Tag Archives: travel

Autumn Highland Holidays – Royal Natal’s Cascades

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While the Amphitheatre, which we showed you a few days ago, certainly is Royal Natal’s most awe-inspiring feature, there’s another spot in the Park that few visitors do not spend some time at, and that is The Cascades – a beautiful stretch of the Mahai stream where the water drops over, around and even through some large rocky barriers, just a few minutes walk from the camping area. The rock pools are a delight for people old and young to cool of weary feet and bodies after a tough day’s hiking.

The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
The Cascades
At the Cascades in Royal Natal National Park

Autumn Highlands Holidays – All Eyes on the Amphitheatre

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At Royal Natal in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, there’s one spectacular natural feature that stands out above all the rest, literally and figuratively, and that is the amazing Amphitheatre – a wall of rock 5km wide with its highest peak, the Sentinel, towering over 1,800m above the Tugela River flowing in the valley below and 3,165m above sea level!

On our first day, the Ampitheatre was completely shrouded in clouds
Still heavy skies on the 2nd day, but they lifted the veil a little
Drakensberg Amphitheatre seen from Thendele in the Royal Natal National Park, 23 March 2019
The Eastern Buttress of the Amphitheatre
Sentinel Peak
Walking in Royal Natal
The Amphitheatre from the Tugela Gorge walk
The Amphitheatre from behind Thendele
The Amphitheatre from behind Thendele
The Amphitheatre from Thendele
The Amphitheatre from unit 12 at Thendele
The Amphitheatre
Tugela River
Iconic Royal Natal
The Amphitheatre from the Tugela River
The Amphitheatre from Mahai Visitor Centre
The Amphitheatre from Fairy Glen walk
The Amphitheatre from Mahai Dam

 

 

 

Autumn Highlands Holidays – Golden Gate

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About time we started telling you about our autumn holidays in the mountains in detail, isn’t it!?

Our first stop was an old and familiar favourite: Golden Gate Highlands National Park in the eastern Free State Province, with scenery so unique that photos from there are instantly recognisable. Here in the foothills of the Maluti and Drakensberg ranges, rugged rocks, hillsides green with waving grass and crystal-clear streams of fresh water all beckon to be explored, and the de Wets just can’t resist!

Golden Gate Dam
Golden Gate scenery
Brandwag Buttress seen from Glen Reenen
Brandwag Buttress seen from the Golden Gate Hotel
Brandwag seen from the Golden Gate Hotel
Scenery along the Mushroom Rocks Trail in Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Big sky country!
Mountain views
Golden Gate’s vulture restaurant
Scenery along Blesbok Loop in Golden Gate
Golden Gate photographer
Golden Gate scenery
Golden Gate scenery – the turnoff to Kestell
Golden Gate scenery
Golden Gate scenery
Impressive rock formations typify Golden Gate
Little Caledon
Poplar and Blue Sky
Clean Mountain Water
Oak Trees in the Meriting Picnic Site
Little Caledon River near Wilgenhof
9 years old: March 2019. Walking in the Mountains
Walking in the Mountains
Mountain stream
Little Caledon River flowing past Glen Reenen
View from Highlands Mountain Retreat
View towards the Drakensberg
Dolerite Dyke formation
Full Moon over Glen Reenen

Walking around Golden Gate is the best way to experience the variety of beautiful wildflowers adorning this special place.

Beautiful wildflowers at Golden Gate
Beautiful wildflowers at Golden Gate
Beautiful wildflowers at Golden Gate: River Lilies
Beautiful wildflowers at Golden Gate
Beautiful wildflowers at Golden Gate
Beautiful wildflowers at Golden Gate
Beautiful wildflowers at Golden Gate

And then while taking in the floral splendour you are bound to notice the astounding diversity of insects, amphibians and reptiles that have made this highland habitat home.

African Monarch
Geranium Bronze
Common Meadow White
Table Mountain Beauty
Long-winged Orange Acraea
Yellow Pansy
Swamp Bluet
Unidentified Grasshopper
Maize Beetles might not be indigenous to South Africa, and actually they are an agricultural pest, but they still make a pretty picture!
Leprous Grasshopper
Wandering Wolf Spider with a fly it caught
Unidentified Grasshoppers, possibly from the genus Catantops
Raucous Toad (photo by Joubert)
Speckled Rock Skink

Golden Gate also boasts with a wonderful array of birds, many kinds of which are hard to find elsewhere in the country. During the 4 days we spent in the Park we identified 56 species of bird, just a small slice of the 180 kinds that have been recorded here since the Park was proclaimed over 50 years ago.

