Reveal the mysteries of the Drakensberg
The Drakensberg has long been a source of wonder, mystery, culture and history for both the people of South Africa and tourists. With its highest point reaching 3,482 meters, and ironically called “thabana Ntleyana” (little mountain that’s kind of nice) by the San people, the summit mountains have an average height of about 3,200 meters above sea level.
Well, today only dwindling remnants remain to mark its former glory, but still! It remains the grandfather of all South African mountains, known as the Lesotho Highlands, the main basin and the rainy roof of South Africa.
Legend has it that the name ‘Drakensberg’ came about a long, long time ago, when a couple of European hunters heard the story of dragons having their lairs in the southern parts of the mountains in the last century.
“Draken” was given as Drakensberg, because in the Clarens sandstone at the base of the mountain, there are numerous footprints left by the extinct dinosaur.
The mountain belt is where most of Drakensberg’s wildlife can be found. With abundant drinking water and plenty of grazing space, this area is ideal for wildlife and especially attracts many antelope.
The Drakensberg has over 2,100 caves and rock shelters, centuries old, containing 150,000 “Grot Tekeninge” or cave paintings drawn by the ancients who roamed the area centuries and centuries ago! And this is just what has been discovered so far! What did they paint with? Well, the environment and what the land offered these ancestors was perfect for creating a whole range of colors. Derived from earth colors mixed with aluminoid binders, made from animal blood…