Drakensberg in August: is it the right time? (page 2 of 4)

Hi there, In August snakes are rare 🐍 No other critters 🐜 Yeah, there should be a fireplace—I’m not totally sure. Bring some firewood.

For the rest, you’d want to check Thendele’s site on kznwildlife. The big principle is still going solo without a guide.

Noted for solo without a guide. Just need to get my companion to read your advice now. I love the phrase "In August, snakes are rare." Well, with all that, I guess I just have to go for it... and buy some fleeces, jackets, and beanies😛 We can always reuse them in Mafate next July!!! Malijp

I took a look at the site Sure enough, you can see a chimney There are heated blankets No guided hikes apparently But book the little guided walk to see the San paintings And ask the guide if he remembers a group of French people with one who spoke Zulu

Thanks Michel for all this info! An electric blanket....awesome.....if there’s electricity (that’ll bring back childhood memories!) And yeah, I won’t forget to bring up that anecdote I remembered from your travel journals! There can’t be many French people who speak Zulu Would you share a few Zulu basics (hello, thank you, please, goodbye...)? Malijp

Hi there,

Coming from Réunion in terms of hikes in the Drakensberg, you might be a bit disappointed. Here’s what I recommended a few years ago... Just so you know, my favorite was the "Chain Ladder Hike" or "Sentinel Peak" for its fun side, starting from the "Sentinel Car Park." Then there’s the Krack (The Crack and the Mudslide), which starts from Thendele Camp if I remember correctly. The easiest one is the Tugela Gorge (still from Thendele), a nice little walk if you take the trouble to continue with the ladders when you reach the "Tunnel." Here’s the list of hikes: https://www.royalnatal.info/hiking-royal-natal-national-park Check out my old post about the hikes I did at Thendele:

:!https://voyageforum.com/forum/randonner-dans-drakensberg-d7130305/ But I’m not sure what you’ll find in August... Otherwise, you can go skiing at Afriski (Butha-Buthe district in Lesotho! The resort is at 3,000m and it’s called Afriski!... Just kidding😏

Not easy to get the accent right on VoyageForum…

PS: In the 2015 discussion https://voyageforum.com/forum/randonner-dans-drakensberg-d7130305/ You can also check out what Willemspie says—he’s a safe bet for trekking and hiking tips. In Blyde Canyon, the Leopard Trail isn’t anything special in my opinion...

Thanks for the tips and the links. I’d already found the one for Royal Natal NP. I’ll check out the forum where you talk about the hikes you’re recommending. I think I’ll skip Sentinel Peak in August to avoid freezing on the spot! !😄 And skiing at Afriski… not even a consideration! After that, I’m really going there to soak in the views, not necessarily to exhaust myself, so I think we’ll find plenty to dream about! MaLijp

Oh yeah! It’s gonna be a bit tricky if you have to write in two versions: written and spoken!!! MaliJP

It's impossible to predict the weather conditions you'll have in August during the days you're there... All we can say is that, according to stats, rainfall is very low in August and the sky is often clear, which seems most important for hiking. Negative temperatures are quite rare (expect averages between 8 and 13°C). The chance of snow is very low... since you're planning day hikes, you just need to check the weather forecast the day before. No risk of getting stuck on the road if you don't take high-altitude passes like Sani Pass. Thendele Camp isn't at high altitude (around 1,200m if I remember correctly), so snow there must be exceptional! For reference, the Afriski ski resort in Lesotho, which peaks at 3,000m (8 to 10°C cooler on average), has been relying solely on artificial snow for years.

I don’t know your hiking levels, but the "Crack and Mudslide" trail doesn’t go very high and isn’t physically very difficult. It offers beautiful views and a equipped section (cables, ladders) in the cliff, so it’s not very dangerous. I recommend this hike—it’s more spectacular than the others around Thendele Camp.

PS: No worries about critters... snakes, etc. You’ll just see monkeys that won’t let you get close.

This is just my opinion, but I don’t see the point of staying at the Upper Resort, which is only about a hundred meters higher (you pass it when you start hiking) than the Lower Resort where we stayed. The Lower Resort is great...

I'd like to hike in Blyde Canyon (Leopard Trail or another), with a guide or without? What do you think?

There’s really no risk of snow there... No need for a guide on the Leopard Trail. The path is perfectly marked with signs... (featuring the animal if I remember correctly). It’s impossible to get lost! That said, it’s not exactly thrilling (though that’s subjective).

we should find plenty to make us dream, I feel!

