Tingley's Travels : Ukhlamba Drakensberg

I took my first holiday to the Drakensberg Mountains at the end of September. The mountains form the border between South Africa and Lesotho and are a major attraction for adventure seekers. We decided to do the Bell Traverse Hike in the northern area, which many guide books and websites said was one of the most beautiful and rewarding hikes in the “Draks.” It most certainly was, but it didn’t come without its challenges. Our first day was only 8km but in about 9 hours we climbed a vertical mile. Around 4pm, we began ascending a gully, almost certain we would find the Bell Cave, our fist overnight stop, when we reached the top. We didn’t. It lay another hour and a half beyond, up and over a steep rock fall each of us overlooked when we reached the top of the gully; no one would ever make a trail up such a pass. Well, after a few minutes of searching around, I dropped my pack and scrambled up the fall and saw the faintest sign of a cave on the trail around a bend. Back down I went to fetch my pack and onwards we traveled. Finally, after night fell, the last of us came into camp after one of the most exhausting but absolutely stunning days of hiking I’ve ever had. Two days later we emerged, having traversed the high peaks at over 3000m our entire second day. Smiles painted the faces of 6 very dirty, very tired but very happy Peace Corps Volunteers as we limped into the grocery store to find some rewards.