The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is a protected area in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, covering 2,428.13 km², and is part of a world heritage site.

What makes uKhahlamba Drakensberg special?

The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park has exceptional natural beauty in its soaring basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks, and golden sandstone ramparts. Rolling high altitude grasslands, the pristine steep sided river valleys and rocky gorges also contribute to the beauty of this world heritage site.

Why is uKhahlamba important?

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg National Park is one of South Africa's prime eco-tourism destinations because it is of natural and cultural importance. Peaks are often covered with snow in winter and some are over 3000m high. Some of the highest peaks include Champagne Castle (3376m) and Giant's Castle (3313m).

What is uKhahlamba?

In Zulu the range is known as uKhahlamba, meaning 'barrier of spears', which does justice to its dramatic basalt buttresses. ... Early settlers called it the Drakensberge, because they believed it resembled a dragon's back.

Why is uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park important?

Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site is renowned for its spectacular natural landscape, importance as a haven for many threatened and endemic species, and for its wealth of rock paintings made by the San people over a period of 4,000 years.

uKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park (UNESCO/NHK)

Where is uKhahlamba Drakensberg found?

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is a protected area in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, covering 2,428.13 km² (938 sq mi), and is part of a world heritage site.

Why is uKhahlamba a World Heritage Site?

uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is one of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Africa with a mixed classification - due to its natural and cultural components. ... The cultural element is the San Rock Art that has been described as comprising the world's greatest outdoor art gallery.

Why is it called uKhahlamba?

Etymology. The Afrikaans name Drakensberge comes from the name the earliest Dutch settlers gave to the escarpment, namely Drakensbergen, or Dragons' Mountains. The highest portion of the Great Escarpment is known in Zulu as uKhahlamba and as Maluti in Sotho ("Barrier of up-pointed spears").

Where can escarpment found in Africa?

The Great Escarpment is a major geological formation in the southern part of Africa, and a large portion of its areas lies within the borders of the nation of South Africa. It extends to form the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique and in the western region, it continues up to northwards into Angola and Namibia.

Where are the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa?

The Drakensberg is part of the Great Escarpment and separates the extensive high plateaus of the South African interior from the lower lands along the coast. From its northeastern termination in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, the range extends through Lesotho to Eastern Cape province.

What are facilities of uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park?

For diverse facilities to suit all budgets, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park offers scenic rest camps and fully equipped Drakensberg accommodation. This Drakensberg accommodation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, offers luxury lodges, fully-equipped cottages and chalets and overnight caves.

Where is the Highveld in South Africa?

Location and description. The Highveld constitutes almost the whole of the Free State, and Gauteng Provinces, and portions of the surrounding areas: the western rim of Lesotho, and portions of the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga Provinces of South Africa.

When was uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park declared a heritage site?

UNESCO declared the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu Natal a World Heritage Site in 2000. The park is 240 000 hectares large and is filled with beautiful rivers, wetlands, indigenous forests, grasslands, valleys and cliffs. Many endangered animal and plant species live there.

How difficult is Sani Pass?

It's not paved, and the weather can seriously affect the conditions of the pass. It can be anything from a well-graded gravel track to a very challenging 4×4 drive over large loose boulders and deep ruts. In any condition, it's a steep, narrow track close to a precipitous drop. It can only be driven in a 4×4 vehicle.

How much does it cost to enter uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park?

Entrance is R20 per person. Keep the entrance ticket as it also covers access to the nature reserve. The central Drakensberg is about 90 minutes drive away and an easy daytrip.

How is an escarpment formed?

Escarpments are formed by one of two processes: erosion and faulting. Erosion creates an escarpment by wearing away rock through wind or water. One side of an escarpment may be eroded more than the other side. The result of this unequal erosion is a transition zone from one type of sedimentary rock to another.

Where is the escarpment?

The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over which the Niagara River plunges at Niagara Falls, for which it is named.

Where is the escarpment located?

It lies predominantly within the Republic of South Africa and Lesotho but extends northeastward into eastern Zimbabwe (where it separates much of that country from Mozambique) and northwestward into Namibia and Angola (where it separates the central plateaus of those countries from their arid coastal plains).

What are the three attractions in KwaZulu Natal?

• The Drakensberg. The Drakensberg. ...
• Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. ...
• iSimangaliso Wetland Park. iSimangaliso Wetland Park. ...
• Sodwana Bay National Park. ...
• Editor's Pick Kwa Cheetah Breeding Project. ...
• Nambiti Private Game Reserve. ...
• Sani Pass. ...
• Durban's Golden Mile.

What is the longest mountain in South Africa?

Thabana Ntlenyana, also called Thadentsonyane, Thabantshonyana, or Mount Ntlenyana, mountain peak (11,424 feet [3,482 m]) in the Drakensberg and the highest in Africa south of Kilimanjaro.

What is the highest point in Durban?

The Drakensberg Mountain Range is one of South Africa's most spectacular natural wonders, showcasing a selection of the most breath-taking vistas imaginable. It is the highest mountain range in the country, reaching an impressive 3 482 metres above sea level.

Where is Tugela waterfall situated?

Tugela Falls, series of cataracts in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The falls are located near the source of the Tugela River in the Drakensberg mountains and are situated within Royal Natal National Park.

How were the Drakensberg mountains formed?

The Drakensberg Group was formed approximately 182 million years ago during the early Jurassic period. Rifting tectonics in response to the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana are believed to have been the cause for the formation of the Drakensberg Group.

Which country are you in when you can see Table Mountain?

Table Mountain, Afrikaans Tafelberg, flat-topped mountain in southwestern South Africa, overlooking Cape Town and Table Bay and dominating the northern end of the high, rocky Cape Peninsula.

Why is the Highveld called the Highveld?

The ecoregion draws its name from the high interior plateau known as the Highveld, and the expansive cover of species-rich communities of grasses. The ecoregion is bordered by the Drakensberg in the east, the arid Karoo and Kalahari in the west, and the low-lying bushveld to the north.