Crossing the Drakensberg: 180 kilometers in the wilderness, where every step costs something

The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in southern Africa, spanning South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Treks in this area are among the most beautiful in all of Africa, but there are almost no marked trails or tourist infrastructure. You will have to rely on yourself and your companions, because apart from a handful of locals you will probably not meet anyone at all. An eight-day trek, 180 km, a total elevation gain of 8,500 m, unpredictable weather and challenging terrain – you will have to deal with all of this. But the reward will be absolutely breathtaking scenery and unique experiences that will be worth telling. Traveler Jarda Gabrhelík will guide you on your trek through the African wilderness.

It's January 2024 and I'm writing to Honza, a guide from the Expedition Club, who has some tempting expeditions planned for this year. In a few days I'll be flying to Gambia for a road trip through the Western Sahara, but I hope it won't be the only expedition this year, so I'm doing some research. Honza tells me that he's still planning to list the crossing of the Drakensberg, which should be in the fall. I have no idea about the Drakensberg. It sounds like Asia to me. I fire up the search engine and the mountain range on the border of South Africa and Lesotho pops up. And pictures of mountains I've never seen before.

TIP: You can find more photos from African trips, e.g. to the still undiscovered Western Sahara or to the highest mountain in Uganda, on Jarda's Instagram @jary_drak.

Treks in the Drakensberg are among the most beautiful in all of Africa. Photo: Author's archive

Johannesburg: time to switch to Africa

After returning from the Western Sahara, the expedition is already planned. A nine-day trek in the deserted mountains, a visit to Swaziland with the second largest monolith in the world, a real safari in the Kruger National Park or the second largest canyon in Africa. I consider this tempting expedition and it ends with me meeting five other adventurers and Honza at the airport in Vienna on November 7. We fly via Qatar to Johannesburg. There we meet the last three members of the expedition, who flew via Istanbul. We have ordered two cars at the rental office at the airport, but we already need to switch to Africa, everything has its time. In other words, we have enough time to withdraw local money, have coffee and look around after the night flight.

After about two hours, we finally have our cars and we set off. There is a five-lane highway leading from the airport and it is quite clean here, I am surprised. It does not look like the increased crime rate that they warned about everywhere on the Internet. But the city is misleading us. Although there are no barricades burning here and there is no shooting, the fences are high, topped with live wires, or are made entirely of barbed wire. The windows on the ground floor are mostly barred. I reassure myself that this is certainly a relic of past years. We buy the most important equipment, gas cartridges, and we can go to the mountains.

But it is a long way to the mountains, so we stay in the city for one night. We are staying at a hotel and want to sit down somewhere in the evening. The reception is surprised by this and advises us not to go out in the evening. The nearest bar is only two blocks away, we are taking a risk. After all, it is Honza's birthday that day. We manage the trip there and back without any problems. The locals in the bar are cool and we play pool with them. It's really strange in the city. There's no one anywhere and we only see two cars. One night is enough for me.

Exhausting climb to the mountains

We set off in the morning, first to the store to buy the last supplies and food for the day, we have a whole day's journey ahead of us. First we arrive at the place where we will sleep after the trek. We leave the cars there with unnecessary equipment and continue by taxi.

We arrive at the accommodation in the dark. We have ordered a three-course dinner, I see a certain similarity to the last supper and in fact it is. The next dinner will be from a bag. In the morning we treat ourselves to breakfast and take taxis to the start of the trek. Full of energy we throw our backpacks on our backs and set off.

And we climb and climb and climb. After about two hours the rain comes. I naively think that we are choosing bad luck on the first day and then it will not rain again. Fortunately, it does not rain for long, just like it will every other day. With the increasing altitude meters, our strength decreases. We knew the first day would be tough, but reality hurts, even if you expect it.

With the first peak, the suffering is just beginning

In the afternoon, we finally reach the top and the plain opens up before us. I thought that the worst part was over, that we could just find a nice spot and set up camp. Wrong. We soon reach the saddle, which we have to cross. Our pace on the climb is already very poor and we rest often. To make matters worse, it starts to thunder. I have had enough in the saddle, but there is no time to rest. We still have to go to the valley and as quickly as possible, the storm is approaching.

