The Royal Natal National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site and is renowned for its spectacular scenery and fabulous mountain trails. The main feature of this KwaZulu-Natal nature reserve is the world famous Drakensberg Amphitheatre, a rock wall 5km (3 miles) long with towering cliff faces up to 1200 metres (3900 ft) high that appear to reach all the way up to the beautiful African skies while viewing them from inside the Tugela Gorge.
Standing above the rock face is Mont-Aux-Sources peak where the Orange River starts its incredible journey west across South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean. The Tugela River cascades down the face of the Amphitheatre at 948 metres (3110 ft), forming the tallest waterfall in the world as it travels east to the Indian Ocean.
The Drakensberg were once the hunting grounds of the San people (bushmen). Though the San no longer live in the area, they recorded their exploits in the form of remarkable rock paintings. There is an abundance of great places to stay in the area all offering the most stirring views of the Drakensberg mountains.
The park is a 80.94 square-kilometre (31.25 sq mi) park boasting a multitude of hiking trails set in a countryside painted in forest greens with the most impressive one of a kind rock formations that flush red in the afternoon light.
One of these spectacular trails is the Tugela Gorge hike. This hike takes in the sights from below, passing through lush forest and zigzagging across the Tugela River in the shadow of the cliff face. The main hiking trail ends at ‘the tunnel’, a narrow section of undulating rock that delivers the crystal clear waters further downstream. For the more intrepid hiker the trail continues onward via a chain ladder along an overgrown path, a lot of rock hopping and river crossings that will take you close to the base of the falls.
While the most spectacular walks are also the most challenging, there are hiking trails to suit all abilities. There is no doubt that the mystical Drakensberg mountains will have you enchanted and longing to visit them again.
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