chefmaison

The next morning we checked out at the Elephant coast guest house in Saint Lucia and set out on the road to Royal Natal national park, Northern Drakensberg. We chose the route via the highway N2 to Durban and from there the N3 to Bergville. Be aware that between Durban and the exit to Bergvillle there are no petrol stations along the highway. So best fill up the car around Durban if you are low on petrol. Just before the exit to Bergville, we stopped at the Truck stop where we filled up the car with petrol and had lunch. We both took a chicken salad that costed only R 45, about 2 euro, dirt cheap. We arrived at the Montuse mountain lodge near Royal Natal national park around 5 PM.

We checked in and got a tour of the main building where you can take breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is a large lounge area where they serve afternoon tea with cake around 4 PM, outside seating and an outside pool below the main building. You can sign up for a free guided walk every morning around 8:30 AM or yoga at the dam between 7 and 8 AM, free of charge. You can do fly fishing in the dam lake, and they have horses, so you can go our horseriding for 1, 2, 4 or 6 hours ( R 500 per person for a two hour horse riding walk). We checked into our bungalow, which was amazing. We looked out on the amphitheatre from our bedroom window, nicknamed the skyscraper since the rock formation is a mile high and three miles across. There is a small terrace, a seating area with a open gas fire, tea and coffee making machines, and the bathroom has a bath and a rain shower. There is a TV and DVD player, and a carport for your car next to the bungalow.

The dinner is a three or four course meal with a salad before and cheese after for the price of R 400 per person. It is really good, you can choose from three main courses, one is always a vegetarian dish. You can order a packed lunch for the next morning, which we did. (It contains a sandwich with choice of filling, a juice, a piece of fruit, a chocolate, a piece of cheese with some crackers and a cereal cookie) The next morning we had our breakfast at 7 AM, there is a buffet with coffee, tea, fruit juices, a wonderful tray of freshly cut fruits, fresh yoghurt, cereals and different kind of jams. Eggs, omelets, bread, croissants, scones, pancakes … or porridge you have to order. We set out around 9 AM to the Royal Natal national park. The entrance fee is R 100 per person per day. We drove on to the reception where you have toilets, a shop and where you can get a guide. I took a picture of the map en we drove on to the Thendele car park where the trail to the Tugela Gorge trail starts. You have to sign in and note which trail you will take, in case there is an emergency and you do not get back in time. The park is open between 6 AM and 6 PM in April. 

The trail starts at the ablution block, after a short walk you cross the river over a bridge, and then you just follow the 6 km path that goes through fields and forest areas, with wonderful views of the mountain range around you. You also see the rock by the name police helmet on your right on the first part of the hike. Take a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen because the first 6 km you walk under the scorching sun. You then reach the gorge, with the river in the middle, where you have great spots to have lunch next to the water, you can even take a dip in the water if you want to, but it is very cold! You then continue upstream in the gorge, hopping over boulders, crossing the water a few times, after which you can continue above the right bank until you reach the tunnel. There is a ladder on the right side to climb up and skirt the tunnel, but it is temporarily closed. My husband did climb the ladder, which was fine, but further up there was a lot of rubble which made it impossible to continue. And wading through the tunnel wasn’t really an option either. So we decided this was the end of our trail. We walked back and finished the hike after 6 hours. 

I enjoyed a dip in the pool, which isn’t heated, so a bit chilly, but good enough for some laps. 

