The South African Chronicles - Part 4

The Drakensberg mountains of South Africa or uKhahlamba (the Barrier of Spears) is a 200-kilometre-long mountainous wonderland and world heritage site. The Zulu people named it 'Ukhahlamba' and the Dutch Voortrekkers 'The Dragon Mountain'. The Drakensberg Mountains, with their awe-inspiring basalt cliffs, snowcapped in winter, tower over riverine bush, lush yellowwood forests and cascading waterfalls, form a massive barrier separating KwaZulu-Natal from the Kingdom of Lesotho.


Monday morning, saw us drive to the Drakensberg mountain range. Our destination was a pretty little village called Clarens. It was about a 4 hour drive from Jo’burg. The Drakensberg mountains were the home of the San people or the bushmen. This is also the area where you can still find some original rock art paintings. The entire area was so dramatic especially in the early evening with the sun’s rays on the mountain range. We drove through the Golden Gate National Park which had no entry fee. However it was worth the effort as we came across herds of zebra grazing along the way with no care in the world.


Clarens itself is a tiny village set around the town square. It was a treat to be able to walk on the road in Clarens and not worry about being mugged as the crime rate is negligible. The sleepy little village is a good R&R spot with plenty of self catering and bed and breakfast accommodation. There is even a proper hotel here and it is rumoured to be a holiday spot of Brad Pitt. The highlight of the town is that it has cute shops which sell art, wine, curios and organic foodstuff. The shops have interesting names like the Blou Donki, the Purple Onion, the Ugly Duckling, etc. It begs for you to spend some time browsing through their wares.

Outside of Clarens, is a farm called Schaaplaats which is primarily a horse breeding farm. But they also have some rock art paintings on their premises. It is quite a trek from the main farmhouse to the cave where the paintings are located but it was worth the visit.

The dramatic Drakensberg mountains.......

Amazing to come across zebras grazing.

Our charming self catering cottage.

The Schaplaats horse farm where we found the rock art

Biltong is dried meat which is a favourite with South Africans

We also visited a traditional Basotho village. These people are native to Lesotho which is the neighbouring kingdom. We were welcomed by the Chief and his advisor. The traditional greeting is with a fermented brew which is first tasted by the advisor who confirms that it is not poisoned.

The aloe plant