I try to speed up, but I can't even go downhill. My legs are wobbly and I don't feel well. Finally, we are at our campsite. We set up the tent in the rain. With the last of my strength, I inflate the sleeping mat, spread out the sleeping bag and lie down. The storm doesn't last long again. My roommate for the next night, Roman, goes to cook. I don't even think about eating. I bite into a chocolate bar once, swallow a pill, and go to sleep. "You're going to die here, my friend," is my last thought before falling into a deep sleep.

On the roof of South Africa

I wake up in the morning like a new person. I have breakfast and everything is back to normal, I don't understand. We pack our tents and set off for the highest point of our crossing. Compared to the previous day, things are going better, after all, we still have less than nine hundred altitude meters ahead of us, while the previous day there were seventeen hundred.

Around noon we easily conquer Thaban Ntlenyan. With its 3,482 m above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Lesotho, the highest point in the Drakenberg and also the highest mountain in South Africa. Just below the peak in the leeward direction we have lunch. This is followed by a long descent into the valley. Soon we come across the first and not the last local. While there is a national park on the South African side, on the Lesotho side the locals graze their cattle during the summer.

During the trek in the Drakenberg, you will probably not meet anyone except your companions and a handful of locals. Photo: Author's archive

In the village of the "Dementors" or meeting with the herders

In the valley we come across several simple oval dwellings. The walls are made of stones and the roof is mostly made of grass. When a group of locals converges on us, it reminds me of the "Dementors" from Harry Potter thanks to their dark ponchos or some kind of blankets that they all have over themselves. Honza hands out cigarettes that he has prepared for such cases. Sometimes someone asks us for "sweeties" or alcohol.

We don't have any bad experiences, but we don't want to sleep nearby. Honza has read that herders sometimes steal backpacks from the vestibules of tents at night, so we don't want to take any risks. But there are quite a few dwellings in the valley, so we march until there are none nearby. Moreover, there is fog, or rather clouds at this altitude, and after dinner it starts to rain for a change, which we welcome this time.

Above the sea of clouds

Before going to bed, we tie our backpacks to the tent just in case and take our valuables inside. It rains all night and in the morning when we wake up, so we postpone the wake up call twice before it finally stops. There is a decent swamp all around and cows behind the camp. Luckily, they didn't come through our camp. After breakfast, we try to dry out the tents a bit. Two visitors arrive, probably some local middle class, because they both have colorful clothes, and even clean ones. We dry and pack for more than an hour. These two watch us the whole time, then just wave at us and go their separate ways.

The weather is terrible. For a while it looks like a nice day, but then it gets cold and cloudy. It doesn't take long for it to rain again, and a cold wind also joins in. I don't like this weather very much. We scramble up another hill and the wind whips us. However, our reward awaits us at the top. Finally, the incredible panoramas are here, as they were in the photos. We are standing on the edge of a fault and clouds roll in front of us.

As if there was nothing else there, just a sea of louds. To the right and left, a clear border stretches between the fault and this sea. We enjoy it for a while, but we need to move on. We descend into the valley, the sky clears and the sun begins to shine. We set up our tents near the river and since we have good weather and the weather looks stable, we set off to a nearby peak. Here the whole scenery with the sea of clouds is repeated, only everything is bathed in sunlight. The weather is still holding, so we also do some hygiene. You immediately feel better.

Overnight stay in a cave

The night is clear and cold, as is the morning. But the warm porridge and coffee will kick start you up. Plus, we're climbing again right away, so we're immediately warming up to operating temperature. Up on the ridge, my breath is taken away. I thought nothing would ever beat yesterday's views, but that's exactly what's happening and will continue for the rest of the trek. The clouds are gone, so you feel dizzy when you look down from the break into the incredible depth. The Drakenberg in all their beauty. We could easily stay here, make some coffee and enjoy it for an hour. But we have to move on, the weather is going to get bad again in the afternoon.

