHEDRAL PEAK WINE ESTATE.
What to expect at Drakensberg uKhahlamba Mountain Park?
The Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park offers a natural haven of incredible variety. High up in the Berg the weary walker is rewarded by the hardy and fragile mountain flora common to high altitude climes. On the slopes of the Little Berg the vegetation is called Montane.
How big is the Drakensberg mountains in South Africa?
Framed by the Drakensberg Mountains and punctuated by yellowwood forests, indigenous grasslands and many rivers and streams, the region forms part of the 243 000-hectare uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (it also forms part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Park with neighbouring Lesotho).
Is the Drakensberg amphitheatre a World Heritage Site?
Included in the World Heritage Site is the jagged, green sweep of the Amphitheatre, easily one of the most extraordinary cliff faces on earth. The Amphitheatre’s recognisable, almost flat, plateau extends wall-like for 5 km as it looms over the Drakensberg National Park like a sentinel.
Where is the Maloti Drakensberg Park in South Africa?
The Maloti Drakensberg Transboundary World Heritage Site is a transnational property spanning the border between the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa. The property comprises Sehlabathebe National Park (6,500ha) in Lesotho and uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park (242,813 ha) in South Africa.