Lesotho
Hiking the Drakensberg Mountains
After a few days of doing nothing in St Lucia, now it's time to put on your hiking shoes and explore the Drakensberg Mountains, a truly magical place !
Arrival in Champagne Valley
Travelers that love hiking and exploring nature simply cannot skip the Drakensberg Mountains while visiting South Africa. The mountains themselves span approximately 1,000 kilometres from southwest to northeast and meets Lesotho at its northeastern border. The Mountains can be split into 3 sections: North, Central, and South : * The Northern Drakensberg is located about 300km from Johannesburg and would take about 3-3½ hours by road to travel there. The northern part contains the group of mountains known collectively as the 'amphitheatre'. * The Central Drakensberg is by far the most popular of the region. This region features a number of famous peaks including the Champagne Castle, Cathedral Peak, Monk's Cowl and Giants Castle. * The Southern Drakensberg is located about 250-300km away from Durban and takes between 2½ and 3 hours by road. This place is most known for the famous Sani Pass. However there is much more to visit other than the Sani Pass. if you're planning on spending a week (or more) in the Drakensberg Mountains, try to visit al three regions. With only three days left before our flight in Durban, we decided to only cover the central part of the mountains. Driving from St Lucia to Champagne Valley, it will take about 5,5 hours. So besides driving and enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way, we didn't do much the rest of the day.
Hiking the Blindman's corner
After a good night of sleep, get yourself ready for a beautiful hike in the central part of the Drakenbergs Mountains. The best hikes in this area are from Monk’s Cowl and there are trails from 2km to 15+km. Most of the trails connect in different loops so you’ll always have an easy way back to the car park if you get tired. The Blindman’s Corner hike via the Sphinx is an excellent day hike that is a +/-5 hour return. The hike starts from the Monk’s Cowl parking lot at the end of the road in Champagne Valley. It takes you past Crystal Falls (where you can fill up your water bottle! ), along to the Sphinx, and then up to the contour path and Breakfast Stream (the last water stop before Blindman's Corner). From there it's mostly flat, with the most incredible scenery. To your left you'll see the mountains of Lesotho, as you walk towards Cathkin Peak, Sterkhorn and Champagne Castle in the background.
