Day 1: (Mon) Durban / Sani Pass (LD)
We leave Durban by 06h30 this morning heading north towards the village of Underberg at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains. Here we transfer to 4x4 vehicles and begin climbing the highest vehicle pass in Southern Africa - Sani Pass. The views from Sani Pass are utterly spectacular and invariably make a lasting impression on 'first-timers'.
At the top of Sani Pass is the border post between South Africa and Lesotho, thus passports are a must. Once inside Lesotho we visit a Sotho tribal village, and interact with the local people before enjoying lunch at the highest pub in Africa, perched right near the edge of the mountain, it has few rivals in terms of pub views. Lesotho is a fascinating country, landlocked and entirely surrounded by South Africa, it covers 30 355 square kilometres and is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1000 metres in elevation. Its lowest point is 1400 metres, with over 80% of the country lying above 1800 metres above sea level!
Fortified after lunch, we depart Lesotho, and wind our way back down the mountain and spend the night in a nearby hotel.
Accommodation: Drakensberg Gardens or similar
Day 2: (Tue) Drakensberg Mountains (BD)
Today your morning is at leisure to enjoy the spectacular views of the Southern Drakensberg Mountains before we continue via the southern Midlands Meander Route, where we come to one of the most beautiful view points amidst these 'dragon peaks', the World Heritage Site of Giant's Castle. You are then free to spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the stunning scenery and fresh mountain air.
The Drakensberg Mountains are the highest in Southern Africa, rising up at Thabana Ntlenyana to 3,482 m in height. In Zulu, the mountains are referred to as uKhahlamba ("the barrier of spears"). The Drakensberg has collectively at least 40 000 works of bushman art and is therefore the largest collection of this kind in the world. Anthropological evidence indicates that the bushman inhabited these mountains between 40 000 to over 100 000 years ago! The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park, is a proclaimed World Heritage Site because of the abundance of bushman rock art - here you can savour wide open spaces, dramatic peaks and buttresses of towering sandstone cliffs, hidden valleys, virgin forests and crystal clear rivers. The black eagle, the bearded vulture and herds of eland as well as a myriad of other animals, bird life and indigenous plants are protected in this magnificent park.
Accommodation: Giant's Castle or similar
Day 3: (Wed) Drakensberg Gardens (BD)
After breakfast, we set off on a leisurely 3km round-trip hike (average level of fitness required) to the caves, which were once home to South Africa's earliest inhabitants, the San people, better known as bushmen. Enjoy a guided tour of the rock paintings, which remain on the cave walls as clues to their simple existence. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, or take to the mountains again for an afternoon hike.
Accommodation: Giant's Castle or similar
Day 4: (Thu) Midlands (B)
After a final leisurely morning, we make our way back to Durban via the quaint arts and crafts stores and farmer's markets of the northern Midlands Meander Route, arriving back in Durban in the late afternoon.
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