Grindstone Cave, Injisuthi Drakensberg Hiking trails

Grindstone Cave Hike, Injisuthi Drakensberg 6km; 3 hours out and return.

I love our rich heritage and history our Drakensberg mountains reveal to us. We are indeed blessed that we can walk the paths that the ancients once walked and hunted long before us. The San people lived here thousands of years ago leaving a treasure trove of beautiful paintings and a window into their world. The way they lived peacefully, with respect and reverence with the wild animal life and nature is something we can and should all aspire to. Far too many of us today have lost this respect for our environment and no longer cherish its history or its life lessons.

The beautiful fragrant white bush near the office. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

Hubby and I had come down to spend 3 nights at Injisuthi camp with our berg mates the Millers. This was chill time and time to do a little exploring and tackle the day walks. We had already taken a stroll to Idwala pools at the bottom of the camp site, a great little walk if you have small kids and if you like photography. The day before we had hiked Van Heynening's Pass. Grindstone hike is something I have wanted to do for sometime and Wendy and I were going to leave the men behind and walk it on our own.

Please remember to fill in the hiking register.

The wind was blowing so I had to hold this flower to get the shot, note the little bee tucked away in the top lilac flower. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

The trail starts at the back of the Injisuthi Rest camp. Again please remember to go and sign in at the hiking register found outside the office. This is really important. Once done, you walk from the office to the edge of the cut lawn near chalet 2 and find the sign post. You pass small rondavels which were part of the original Solitude resort. The trail then ascends much more steeply as you begin to climb up the grassy hill for about 300 m to a path junction. It was a really hot day and most of the trail is out in the sun.

Mellow yellow. So many tiny little yellow flowers. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

At the top of the junction you turn left and follow the contour path as you overlook the camp below, which is now on your left. The views even from here are magnificent and you will see rolling hills and mountains as far as the eyes can see. This is one of the few days walks that takes you very quickly within an hour or so into the big mountains, swallowing you up into the wilderness. You will soon forget that not far behind you is a pod of civilization, granted somewhat remote, but none the less a safety net within these big mountains.

The beautiful tiny little flowers up on the ridge. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

On top of the ridge we found many wild flowers and out came my camera, of course. Poor Wendy, but it was actually her fault, as every five seconds she would excitedly call me to take another photo. I did not need to much arm twisting. There had been some recent controlled burning and many seeds which need fire to survive had burst open and spread. Many of the areas usually covered in long ground vegetation where a little exposed, which meant the otherwise hidden, much smaller wild flowers burst across the landscape in a kaleidoscope of colours offering a real vision feast.

This beautiful red flowering plant stood out against the white, yellow, lilac and pink wildflowers. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

found so many of these pale yellow little flowers along the pathway. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

Wendy giving me instructions as to what photos I must take!! Wendy knew many of the names of the plants and trees we came across.Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

Looking across river and the burnt river plains we walked across yesterday and in the far background to wards Van heynin's Pass. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

We walked along an open area that looked directly down onto the Injisuthi chalets below, here we could see the very large group of 46 school kids and their guides who had slept out in Grindstone Cave the night before. This was the same group that left in a afternoon thunderstorm downpour with hail yesterday. *[check my footnote comments below]. We could see all the new green shoots and new life starting to flourish, post the controlled burn. The many trails are a lot easier to see, mapping the valleys and mountain slopes.

We then meandered downwards along a little contour path and into the magnificent the ancient Yellow wood forest. The trail is only about 6 km long, however in some of the sections of the trail it will make you fell it must be a lot longer while you make your way up sections of its steep gradient.

We were now about to enter the ancient yellow-wood forest with all its hidden treasures. These forests and sandstone overhangs are filled with proof of another world so much older than us, if you know where to look and what you are looking at you would be blown away. People pass by and not even realize what they have just witnesses.

Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

The Drakensberg is filled with historical events, cave paintings, fossils and even evidence that dinosaurs roamed these very mountains we were now walking in. I have been privileged to have been able to see some of the fossils and these need to be protected, but funds and the remoteness of them make it difficult to preserve. So if you do come across them please don't damage them and some need to remain in secrete till properly cataloged and preserved so we all in time can enjoy them without causing damage.

The Ancient Yellow wood Forest - a treasure trove

For many the huge Yellow-wood tree is the most beautiful tree in South Africa. Not sure if many of you know that the Yellow-wood is South Africa's National Tree. They take a long time to grow, are long living and if left alone they will become really huge, towering evergreen trees.

Yellow-wood trees at one time were abundant in South Africa, but sadly this is no longer the case as for many years they were highly sought after for timber. In the past many of the old Cape Dutch houses had Yellow-wood floors as well as Yellow-wood roof beams. The timber was also popular in the making of railway sleepers, coffins and wagon boxes. It was the perfect timber for butcher’s blocks, because the wood is hard and it carries no scent, which meant that the wood would not taint the meat.

