Northern Drakensberg Attractions

Harrismith:
 
Sentinel Drive, Royal Natal National Park, Retief Rock and Sterkfontein Dam 
 
Sentinel Drive: 

After Phuthaditjaba the gravel road winds along the Witsieshoek Pass. The 6km drive with the Sentinel Peak (3165m) towering above passes the Breakfast Rock, The Dome, The Pudding and Witches reaching the car park at the base. A short walk from the car park to the Escarpment edge will reveal dramatic views of the Royal Natal National Park far below or take a 3hr hike to the top of the Amphitheatre and the 3282m Mont-aux-Sources.

Royal Natal National Park: 

This has the most spectacular mountain scenery with the awe-inspiring Amphitheatre. It stretches between the Sentinel in the west and Eastern Buttress and the Devil’s Tooth in the east, the sheer basalt wall rises over 700m above the Little Berg, which the Thukela Falls plunge more than 600m in five leaps over the Escarpment edge. There are many footpaths for visitors to ramble along. 

Retief Rock:

This landmark in on a route followed by the Voortrekkers. Piet Retief, the Voortrekker leader, left the camp in 1837 to visit the Zulu king and by 12 Nov. he had not returned. On this overhanging rock Retief’s daughter wrote, ’P. Retief Den 12 Novr. 1837’, in green paint.

Sterkfontein Dam and Nature Reserve:

The dam lies in the upper reaches of the Nuwejaarspruit and forms part of the Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme. The Nature Reserve is dominated by grasslands and cream-coloured sandstone outcrops. Animals to be seen are oribi, reedbuck, mountain reedbuck and grey rhebuck and many species of birds including vultures. 

 

Scenic drive from Ladysmith: Bergville, Royal National Park
 
Bergville

This village established in 1897 is now an agricultural and trading centre. Visit the Upper Thukela Blockhouse built during the Anglo-Boer War by British forces. A 1/2hrs drive to the northeast is Spioenkop and iNtabamnyama battlefields, where Boer and British forces met in battle from 20-24 January, 1900.

Royal Natal National Park

The Royal Natal National Park is home to the most spectacular mountain scenery with the awe-inspiring Amphitheatre. It stretches between the Sentinel in the west and Eastern Buttress and the Devil’s Tooth in the east, the sheer basalt wall rises over 700m above the Little Berg, which the Thukela Falls plunge more than 600m in five leaps over the Escarpment edge. There are many footpaths for visitors to ramble along. 

 
 

During South Africa's Anglo Boer War, the town of Ladysmith made world headlines when it was besieged by Boer forces for three months in 1899/1900. The Ladysmith Siege Museum displays artefacts from this historical time and is a popular tourist attraction for those touring the Battlefields Region.

The museum building was originally constructed in 1884 as a marketplace and served as a ration post during the siege. In 1965 the building served both as museum and as library but in 1985 was converted to the sole purpose of museum.

In addition to a great collection of Boer War artefacts, the Ladysmith Siege Museum also houses a diorama depicting Ladysmith at the time of the siege It depicts the positions of the guns of the Boers, the names of the geographical features, the positions of the Boer searchlights and the point where the Boers built a dam in an attempt to flood the town. Also indicated is Intombi Camp - a neutral hospital in the no-man's land at the foot of Umbulwane.

Standing outside the Ladysmith Siege Museum entrance, are Castor and Pollux, two 6.3" howitzers that served the town well during the siege, including damaging one of the Boer guns. The Bill Mackay Gallery includes glimpses into daily life during the siege. Local battlefields include: Spioenkop, Vaalkrans, Colenso, Tugela Heights, Elandslaagte, Nicholson's Nek and Wagon Hill.

Scenic drive from Ladysmith: Bergville, Royal National Park
 
Bergville

This village established in 1897 is now an agricultural and trading centre. Visit the Upper Thukela Blockhouse built during the Anglo-Boer War by British forces. A 1/2hrs drive to the northeast is Spioenkop and iNtabamnyama battlefields, where Boer and British forces met in battle from 20-24 January, 1900.

Royal Natal National Park

The Royal Natal National Park is home to the most spectacular mountain scenery with the awe-inspiring Amphitheatre. It stretches between the Sentinel in the west and Eastern Buttress and the Devil’s Tooth in the east, the sheer basalt wall rises over 700m above the Little Berg, which the Thukela Falls plunge more than 600m in five leaps over the Escarpment edge. There are many footpaths for visitors to ramble along.