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For the Tourism Trade and Visitors to the Drakensberg
 Summer 2021/ 2022
Copyright: Cathkin Booking and Management Services
Grey Male Rhedbuck (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Summer is the time of the Dragon and the festivities of 'Shires' in the Drakensberg. This region is the perfect setting, particularly its summer, to imagine that one is in the destination of Tolkien's masterpieces. Few areas in South Africa emulate the striking electric storms of this destination. The 'wrath' of 'The Dragon'. They are a spectacle to behold and will certainly take your breath away. The valleys of this mountain are also the perfect location for 'Hobbit Shires'. The lower slopes of the Drakensberg take on a dark green hue and are the ideal outdoor venue for the festivities of Christmas and New Year. This edition includes overviews of the:
Drakensberg Summer
The Grey RhebuckDrakensberg's most commonly noted antelope ranges across the entire area of this escarpment, particularly in its high lying grasslands. Distinguished by its grey thick woolly coat, short straight horns (males) and long ears. A mediumly sized buck of some 30 kg. Revered by the San as a 'rainmaker'. It is a pleasure to observe one on the Drakensberg's many hiking trails.
(Grey Female Rhebuck Source: Pixabay)
Drakensberg PhotographersKierran Alenn
Kierran Alenn is one of KwaZulu-Natal's prodigies of photography. He was one of the early creative and innovative adopters of drone footage. His 'Enter Durban' film clip was acclaimed as one of the best efforts to promote this metropolis in the last decade. Kierran spent two years collecting drone footage to finally put this masterpiece together. Please see this clip on YouTube. His efforts to capture the splendour of the Drakensberg have been equally spectacular. You will be mesmerised by the Amphitheatre. Kierren Allen owns and operates his own photographic agency, 'Kierran Alenn Photography'.
Gatberg and Zulu Cave Hike
This is a moderate hike of some 26 kilometres in total. It is possible to complete this trail in a day; however, you need to be very fit to do so. The more leisurely and recommended approach is to spend two nights in Zulu Cave. The first day is spent hiking to Zulu Cave. The second day to ascend and descend Gatberg and the last to return to Monks Cowl Camp.
Hiking Tips Sign the mountain rescue register; Wear sturdy hiking boots and carry a walking pole; Wear a light rucksack even in the case of a walk; Ensure it contains food items for at least one day, warm clothing and a poncho (the weather in the Berg can change suddenly), sufficient water, a small medical aid kit, a cell phone, map, torch, whistle and a box of matches; and ideally a bivy bag; If you encounter a bushfire, try to get as quickly as possible to a small grove of trees or light a fire break around you. At worst, run directly through the fire and roll; If caught in a lightning storm, urgently head for a forest. At worst, squat over a piece of insulating material and ideally cover yourself with a poncho or raincoat. Discard any metal items and leave your backpack a distance from you. Do not lie down or stand under an isolated tree; and Walk in a group of at least three persons.
Dingaan's ShelterDingaan's Shelter is a good example of the many San rock art sites that are located in rock overhangs or caves in a sandstone 'belt' that runs across the length of the Central Drakensberg. This shelter is located on a privately owned estate, 'Fernwood'. Special permission needs to be obtained from this estate to view this site, and you should be accompanied by a San Rock Art Custodian or guide.
The panels have excellent examples of Eland paintings. Moreover, Rhedbuck
Bleek and Lloyd's contribution to the interpretation of San Rock Art
Wilhelm Bleek and Lucy Lloyd composed one of the most comprehensive ethnographic accounts of the San of the late 1800s. Although they were not anthropologists, they conducted an extensive series of in-depth interviews with Ixam San. The interviews were conducted with Ixam prisoners that worked on the Bleeks farm. They also learnt and described the language of the Ixam. These efforts culminated in some 13,000 notebook pages of illustrations, genealogies, maps and narratives. This collection is housed at the University of Cape Town, the National Library and Iziko South African Museum. This collection is a national treasure and a United Nations Site of the Memory of the World. These works have been used extensively to interpret the cultural manifestations of the San, such as their rock art. Drakensberg's Trees - The Tree Fern (Cyatheaceae)
The Forest Tree Fern and Grassland Tree Fern are two of the most attractive trees frequently noted in the Drakensberg. The Forest Tree Fern is found along streams and in marshy areas in the Drakensberg's forests. The tree can grow to five meters, and its leaves can extend to some three meters. The Grassland Tree Fern is a smaller specimen and rarely reaches heights of more than three meters. It occurs along open grassland streams and on the fringes of the Drakensberg's forests. Tree Ferns have trunks that are very dark and fibrous. The leaves of these trees are compound and are heavily divided.
Drakensberg's Tourism MarketThe Central and Northern Drakensberg has several major resorts that accommodate more than 100 guests and a significant concentration of smaller self-catering, B&B's, lodges and Guest Houses. These are easily accessed from this regions core markets, namely Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. This area is about a four hours drive from Gauteng and two and a half hours from Durban. It is possible to fly into Pietermaritzburg and cut down the driving time into this destination. The Drakensberg is positioned at the consolidation or mature stage of Butler's Tourism Area Lifecycle model in terms of domestic tourism and the exploration phase concerning the foreign market. The domestic market is mainly made up of leisure holiday tourists that self-drive to the area. They tend to be couples or family groups. There are the occasional conference and incentive group that visit the area. Particularly to resorts such as Champagne Sports Resort, Alpine Heath and Drakensberg Sun. These are the 'Well-to-do Mzansi Families', 'Spontaneous Budget Explorers' and 'Seasoned Leisure Seekers'. Foreign tourists are predominantly self-drive young and middle-aged adventure seekers (Next Stop South Africa's and Wanderlusters from the Millennial and Generation X groupings). They are attracted to the area for hiking and other adventure opportunities such as ziplining, hot air ballooning and helicopter flips. According to South African Tourism, some 65,000 foreign tourists visit the Drakensberg on an annual basis. This segment is approximately 8% of the foreign tourists that visit KwaZulu-Natal and 1% of all foreign tourists to South Africa. This portion seems to be a growing market as some 47,000 were estimated to visit this area in 2016. It can be assumed that the nature of this market is in line with the foreign makeup of the KwaZulu-Natal overseas tourism market that predominantly comes from the UK, Germany, USA and France. Tourism KwaZulu-Natal has determined that some 186,000 domestic tourists visit the Drakensberg on an annual basis. The key markets are the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The overall Drakensberg tourism market is worth in the order of a billion Rand per annum.
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