Sadly the Yellow-wood has become extinct in some areas and now there are laws in place preventing you from cutting them down without a license.

In forests like this one, yellow-woods can reach heights of up to 40 meters, with their base reaching an impressive 3 meters in diameter. The yellow-wood family had been found in South Africa from more than 100 million years. The species is surprisingly widespread and can be found from our iconic Table Mountain, along the southern and eastern Cape coast, in the ravines of the Drakensberg, all the way up to the Soutpansberg and the Blouberg in Limpopo.

Yellow-woods which grow in more un-sheltered and exposed places like on mountain-slopes, are much shorter, bushy and gnarled. The bark is khaki-coloured to grey when it is old, will be deeply split and will peel off in strips. The tree's crown, which is often covered with grey lichen, is surprisingly small in relation to its height.

Male and female cones look a lot like pine cones but are white, light green or pink. Seeds which develop on the female cone take the shape and colour of cherries. The strap-shaped leaves are 25–40 mm long and on the more mature trees they are up to 100 mm long and 6–12 mm in width. Their tips are bluntly pointed.

There is a lot of concern for the future of our Yellow-wood tree and many believe that not enough is been done to protect and restore our National Forests, never mind the fact that this Real Yellow-wood is our national Tree and as such it needs to become one of our National priorities. Older trees reaching to 2000 years old, are valuable national assets of natural heritage significance.

It was only 350 years ago that hundreds of thousands of huge yellow-wood trees towered in the canopies of Afromontane, the southern Afrotemperate yellow-wood forests along the southern coast of South Africa, between George and Humansdorp,through the Eastern Cape, Transkei, and southern Drakensberg and all the way to Magoesbaskloof in the Limpopo Province. Today we sit with less than 10% of the yellow-woods we had 350 years ago! This is actually quiet shocking, and we have done this!

The number of few remaining forests of yellow-wood trees are shrinking each year due to the reduction of the number of indigenous forests. This has had disastrous effects, leaving behind much younger and smaller trees as the forests are being thinned out and a new problem, being invaded by the ever growing alien vegetation.

The good news is: As mentioned earlier our Yellow-wood trees in South Africa are protected under the National Forests Act, 1998, which means they may not be cut, damaged, destroyed or disturbed without a licence granted by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, but this is not enough and is actually adding to their extinction and demise....

The bad news which is simply put means that the permits for legal harvesting are allowing the sawmills to continue harvesting a quota of yellow-wood trees. The trees that are being cut down are over 150 to 200 years old and are irreplaceable, that is the reality. We really need to have this practice stopped. If we look at legal felling in the Amathole region alone which yields 20 to 100 large yellow-wood trees each year. Then there is the added burden of illegal felling done by mostly local communities in the Transkei using yellow-woods for fire wood.

In King William's Town and Keiskammahoek in the Eastern Cape, 200 to 300 year old yellow-woods are being cut up at the sawmills.

Tragically we will only find a few yellow-woods older than 500 years around South Africa, mostly in remote pockets. This is because the forests are difficult to access or have been protected by logging. We need to do more to preserve our heritage and local foresters who are aware of the serious plight of our national tree are trying to make an effort.

Various watchdog environmentalist groups like the Wild Bird Trust, have warned that both legal and illegal logging will have disastrous consequences and our National forest will be all but destroyed. We need to act now and be responsible or our grand-kids will never see an ancient giant yellow-wood. Personally I will no longer buy any Yellow-wood tree products and hope many others will follow suit, so we can allow our forests to recover before its too late.

The bridge over the Old Woman Stream - Wendy having fun with her camera! Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

The trail, waterfalls and valley:

Once through the forest and out into the clearing, you turn right and walk up towards the junction to turn left and to the Grindstone Caves.

You can see the beautiful huge sandstone buttress where the path slips around to the Right then a bit of a descent, which it the hardest part and then suddenly the trail becomes much flatter.

The Old Woman stream was now way below us on our right. We found ourselves climbing once again. The path then started to run just below a series of narrow sandstone bands which become more and more majestic and spectacular the closer we got to them. Just a note, not just for walking in the Berg but anywhere always make sure you have made several mental landmarks, with all the unusual shaped rocks in the area, its not that difficult and I have given them my own personal names, (and photographed them), this helps me to remember and recognize them in case I need to navigate in the dark or bad weather. It also helps you to keep orientated and aware of the distance and time you have left. You can always expect sudden thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Photo Credit Wendy Miller #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

At this point we took a left into the valley and walked down along the contour path with exposure on our right and the series of huge beautiful sandstone cliffs and over hangs to our left. It is here that it suddenly became very dry and desolate, due to recent controlled burning. The rivers and streams were a lot muddier than normal and we could not help but wonder if the burning had been over done and now some erosion and wash off of loose sand, normally held together with the ground vegetation, had not played a role in this.