As we descend into the next valley, the first clouds roll over the edge. It doesn't take long and we're walking in fog, and that won't change for the rest of the day. Our goal is a cave, where we want to sleep. There will be no water near the campsite, so we filter it at the last stream. It starts to thunder and we arrive at the cave already in the rain. The cave is spacious, but full of dust and ash. Luckily we have tent mats. It has a unique atmosphere. After dinner we play “Explosive Kittens” and it is the first time we have all slept together.

By the river: an idyll that doesn't last long

For a change, it's raining in the morning, so we postpone our wake up call, this time just once. After breakfast, we return to the ridge, where we continue for the first half of the day. It's quite windy, but it's not raining and the views are great. Around noon, we descend into the valley. We immediately find ourselves in the lee, the sun is shining and it's beautiful. We have lunch by the river and dry our sleeping bags and socks on the stones, simply idyll.

After lunch, there's another in a series of endless hills. The reward is the incredible views. At the top, we decide what to do next. The weather in the following days is always supposed to turn bad in the afternoon. We wouldn't mind rain, but none of us want a storm at three thousand meters. The weather is good, so we continue for another 9km. We set up our tents at dusk, but as the following days will show, it was a good decision.

“Every day something different will piss you off”

The next day we have a choice – to continue along the ridge or go through the valley. We choose the valley. The sun is shining and the lower we are, the warmer it is. A small river flows through the valley and it has been three days since the last hygiene, so the plan is clear. After a swim, we continue our descent. The valley begins to bloom and smell. The relaxation does not last forever, we need to climb again.

Jurda utters memorable words: “Hey, I like the diversity of the Drakensberg. Every day something different will piss you off.” We laugh, a brief and concise description of the Drakensberg. At the top there is another fault and behind it clouds and we go straight into them. We have lunch in the clouds and the forecast is starting to come true, it is thundering. Fortunately, there is supposed to be a cave on the route. We have it as a backup plan. It doesn’t take long and we have to activate our backup plan.

The path leads along a traverse and I am glad that we are still in the clouds, because I can only see about 5 meters below me and it is quite clear to me what is below. I definitely do not want to slip. The cave is smaller than the previous one, ten of us could somehow sleep there, but it would not be comfortable. We hope that the storm will pass and we will not have to spend the night here. We make coffee, play “Explosive Kittens”, just an afternoon siesta, as it should be.

Almost everyone takes off their shoes and that is really something, not even the coffee can overcome the smell of our feet. We can hear the storm, but it is not raining, and after about an hour the clouds dissolve. Suddenly there is a beautiful view from the cave and my suspicions about what is under the access road are confirmed. One would only fly down there once. We leave the cave and soon set up our tents. If we wanted to continue, we would have to cross another saddle and since the weather is all sorts of, we don't take any chances. We at least take a nearby hill without backpacks. The views from the top are incredible. I know I'm repeating myself, but every view here is truly incredible.

Night visit on the smuggler's trail

After returning from the hill, it finally rains. We were already afraid that we wouldn't live to see it. After dinner, I'm lying in the tent when I hear Roman talking to someone. At first I think that Honza has come with instructions for tomorrow morning, but I'm wrong. We have a local in front of the tent. He's soaked, has a backpack and doesn't speak a word of English. He only indicates to us with gestures that he would like to sleep in our tent. We call out to Honza. But without English, we get no answer from the man. Fortunately, after a while, he gets up and slowly continues on.

At least he gets a cigarette and a stick from us. We feel sorry for him, soaked, alone and without a headlamp. But other thoughts also come to mind. What if he's not alone? What if he was supposed to inspect the situation and was just playing around?

We turn on the headlamps at full power and make a circuit around the camp. We don't see anyone, but we tie our backpacks to the tent anyway and go to sleep. At half past one in the morning we are woken up by music that passes just a short distance from our tent. Roman and I wait to see what happens, and we only peek out of the tent when the music has faded far enough. There's no one there anymore, so we go back to sleep. In the morning Honza tells us that there were two of them. Later, when we have a signal, we find out that we have set up camp at a busy smugglers' intersection. Those who can, can.