The next day we again took a packed lunch, and this time drove out at 8 AM. We parked at the car park near the Mahai campsite. From there we started the hike ‘Mudslide and the Crack’. We walked the path in the direction of Gudu falls, at the first Y fork followed the path on the left, that also continues further to Gudu falls. At the second fork we took the right path in the direction of the Mudslide. From here the hike continuously goes up, for another hour, till you reach the start of the Mudslide. Here the hike gets more technical and adventurous. You climb several fixed wooden stairs, climb up using the roots of trees, climb two more loose stairs. One part you have to clamber up using a chain over a steep rock. But when you reach the top you are rewarded with a wonderful view! You walk over the plateau towards the top of the Gudu falls, where you can refresh yourself in the river and have your lunch looking over the Gudu falls falling down. You continue upwards, there is often a strong wing up here, so be careful when getting close to the edge! At one point you come to the sign saying Crack where you start your descent. It involves a lot of rock climbing and bouldering, until you reach a fixed wooden stairs and then a loose stairs going down. After some more rock climbing you reach a cave with some weird stone formations on the cave wall. From here it continuously goes downhill, at the first T you take left, till you come at another T where you take a right in the direction of Tiger Falls and Thendele camp. But do first take a look at the pool where you can refresh. From here you first cross a river and a bit further take the path on the left towards Cascades and Mahai campsite and car park. Part of the path is in concrete, which makes it very hard on the knees. After another hour you reach some swimming pools, then the campsite on your left and further on you come back to the car park where you started. It took us 7 hours to complete this hike. Most sites says it takes only five hours but is a strenuous hike, with a lot of elevation gain and some technical parts which you better take slow. So best take an early start for this hike. Most of the hike is under the scorching sun, with very little shaded places so take enough water, use sunscreen and take a hat and sunglasses. 

We did both hikes at the beginning of autumn, the start of April and temperatures went up to 30° Celsius during the day. In summer I guess it is much too hot, and you have the risk of afternoon showers and thunder storms. The best times for these hikes are spring and autumn, in winter it can get quite cold here. 

We decided to take it easy on our last day and enjoy our lodge a bit. My husband did book a 2 hour horse riding tour with a guide. You can choose to get a horse for beginners or for experienced riders and you can choose between a morning of afternoon ride. 

The next morning we had our breakfast a little later. On each plate a chocolate easter bunny sat since it was Easter today. After breakfast we first made a leisurely walk to the Bushman’s cave. The cave is owned by the lodge and you can find some bushmen’s art in the cave which is really special. It is linked to the specific culture of the bushmen of South Africa. The walk takes about one hour. You can continue up Montuse hill and make a loop to come back, but we just came straight back.

We then made the stroll via the stables to the waterfall and waterfall cave. You reach the cave via a ladder and can walk behind the waterfall in the cave. Both walks are not as impressive as the hikes in the park, but are pleasant and the bushmen’s art is impressive nonetheless. We then had a light lunch at the logde, you can choose between warm dishes, toasts, sandwiches, salads, a soup and milkshakes.

In the afternoon my husband went to make a two hour horse riding walk which he really loved, he saw some elands and a blesbok. We had afternoon tea in the lounge area, and when we came back to our cottage a storm with strong winds broke loose. We packed our bags and went out for our last dinner. After dinner another storm came through. 

We enjoyed our breakfast after which we checked out and got on our way to Johannesburg. It was quite busy on the highway, many Gauteng travelers returned home after the Easter weekend, and there was police everywhere on the road. We wanted to make a stop at the Sterkfontein dam viewpoint, but the place was crawling with sellers, so we did not make a stop, we wouldn’t have enjoyed the view dodging the sellers. 

And it was during a stop on one of the highway truckstops that I discovered Red Cappucino, a caffeine and theïne free cappucino, using Rooibos tea instead of coffee. What a wonderful alternative for someone like me who can’t drink caffeine of theïne! I tried it at the Mug and Bean on the airport, and it tasted wonderful after adding a bit of honey. We did not find the Redespresso brand Rooibos but bought some whole leaf Rooibos instead, and I will try to make it at home. The Redespresso website suggests to also add some cinnamon!

We returned the car to the Maui and Britz office outside Johannesburg near Kempton Park, which went very smoothly, the car was checked and we signed off on a paper stating we had not caused any extra damages, and were transferred back to the airport. 

An 11 hour flight later we landed on Brussels airport. 

Link to South Africa Part 1: Johannesburg and Kruger Park

Link to South Africa Part 2: Saint Lucia