Drakensberg
Garden Route Cape Town & Winelands Kruger National Park Sun City
The Drakensberg are the highest in South Africa rising to 3 482m and running along 1000km in length. The mountain range separates the two provinces Kwazulu-Natal and the Freestate. The bigger parts of the mountains were named "Ukahlamba" - the barrier of spears - by the Zulus who Oprah Winfrey believes she is a predecessor. The first white people to travel through this area, called the "Voortrekkers" called it Drakensberg, which roughly translate to "the dragon mountain".
Most of the escarpment falls under the Ukahlamba-Drakensberg National Park which is listed on the Wetlands of International Importance. Beautiful grassland turns bright green in summer after the rains and fades to a delicate blonde, often with snowy highlights in winter. The Drakensberg Traverse is one of the popular hiking trails which takes about three to four weeks! Other shorter routes can also be tackled in under two hours.
The mountain's top consists of basalt (1500m) and the lower part of sand stone which create a scenic master peace and your senses will be stimulated by exquisite rock art of the San, or Bushmen, who lived in the area until driven away by other tribes. If art isn't your thing, game like baboons, eland and other antelope grace in over 2,500 flowering plants, many of which are endemic. The rare Lammergeier, or bearded vulture, also inhabit the area and it contains the source of the Tugela river, and includes the 912 m high Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall on earth.
At Bulwer and Oliviershoek paragliding and ice climbing can be done in the iced waters in the winter. Four by four is a great pastime in South Africa and the challenge of Sani Pass are enjoyed by enthusiasts and keen mountain bikers. The kids also have some fun riding on ponies along dams and streams overloaded with fish. Some of these include Sterkfontein Dam and if fishing is not your game, golf courses come to the rescue yet again. Women are not forgotten as spas, craft shops, cheese factories and coffee shops will earn the golfer some brownie points.