In the middle of a hailstorm in the mountains

After breakfast we go straight uphill, up a long hill. There are traditionally amazing views at the top, but we only have a moment to enjoy them. Thunderstorms are forecast for early afternoon, and for all the remaining days. Honza sets a frantic pace. I go number one and I can't catch up with the group until they stop somewhere. The sun is still shining brightly during lunch. But then we scramble to the next saddle and the weather quickly deteriorates. Up in the saddle I see two lightning bolts strike the opposite hill. No matter how tired I am and how much my backpack weighs, I run until I'm on the edge of the saddle and quickly descend.

We set up our tents in light rain. We rest for a while. In the end, there is no storm, just a light shower. It's still cloudy, but it's also early afternoon and we couldn't resist. We set off without backpacks to a nearby hill. Although we can't reach the top without climbing equipment, there are still more magical views waiting for us. Moreover, the sun peeks out from between the clouds and so the photographic harvest begins.

The next morning is Sunday, but we get up at 4:00. Someone might try to tell me after we get back that I was on vacation again :D But the forecast doesn't improve, quite the opposite. It's a bit absurd. It's a beautiful sunny day and we're in a hurry to avoid getting wet. I don't like it very much and I'm quite behind the group. I tell myself in my head that I don't care, that the forecast will definitely not work out today. It looks like that until lunch.

But when we get up after lunch, it's already pitch black behind the peak we came from. We continue through the valley and it looks like the surrounding peaks are holding off the storm for now. Then we come under the hill. Honza would like to cross it that same day to reduce the number of kilometers on the last day. But the weather is deteriorating quickly. We set up our tents with the idea that if the storm passes quickly, we'll go even further. As soon as we set up our tents, it starts to rain. We lie there and calculate the time difference between the lightning and the thunder. The storm is approaching.

Roman is only in shorts and suddenly tells me that the hairs on his legs is standing up. “Are you cold?” I wonder. But Roman explains to me that his hairs seem to be electrified. Great, so we are right in the middle of a storm. Could it be worse? The answer is not long in coming. The first hailstones start to fall on the tent. At first there are only a few of them and they are as small as peas. But their number and size increase. After a while, hailstones as big as the tip of your thumb fall and the ground is white. I watch the tent with concern. I have never experienced such weather under a tent. Fortunately, the hailstones do not fall for long and the storm begins to move away. But it rains and thunders for another hour and a half. When we finally climb out of the tents, it is clear that we are not going anywhere that day.

First contact with civilization

The last wake-up call is at three in the morning. We set off with headlamps. No dramatic climbs await us, we are just counting down the last kilometers. Around noon, a special moment arrives. After 180 kilometers, we meet the first tourists. A whole group of tourists who are just walking lightly with small backpacks. After a while, they are followed by a group of load bearers with huge backpacks packed to bursting. Amateurs, I think. For us, it means only one thing, we are almost at the end of our nine-day trek.

The highest waterfall in the world and a Czech footprint

But we have one more important stop. Tugela, the highest waterfall in the world. There are breathtaking views here again. I really enjoy them, it is beautiful and we did it. We managed more than 180 km with an elevation gain of around 8,500 m and not even the weather stopped us.

At the waterfall, we come across a Czech footprint. For a long time, the waterfall was considered the second highest, but the Czechs measured it and rewrote the encyclopedias. We would have loved to spend even longer, but, lo and behold, it thunders.

Next comes a passage with chain ladders. They are quite long and with those backpacks on our backs it is really fun. We climb down the ladders and find ourselves in civilization. The path turns into a paved path, which is sometimes supplemented with a retaining wall and every now and then we meet some tourists who are going to take a look at the waterfall. A storm is approaching, so we hurry. We arrive at the parking lot with the first drops. Honza would deserve a medal for his time schedule. We get into the jeep and leave for our accommodation. After more than a week, I enjoy a shower and put on my sweat-free clothes. And then we go to the restaurant to feast and drink.