Yes, the Drakensberg is a really beautiful region. Except where it's mandatory (like the rock art sites), you don’t need a guide for the classic hikes.

Just a heads-up—unless you're an experienced hiker, always add two difficulty levels to what Djalma rates.

Warning, unless you're an experienced hiker, you should always add two levels of difficulty to the level stated by Djalma.

I’ll admit I might be the hiking superhero😕, but in the Drakensberg, I hiked with my wife who’d never done any sport in her life. She’s the perfect example of an average hiker... The hikes we did together in South Africa are suitable for all average hikers—even very average ones. I’m part of a hiking club in France (I’m a mid-mountain guide) and in my club, there are people of all ages, including some octogenarians who regularly hike in the Vercors on routes with much greater elevation gain and difficulty than what I recommend in the Drakensberg. If I’m suggesting these hikes here, there’s a good reason.

Malijp mentions hiking in Mafate... No matter the starting point (Maïdo, Canal des Orangers, Col des Boeufs, Taïbit, etc.), hikes in the Mafate cirque are more challenging than those in the Drakensberg, which are offered at Thendele by the park authorities (see the hiking map given out by park staff before setting off). You said yourself you’re not a hiker in a message I can find... PS: We went to the rock art sites about 1 hour’s walk (with little elevation) from Thendele without a guide. Once there, we explored the site—the gate was left open—and we respected the place. P.S.: My wife was over 60 when we did the 4 or 5 hikes in South Africa.

Thanks Atila for the advice about guides. Now I just need to convince my partner! By the way, I just came across a worrying list of things that happened to travelers in South Africa on the Routard forum. So now I’m stressed, even though I wasn’t really worried before. We’re doing a loop: Johannesburg, Gaskrop, Kruger (Phalaborwa gate, exiting via Malelane), Eswatini, St. Lucia, Umhlanga (we’re visiting the aquarium in Durban for my daughter), Drakensberg, and back to Johannesburg. Is it really that risky? Should I try to reassure myself? Thanks for your reply. Malijp

Thanks for the tips. It reassures me about the snow side, even if one year never looks like another... For the hikes, I’ll study things more closely, but I think decisions will be made once we’re there based on the weather and the fatigue built up from the road (we’re finishing with the Drakensberg). Oops, typo: *fonction* not *focntion*! Malijp

For the hikes, I’ll study things more precisely, but I think decisions will be made once we’re there based on the weather and how tired we are from the road (we finish in the Drakensberg).

At Thendele, we decided on the route the same morning after getting up and checking the schematic map provided by the park staff. In the evening after the hike, since the weather was perfect, we decided to do another hike the next day (Tugela Gorge) and booked another night at the camp for that. Safety-wise (that’s just my feeling), I was more on edge on the road. I barely avoided a cow (near Durban) and on a hill, I found myself face-to-face with a truck! Over there, on the "hard shoulder" of the "highways," cyclists and pedestrians (Black people, not white) ride and walk against traffic... to see the danger coming! 😏 On secondary roads in poor condition where in France we’d be limited to 80 km/h, white people in their big cars happily drive at 110 or even faster!

Well, it’s a classic route That makes sense I’ve done it again and again this year (partially and more or less) I know all these spots Seriously, the risk of problems is very low Except for Durban, which remains a no-go zone for me, especially part of the beach area When I’ve heard stories from travelers or South Africans… It was in Durban or Joburg or in central Cape Town near the big hotels About hikes When a South African says "easy" It’s not going to be that easy "Medium" means it’s going to be complicated "Hard"… I’m not going RNNP, if I understand your mindset and your hiking level You’ll find hikes of a few hours or less without much difficulty If you want some extra tips for your trip Just to put your mind at ease… I’m here if you need to ask…

In short, be extra careful on the road!

A few clarifications There are no motorways in Afs. There are national roads, some with tolls and separated traffic. The yellow strip along the road isn’t an emergency lane but a usable space (not for all vehicles—it’s actually indicated on the back of the vehicle) to facilitate overtaking. It isn’t present everywhere. You’ll find the same system in Crete! As for the comments about whites in big cars and Blacks on foot or by bike (bikes are rare in Afs) on this space… It’s just the kind of remark someone who doesn’t know the country would make. Sorry, Painting that picture is false and caricatured. It’s much more complicated…

That’s a good principle. I’d add that speed cameras are getting more and more common, as are speed bumps and other traffic calming measures. It’s really great, especially around schools. Hitting a pothole (or "ostrich nest" as they call them here) on the road sure slows you down! Keeping some cash in the car isn’t a bad idea either. Aroundaboutcars, for example.