Blogs from Drakensberg, Free State, South Africa, Africa

Roadtrips in South Africa are very different to roadtrips in the UK. Driving to St Andrews in Scotland is one of the prettier routes, with snow-capped hills accompanying long stretches of the motorway, but long trips in my mind are still characterised by grey roads, rain (usually), and soulless service stations. South African motorways still have grey roads and soulless service stations, serving Spur or Wimpy instead of Little Chef. But they make up for it by having hours and hours of glorious straight empty stretches disappearing into endless mountains, devoid of signs of human life for miles and miles at a time. South Africa is really big, allowing it the luxury of much more natural space than the UK. Driving from Johannesburg, Gauteng, to the Maloti mountains in the Free State is like going into ... read more

'Southern Africa, Land of Beauty and Splendour'by Thomas Victor Bulpin, a Readers Digested edition. Many years ago I bought this book with it's dramatic pictures of storms approaching and breathtaking scenic photography. It ignited the fire in me to see more of South Africa, one of the catalysts that drew me towards the Drakensberg in the late 1970's for a holiday. South Africa was a land of contrasts then and is even more so today. Paul's mom visited us from Cape Town for a few weeks in June this year and we decided to take her on a short trip to one of our favourite places for a weekend, because we knew she would enjoy it there. At the age of 79, we love to give her the opportunity to go away with us while she ... read more

Day 6-11 Hogsback-Drakensberg-Johannessburg. After a wet night in Hogsback, and Simon having a few wins on the pool table we set off back in our big yellow truck for Lesotho (pronounced Les suit too). Lesotho is a very small kingdom of 2 million people completely landlocked by South Africa with mountains and highland. It is a constitutional monarchy and unfortunately the 3rd poorest country in the world, with unemployment between 30-50%. After making it through the border crossing with no dramas, the drive into Lesotho, with beautiful mountain views and waving village people made us start to feel like we were in real Africa. Settling into our cute and picturesque campsite in the town of Malealea we decided to go for a run through the village. Not an easy run in the heat, altitude, general lack ... read more

As you approach the Northern Drakensburg, you feel mesmarised by the dragon mountains covering the horizon. Baboons run wild across the road while african children burn the land while hunting with dogs. The smell of smoke lingers in the air, while you are met with beautiful lakes and misty mountains. At only 3482 metres above sea level, this place truely is a hikers paradise. While in Johannesburg I met a couple of lads that showed me some photos of the dramatic landscapes in the Northern Drakensburg. They warned me hiking in the mountains isnt cheap and getting there is difficult on public transport, but even on a backpackers budget, I knew the challenge was set and it had to be done. The Northern Drakensburg is a remote part of South Africa, close to the country Losoto. ... read more

Shortcut's in Africa. What NOT to do Just thought I'd give a quick account of a great idea we had, when travelling from the Drakensberg mountains south east of Johannesburg, to Rustenburg, north west of Johannesburg. It was a Friday, and to avoid the renowned hectic traffic jams that stop the city everyday, we thought we'd drive along the R24, a national highway that cuts around the city. When we turned off the major highway, there was a sign that said 'Potholes, next 5km'. If you ever see this sign, please take it seriously. There were a couple holes in the road, but nothing too major. Not straight away at least. We stopped and swapped drivers, so I was behind the wheel, and as we cruised along, the road kind of fell away in front of ... read more