Next stop: Swaziland (Kingdom of Eswatini)

I feel like a grasshopper at breakfast in the morning. It's unbelievable what a person can eat after such a trek. After breakfast, we load everything into the cars and set off for the next destination of the expedition, we go to Swaziland. We pass through the border control without any problems, but we arrive in Mbabane, the capital, in the early evening. We shop for an evening barbecue. The accommodation does not have meals, but it does have a swimming pool. We immediately take advantage of it and jump in it. And in the evening we celebrate the birthday of another member of the expedition. It's late to bed.

But we don't sleep for long and go to explore the surroundings, specifically Sibebe Rock, the second largest monolith in the world. We leave the cars in the parking lot and go for an easy walk. The landscape here has its own character. It's as if someone randomly scattered boulders of various sizes on a beautifully green lawn. And the biggest boulder is Sibebe Rock. You only realize that something is different at the top. A long, smooth rock stretches towards the valley. The monolith is set into a slope, so its size does not stand out like the first and third largest monoliths, Uluru in Australia and Ben Amera in Mauritania. Both of these are located in the desert, so their size and strange shape are clearly visible.

I enjoy the views. I don't know why, but it reminds me of Jurassic Park, only a few dinosaurs are missing among the boulders. We return to the cars and leave Eswatini. Another long journey awaits us, at the end of which is the entrance gate to Kruger National Park, the oldest park in Africa, the area of which is comparable to Slovenia.

The Tugela waterfall is the highest in the world with a height of 983 meters. You will also find an interesting Czech and Slovak footprint in its story. Photo: Author's archive

In the animal kingdom: Kruger National Park

Right at the gate, the first animals greet us. A few warthogs are roaming around. We pay the entrance fee, turn on the walkie-talkies – this is so that we can report to each other what we see, and we set off. Soon we come across the first antelopes, giraffes and, from a distance, even an elephant. I am excited, I did not expect to see so much in the first hour.

But we do not have much time left. We have to leave the park by 18:30 or report to one of the 24 campsites, otherwise we risk a considerable fine. The appointed time is approaching, so we head towards a campsite. But before we enter it, we observe hippos and crocodiles from a bridge. And to top it all off, we meet a baby elephant with its mother right at the roadside.

We arrive at the campsite, pay for the night and pay extra for a morning safari. The animals are most active in the morning and evening. We go to set up our tents, and that's about the only thing that would make me call this place a campsite. It's more like a small town. There's plenty of space for tents and caravans, bathrooms, toilets, a huge restaurant, a souvenir shop, a gas station and various cabins, from the ordinary to the quite luxurious.

The size of Kruger National Park, the oldest park in Africa, is comparable to the size of Slovenia. Photo: Author's archive

We go to bed early, we have an early wake up call. While it's still dark, we set off on a safari in a van with four spotlights. At first, it's an exciting sight, the lights from the spotlights crisscross the surroundings and you just wait to see what will happen in the next bush. But apart from a few antelopes, there's nothing hiding in the bush, no lion family is around. After a while, it gets light and it starts to get a bit boring. The best sight awaits us again in front of the camp, where a whole herd of elephants is standing right on the road.

We have breakfast, pack our tents and set off on a safari on our own. We meet lots of antelopes, elephants, zebras, monkeys, giraffes, and even a hyena and a buffalo. We arrive at the next camp, where we will spend the night. This one also has a swimming pool, which is a great thing after long hours in the car. In the morning we buy souvenirs and set off for the last place of our expedition. Before we finally leave the park, it seems like it wants to say goodbye to us. A hyena is walking along the road, dragging a hunted antelope with it.

Farewell at the canyon

We leave the park and head to the Blyde River Canyon, the third largest canyon in the world. We take a short trek along its edge. The views are impressive. We use the lakes for swimming at two places. In the evening we have a barbecue and chat late into the night. There is no rush, the next day we only have to transfer to the airport.