It’s already halfway through summer in the Drakensberg. One indication is that the Red-chested Cuckoo is still calling, but the Black Cuckoo is not. The Half-collared Kingfisher has returned after at least six months away, a pair was poised in their favourite Buddleja overhanging the water. Another bird we have not seen for some time
Since a fresh leopard kill was found in the Cavern grounds a couple of years ago trip cameras have been set up at strategic spots. The idea is to found out more about “our” leopard. But an unexpected bonus is that all sorts of other nocturnal animals have been photographed too. The most recent has
The leguaan is South Africa’s biggest lizard, and may grow to 2 metres in length. It loves the waterside and is a good swimmer and diver, using sideways movements of its flexible tail. Several live in the Cavern grounds and can be seen in the small dams.
The most common butterfly at the Cavern is the Garden Acraea. It is small, mostly dull orange with a few black spots, and with conspicuously transparent fore-wings. It flutters weakly around its favourite plant, Kiggelaria africana (Wild Peach tree). This is where it lays its eggs, so the caterpillars have the right food. Nearly every
About 2000 eland roam the Drakensberg and its foothills. Roam is the correct word, which is why we don’t see them at The Cavern every day. Summer tends to be spent grazing in the higher berg while the grass is at its most edible. Individuals congregate in breeding herds, maybe 50-strong. In winter the herds
The Bushman painting are the main focus of the walk at The Cavern, but there are several other outstanding features and subjects to talk about on the way. Something I have not spoken about much so far is the history of the Bushmen themselves.
The recently published Cavern Entertainment and Hikes Guide lists 68 trees found on Cavern Territory. This merely represents what has been found so far, mainly along the regular trails. On a recent walk on the circular Fern Forest Trail another five species were added: Casearia gladiiformis, Clerodendrum glabrum, Maytenus acuminata, Olea capensis and Scolopia zeyheri.
The fantastic array of beautiful mountain flowers found in the Drakensberg on The Cavern nature reserve is far too numerous to detail here. Suffice to say the diversity will enthral any keen botanist, from a dazzling sweep of blue Scilla natalensis to the flagrant display of Barleria monticola; the nodding daisies of Callilepsis laureola and
The Khoi San cave rock art is perhaps the most culturally significant thing you’ll see on a hike in the Drakensberg. Accommodation on this remarkable mountain range is, however, by no means limited to sleeping in caves. In recent years families of all ages looking for a slightly different or more adventurous holiday destination have
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The beautiful scenery that is so much part of the Drakensberg experience has a dramatic past going back one hundred and forty million years. The Drakensberg would have then been at the very centre of the supercontinent Gondwana. Movements beneath the Earth’s crust caused Gondwana to fracture, and the greatest lava flow of all time