Photo Credit Wendy Miller - the Gateway to the past #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

The path climbs steadily towards the impressive and rather imposing rock band and then ascends in large steps. We found ourselves traversing the steep slope high above the Old Woman Stream and once again we got stunning views of the main escarpment high up against the now familiar outline of the Old Woman Grinding Corn.

Below to the right of us is a dense forest in and around the valley. We walked for about 3 km and we came to the two caves we had come to see. At times it does feel as though you have walked much further as you walk along the steeper trails and the feelings of exposure on the higher slopes, but it is this very exposure that throws you deep into the mountains with very little effort.

The Grindstone Caves:

Please note: the two Grindstone caves are relatively long with sufficiently deep overhangs to provide good shelter from the rain but not so much from the wind. Yes each cave can accommodate about 12 hikers, but their combined total has been limited to 12 due to environmental impact reasons. PLEASE RESPECT THIS SO OTHERS TOO CAN ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF SLEEPING IN ONE OF OUR WORLD TREASURES.

As I approached the huge sandstone cliffs and overhangs in the corner, I spotted the entrance of the first cave close to the trail. The entrance is somewhat hidden by foliage and if you are aware of what trees and foliage normally grow around the mouth of a cave, you very quickly spot it. The first cave is much bigger than the second cave and they are about 20m apart from each other along the contour path. The two caves do however, sit at the same level

The first cave had a small hidden waterfall running over the edge of the overhang and it does freeze in winter, so I will need to come back and check it out. You can hear the sound of the waterfall all year round. So listen out for it if you are not sure where the entrance is.

I had such fun, it was a blisteringly hot day and being able to stand under the cool 'berg water was amazing and once we had explored the cave, taken a mountain shower, we filled up our water bottles. The water was really cold and refreshing. Wendy Miller took these photos while I played like a kid!

Photo Wendy Miller #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

We spotted several beautiful sandstone cliffs with their "Zebra" stripes and managed to explore a few of them, but we plan to come back and spend a night here and allow more time to explore. This place is really magical.

Wendy checking out for Bushman paintings. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

When you look up towards the valley you can clearly spot Monk's cowl, standing proud and high up against the skyline, today was a clear day after yesterdays hectic thunderstorm and hail storm. The sky was extra blue with very few white clouds and the views were endless. Monk's cowl looked like a huge spear and it is easy to see why the Drakensberg mountains got the name Barrier of spears. Growing up in KZN as a child Zulu was the spoken language and the Zulu name for my beloved mountains is "Qathlamba" meaning barrier of spears.

We walked further along the path. It was easy to spot all the trails that zigzagged along the valleys with all the burnt areas. We passed the signed junction with a path going up onto the Little Berg just before the second cave.

In summer you will find a couple of small streams that cut the contour path just past the western cave, but in winter these will often dry up completely and you will have to carry all your water requirements up from the main camp.

We arrived at the second cave to find it's name sake, an ancient Grindstone/millstone. Please leave it where you find it. Don't be the chop that moves it and breaks a national treasure.

Inside the cave are the remains of beautiful old grinding stones which date back to the 1800s, when the local Amahlubi clans had to take refuge in these very caves from King Shaka's Zulu Impi's. Pretty epic!

The many caves and overhangs in the Drakensberg provided shelter for the San bushman who left many treasures behind, the most treasured are their incredible Bushman paintings that are world renowned. The Drakensberg is home to some of the best rock art in the world.

Just standing within the grand walls of the caves you cannot ignore their dramatic past and remembering that these hundreds of sandstone caves that dot the mighty Drakensberg, many yet to still be discovered, was once home to small clans of Stone Age San who are members of the oldest human line on earth.

Wendy Miller taking photos of the graffti that some school kids had done the night before. Photo Credit Kim Williams #nikon #coolpixL820 #adventurekimcom #drakensberg #Injisuthi #WorldHeritageSite #UNESCO #GrindstoneCave #littletreasures #wildflowers #sandstone #OldWomanStream #Grindstone #StoneAge #SanBushman #BushmanArt #KimWilliams #camerafun #Injisuti #camping #wildlife #uKhahlamba #drakensbergpark #Malutimountains #MalotiDrakensbergPark

We found this water source in the 2nd Grindstone Cave. We did not drink from it because a group of 45 school kids and their so called professional guides had slept the night here and used the rocks near this water source to take a shit! See footnote below.