Banded Martin
Little Grebe with chicks
Greater Striped Swallows
Ground Woodpeckers
Amur Falcon (photo by Joubert)
Pied Starling
Cape Canaries
Cape Sparrow
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Common Fiscal
Grey-winged Francolin
Mountain Wheatear
Red-knobbed Coot
African Black Duck
White-rumped Swift
White-throated Swallow
African Stonechat
Cape Weaver
Crested Barbet
Hadeda
Levaillant’s Cisticola
Red-collared Widowbird
Yellow-billed Ducks
Cape Turtle Dove
Speckled Mousebird
Female Red-winged Starling
Male Red-winged Starling
Red-winged Starling pair

Golden Gate’s also home to a selection of mammals, both big and small, that are well adapted to the sometimes harsh climatic conditions of a mountainous abode, and these are often encountered while exploring the Park on foot, horseback or the comfort of a vehicle.

Black Wildebeest
Young Chacma Baboon
Blesbok in silhouette
Eland
Grey Rhebuck
Golden Gate’s rangers have beautiful horses with which to patrol
Red Hartebeest
Young Springbok
Black Wildebeest
Herd of eland on a mountain slope
Golden Gate’s rangers have beautiful horses with which to patrol
Red Hartebeest on the run
Black-backed Jackal

Glen Reenen is one of six SANParks-managed establishments offering accommodation to visitors at Golden Gate. On this trip we spent four nights in cottage 27, which has a lovely view from its veranda of the Mushroom Rocks and the glen from which the camp takes its name.

Mushroom Rocks from Unit 27 at Glen Reenen in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Cottage 27, Glen Reenen Rest Camp, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, March 2019
Golden Gate Photographer
Glen Reenen must have the most beautiful fuel station anywhere!
Glen Reenen
Glen Reenen Cottage 26
View from Glen Reenen on a misty morning
Glen Reenen Panorama

Golden Gate lies about 400km south of Pretoria. Our favourite route to the Park is over Sasolburg, Heilbron, Bethlehem and Clarens, though the quickest option is probably via Harrismith and the N3-highway.

Our favourite route to Golden Gate, via Sasolburg, Heilbron, Petrus Steyn and Bethlehem, a distance of about 400km from Pretoria (map drawn with Google Maps)

From Golden Gate we made our way to Royal Natal National Park in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, and we’ll be sharing some pictures from there in following posts.

 

A Wet Welcome to Giant’s Castle

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We’ve arrived to a wet, cloudy and cool welcome at the final destination of our autumn holidays in the Drakensberg: The Giant’s Castle Game Reserve in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park.

Gate into Giant’s Castle Reserve
Giant’s Castle, Unit 7, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, March 2019
View from unit 7 at Giant’s Castle

Fun in the Mountains!

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We’re still enjoying our holiday in the Drakensberg very much, and it seems we’re not the only ones taking a break!

Iconic Royal Natal

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Beautiful early morning sunshine illuminates the Amphitheatre formation here in Royal Natal National Park, with the Tugela River in the foreground.

Joubert’s photographic study of Thendele’s Guineafowl

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This afternoon we were relaxing on the veranda of our cottage here at Thendele in the Royal Natal National Park, when a flock of Helmeted Guineafowl came around for a visit, presenting Joubert with an excellent opportunity to practice some close-up bird photography – and with great success I might add!

9 years old: March 2019. Joubert photographing guineafowl at Thendele
Joubert’s photos of Thendele’s Guineafowl
Joubert’s photos of Thendele’s Guineafowl
Joubert’s photos of Thendele’s Guineafowl
Joubert’s photos of Thendele’s Guineafowl
Joubert’s photos of Thendele’s Guineafowl
Joubert’s photos of Thendele’s Guineafowl
Joubert’s photos of Thendele’s Guineafowl
Joubert’s photos of Thendele’s Guineafowl

The clouds also lifted just high enough for a while to provide a clear view of the Amphitheatre!

Drakensberg Amphitheatre seen from Thendele in the Royal Natal National Park, 23 March 2019

Catching our breath at Royal Natal

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We spent most of today out-and-about in the Royal Natal National Park, enjoying the breathtaking scenery despite regular downpours.

Tugela River
Mahai Dam

We also got a quick glimpse of the magnificent Amphitheatre peaking through the clouds!

A Change of View

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The 21st of March is celebrated as Human Rights Day in South Africa, and we’ve moved southwards into the Drakensberg to Thendele Camp in the Royal Natal National Park. Behind those thick clouds are hidden another of South Africa’s most inspiring natural features; the Amphitheatre, which we hope will be revealed in all its glory tomorrow!

Golden Gate’s Scenic Splendour

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The three of us spent a bit of time today exploring another one of the hiking trails that radiate from Glen Reenen in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. This must be one of the most beautiful pieces of South Africa!