Do Yourself a Flavor...go to The Berg
Trip Start
Jan 31, 2011
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12
18
Trip End
May 27, 2011
Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Friday, March 18, 2011
Being presented with a four day weekend ahead of us, ten of us decided to head to the Drakensberg Mountain Range located in the Transkei; the northeastern area near the landlocked country of Lesotho. We knew the trip would be long but we had no idea how much time we would spend in a cramped car together…I found out that would be the greatest blessing of the trip.
With our bags all packed and lunches made for the trip we sat on the curb at Langerry and awaited the return of the guys with the rental cars. All of a sudden Nick rolled up in a Mercedes Benz, a car we clearly did not order nor could we afford. He quickly explained to us that they didn't have the car we ordered so they upgraded us no charge! Since the trip to Drakensberg would take over 12 hours (we thought) more than one of us would drive and I was both nervous and excited to drive. First of all it was a Mercedes, plus add in the fact that I had never driven on the left side of the road before and you got one energized guy ready for the trip.
The thrill of driving on the opposite side you learned how to drive a car on is an intense feeling. My body was racing with adrenaline and I felt a nervous jolt every time a car passed me on the right side. After a five hour stint behind the wheel I felt I had had enough and would let someone else give it go. It proved to be a bad idea as a couple of hours into Luke’s shift driving we had the blue lights flashing in our rearview mirror and we were being pulled over for speeding. In South Africa you have to pay the ticket right then and there as well so we had to drive back to the police station in town to pay the R400 ticket (almost $60). After the slight detour we were back on the road again.
We had all been planning on a 12 hour trip to Drakensberg so when we reached the 12 hour mark of our journey and were nowhere near the mountain range we began to panic a little. Luckily we stopped at a gas station and were given wonderful directions by a gas station attendant sent straight from above. We were to make our way towards Durban (the very northeastern city of SA) and find the turn off to Highway R57; a highway we were doomed to never find. Somehow we managed to stumble upon Golden Gate National Park in hopes that our backpacker was inside. As we began to pass through the park we saw huge dark masses that looked as if they could touch the sky. The sun had set and we had come upon the Drakensberg Mountains much later than we anticipated. With our minds focused on the mountains, Nick had to swerve the car so we wouldn’t hit…a deer, no wait they don’t have those in Africa…we looked closer and saw a Zebra scampering into the woods! I don’t think that is something that would ever happen to me in the States.
We finally reached the Ampitheatre Backpackers around 2am. We were all exhausted and crashed immediately. The next day we awoke rather late but still had enough time to get in a couple hour hike in the mountains. We decided on Cathedral Peak and drove about 30 minutes to a ritzy hotel that stood at the bottom of the peak to park our car. Due to our excellent navigation skills we ended up on a path to Doreen Falls, a waterfall situated near the base of one of the mountains. We all changed into our swimsuits and jumped in…the water was freezing! Then I quickly remembered I was swimming in a waterfall in Africa and I was warmed by the thought of such an adventure. After we splashed around for awhile we changed and ate lunch right in front of the falls. The Transkei had gotten a ton of rain lately so the waterfall was flowing with extra force. Once we were back on the path we somehow found our way to Mushroom Rock, a rock formation situation near Cathedral Peak (obviously shaped like the fungi). The path was longer than we expected and we had to turn back in order to make it back to Ampitheatre in time for dinner. In typical South African fashion we had to slow down on our way home because a group of baboons had taken the road hostage. They weren’t as intimidating at the cattle that had blocked the road earlier in the morning on the way there but the baboons still commanded our attention. We honked at them and they scampered off into the forest. After a delicious steak and chips (fries) dinner and a couple brews it was time for bed. We had a long day ahead of us as we had booked a trip to Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall in the world!
The next morning we loaded up combies and began to make our way to Sentinel Peak, one of the highest points in the Drakensberg Mountain Range and only a 15 minute hike to Tugela Falls. Just as we were leaving the backpacker I heard someone in the back of my vehicle say, "I’m from Iowa," in response to a question someone had asked. Now, those aren’t words I am too used to hearing when I’m living abroad in Africa for four months so naturally I turn around and ask her where in Iowa she is from. The mystery woman says she’s is from Ankeny, IA but goes to school in Dubuque, IA. I asked where in Dubuque she goes to school and she proceeds to tell me she goes to Loras College and works with my mom! Needless to say, I had met Kaitlyn, someone my mother told me I had to meet up with in South Africa because she was studying abroad as well. I had no idea I would randomly meet her 15 hours away from PE in the Drakensberg Mountain Range! After that morning surprise I was ready to tackle the mountains. We got out of the vehicles at the base of Sentinel Peak. The climb itself wasn’t too difficult as the path was pretty flat and wrapped nicely around the mountain. To get to the actual peak we had to climb a 200 ft. stone gully which was an intense workout to say the least but well worth the effort as soon as I reached the top. Overlooking the entire mountain range, Sentinel Peak stands at 3,200m tall (about 7,000 ft. above sea level). What made the peak even more amazing was the fact that the drop down to the next level was 1,000m (3,000 ft.). It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen and we hadn’t even reached the waterfall yet.
The hike to Tugela Falls wasn’t very difficult and we reached the top of the waterfall within fifteen minutes. The 970m waterfall was truly something, however a bit anticlimactic as the river was a little low in that region and the falls weren’t as strong. Nevertheless, I can check it off the list, climbing to the top of the second highest waterfall in the world! We snapped a couple group photos and it was time to make the decent down. Going down the mountain was clearly much easier but slightly more nerve-racking as the only way we could get down was to climb down chain-link ladders that were bolted into the face of the mountain. I’ve never been afraid of heights but clanking against the side of a mountain while climbing down a 15m ladder does have a level of fear attached. Hastily I climbed down the first ladder and then proceeded to climb down the second ladder (25m) to get to the base level and make the 45 minute walk back to base camp.
We got back to Ampitheatre in time for dinner and a bit of relaxation. It was really quite a cool atmosphere as the place was packed with people from all over South Africa. There was a long bar, pool tables, a projector screen playing the local rugby match on TV, and even a Jacuzzi inside. Outside was a patio and outdoor pool with music playing. While climbing to Sentinel Peak and Tugela Falls qualified as a big day, we had an even bigger day of travel ahead of us the next day so it was time to turn in early. Our place was an eight person dorm with bunkbeds and a bathroom. We also had a deck that overlooked part of the mountain range. It was quite a sight waking up in the morning and going out on the porch to see the fog lifting from the mountains as the sun rose above the peaks.
It was finally Monday and we had to go home. I wish we could have stayed even longer as there were many more trails and peaks we could have explored but we needed to get back so we could do our service and school on Tuesday. We woke very early (4am) so we could leave by 5am. I drove the first leg of the trip as I was eager to get home for the final rugby match of the season. Nick and Luke shared in my desire and the three of us tried making it home faster than it took us to get to “The Berg” as they call it. Unfortunately, driving the rural communities of the Transkei we hit a patch of glass on the road and our tire was leaking air. We stopped at a gas station and got it changed but the trip home ended up taking longer than expected. While the trip was long and grueling I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I got to know the people in my car, and on the trip, a lot better and I got to experience one of the coolest adventures of my South African journey. Not bad for a four day weekend excursion to The Berg.
