Drakensberg

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Drakensberg (Maluti)
uKhahlamba
Mountain Range
Name origin: Dragon's mountain
Countries	South Africa, Lesotho
Landmark	Tugela Falls
Rivers	Tugela River, Orange River, Vaal River, Caledon River
Highest point	Thabana Ntlenyana
- elevation	3,482 meters (11,424 feet)
Lowest point
- elevation	1,294 meters (4,245 feet)
Length	1,000 km (621 miles), SW to NE
Geology	Basalt, Sandstone
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Name	uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park
Year	2000 (#24)
Number	985
Region	Africa
Criteria	i, iii, vii, x
IUCN category	II - National Park

The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: "Dragon's Mountain") mountains are the highest in Southern Africa, rising up at Thabana Ntlenyana to 3,482 m (11,422 ft) in height. In Zulu, they are referred to as uKhahlamba ("barrier of spears"), and in Sesotho as Maluti (also spelled Maloti ). Due to their Geological formation they are exceptionally distinctive, and almost unique amongst mountain ranges the world over. Only the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia resemble the Drakensberg strongly.

They are located in the eastern part of South Africa, running for some 1,000 km (600 mi) generally southwest to northeast, with a northwesterly bend forming the northeastern border of Lesotho with South Africa. They are drained on the west by the Orange and Vaal rivers, and on the east and south by a number of smaller rivers, the Tugela being the largest. The range thus separates KwaZulu-Natal Province from Free State Province, looming over the nearby coast of Natal.

The highest peak is Thabana Ntlenyana at 3,482 m (11,422 ft). It is also the highest peak of Lesotho. Other notable peaks include Mafadi at 3,450 m, Makoaneng at 3,416 m, Njesuthi at 3,408 m, Champagne Castle at 3,377 m, Giant's Castle at 3,315 m, and Ben Macdhui at 3,001 m. All of these are in the area bordering on Lesotho; north of Lesotho the range gradually becomes lower and less rugged until entering Mpumalanga where the quartzite mountains of the Transvaal Drakensberg are more broken. The Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga is technically within the Northern reaches of the Drakensberg, though its geology appears exceptionally different due to the lack of a Basalt cap which the High Drakensberg has.

Geologically, the Drakensberg is a remnant of the original African plateau. The mountains are capped by a layer of basalt up to 1,500 m thick, with sandstone lower down, resulting in a combination of steep-sided blocks and pinnacles. The sandstone layer was deposited as the remnants of a gigantic lake that occupied much of what is now Southern Africa ca 500 Million years ago, whereas the Basaltic layer was deposited ca 220 Million years ago in what many geologists think was the largest volcanic eruption in the history of the world (linked with the splitting of the tectonic plates of Africa and South America). Subsequently, water and wind erosion (principally from the east, facing the Indian Ocean) has cut into the enormous plateau, producing an extraordinary and almost unique landcape. The Drakensberg is one of only two mountain ranges (along with the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia) to have been formed in this geological way, which accounts for its extraordinarily distinctive formations and colors. The landscape is dominated by extremely steep cliffs, some of them amongst the most impressive cliff faces on earth (see Amphitheatre), incised buttresses and soaring ramparts.

Caves are frequent in the more easily eroded sandstone, and many have rock paintings by the Bushmen. The Drakensberg has, collectively, at least 40 000 works of bushman art and as such is the largest collection of such work in the world. Due to the materials used in their production, these paintings are difficult to date, but there is anthropological evidence, including many hunting implements, that the bushman civilization existed in the Drakensberg at least 40 000 years ago, and possibly over 100 000 years ago. The Bushman population was decimated in various wars from the 17th century, mostly between them and African tribes invading the fertile area. Ultimately they were completely annihilated by Europeans in the 19th century, due principally to confusions over claims to land and hunting animals. Being hunter-gatherers, the Bushman did not believe in ownership of livestock, but did believe strongly in hunting grounds (whilst exactly the opposite held for the Europeans). Thus the bushman would hunt European livestock, and the Europeans would infringe on hunting grounds, neither with a concept that they were transgressing upon a rule of the other. Both sides responded, with Bushmen raiding the Europeans, and Europeans attacking the Bushmen. The superior technology of the European guns and weapons spelt certain disaster for the bushman, and the last bushman was seen in the late 19th century. There are still desert busmen tribes dwelling in the Kalahari and Namib deserts, but tragically the culture of the mountain bushmen no longer exist.

Snow falls regularly in the winter, while rains and mists can occur year-round. In Summer the valleys of the mountains often see temperatures in the mid to high 30 degrees Celsius (90 to 100 Fahrenheit), whilst in winters temperatures on top of the mountains may plunge to below -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit). Snow is known even in Summer, and Cathedral Peak Hotel, one of the most popular resorts in the Drakensberg, has known a white Christmas.

In the southern Drakensberg there is a ski resort called Tiffindell which is open from late May to Early September. Tiffindell may receive as much as 2.5 metres of snow during good skiing years.

Many of the Drakensberg peaks offer challenging mountaineering. While the major summits have all been conquered, a number of minor pinnacles have yet to be ascended. Hiking is also a popular activity. Navigation on long hikes is often aided by GPS receivers, and current maps distributed by KZN (KwaZulu-Natal) Wildlife uses the Cape datum as the geodesic reference. GPS users should be careful to use the correct datum as WGS 84 is not always the default.

Tourism in the Drakensberg is developing, with a variety of hotels and resorts appearing on the slopes. Most of the higher South African parts of the range have been designated as game reserves or wilderness areas. The uKhahlamba or Drakensberg National Park, located in KwaZulu-Natal, near the border with Lesotho, was listed by UNESCO in 2000 as a World Heritage site. The park is also in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (under the Ramsar Convention).

The most well known national park in the Drakensberg is the Royal Natal National Park where the Amphitheatre can be seen. It contains the source of the Tugela River, and includes the 947 m high Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall on earth. But it is the Central Drakensberg that offers tourists the best access to bushman rock art Kamberg and the largest range of hiking trails.

Panorama of the Giant's Castle region

Gallery

• The Rockeries.JPG

  The Rockeries, Mnweni, Northern Drakensberg.

• 

  Drakensberg range from space showing brown basalt and pale sandstone layers.

External links

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