I can stare at these rocks for hours and find something new each time. Layers upon layers of interesting rock formations, artworks and markings on the walls. Some look like fossils from dinosaur looking creatures that may have roamed the berg, to sea creatures and fossilized sea shells.

Hero the elephant has been all over the world with me and has great sentimental meaning for me. He has scaled Kilimanjaro,Mt Elbrus, Mt Anios and several other local and international peaks and shared many adventures with me. Rupert the vulture, a new addition and reminds me that even the vultures deserved to be loved and cherished.

Rupert the vulture, Hero the elephant, my two adventure buddies are joined by Scrap, Wendy's little keepsake who belonged to her late daughter, an avid rock climber.

We made our way back to came and retraced our steps. Below us was this stunning water fall that I had to zoom in to get this shot.

The hillside is littered with large boulders, around which clusters of small trees and shrubs grow. The proteas grow on the more exposed slopes.

You can make this into a day trip like we did. We left at 09h00 and we were back by 12h30 in time for a scrumptious lunch that the men had made for us, now that is the life! The other option is to overnight in the caves then alter the return trip by taking the path to the head of this valley. Then going right in a northerly direction via Cataract Valley and down to the Del'mhlwazini Stream back to camp for a seven-kilometre round trip. Obviously it can be done comfortably in one day. But a night in the caves is fun and it gives you time to spend a couple of hours exploring the caves and sandstone overhangs, as well as experiencing an unforgettable sunset and sunrise that only the Drakensberg can provide.

Footnote Rant:

We were horrified to discover a well known Drakensberg guide and his assistant had taken a group of school kids, 46 of them on the Grindstone hike to sleep overnight in the cave which the KZN authorities allow a maximum of 12 to overnight. The group had left the day before in two waves. When we came back just before lunch from our 3 hour hike, we found the second group sitting under the trees waiting for their guide who was apparently "negotiating"in the office. These kids were not dressed appropriately (slops, shorts) nor properly equipped, not a single one of them had a rain jacket and yet the thunder and lightening was closing in. They walked to Grindstone in a huge storm, with lightening crashing over them and through a hail storm. We later found out from another group made up of a dad and his teenage children, that during the hail storm they had to take shelter in Grindstone cave. This is when they meet up with some of the children from the big group. The father and his teenage children had explored the cave, took photos and said that the cave walls did not have any graffiti on them and the cave was now really cramped so once the hail storm had subsided, they took a chance and walked back to Injisuthi camp. While there the lightning had been so bad that they discarded their metal trekking poles along the way. They came across the second group of children, who where looking miserable and drenched. I have to wonder how so called professional guides, who are registered and are members of the Mountain club of SA, can behave in such a manner. Surely as guides you should be mindful and educated in preserving our heritage, not assisting in destroying it, to make a quick buck, to break and bend all the rules and bully people into getting their own way. You will see the photos of the loo paper, poo ,rubbish and graffiti we found along the way. How can you decimate our heritage. Yes Wendy and I reported it to the KZN authorities together with all the photographs as evidence and they will deal with it. I really hope the guides are banned for life from our precious World Heritage site. We passed the group looking miserable as we made our way up the path not far from the office. Wendy told the guides exactly what she thought of them and told the children they had really bad guides, some of the children said, yes we did and had a horrible time, they were cold and wet and did not like hiking in the storm. How as a guide can you be so irresponsible with other peoples kids, shame on you. Incidentally we found the pages with the guides details and where he had just listed the number of hikers and not the individual names, torn out of the register, however his advertisement was still up on the wall. Please check the rules below the photos.

Please take note of the following rules:

A wilderness area is an area of land that has been set aside and managed in such a way that its pristine character is not altered. It is one of the most important categories in the zonation of conservation areas.

WILDERNESS PRINCIPLES

To ensure that the character of a wilderness area remains unaltered and suffers no impact through mans use, a number of principles are applied in the management of these areas. Visitor numbers are managed to ensure a quality experience. Management input is kept to a minimum so that natural processes can continue to operate.

For the visitor to a Wilderness Area this means that:

there is an emphasis on solitude and self-reliance
you have the right to risk
you may only walk or ride horses, (lone hikers are discouraged)
please relieve yourself at least a five minute walk away from any cave, campsite, forest, watercourse or path
no fires are allowed, even in caves
you may leave your footprints but nothing else, so that others have a real wilderness experience
what you take in, is taken out, including litter and candle-wax

VISITOR MANAGEMENT

In order to minimize the impact of overnight visitors in wilderness areas, the following strategy is applied:

no party may exceed 12 persons
caves are booked only by one group at a time
Visitors should consult the official fees and charges pamphlet which is available in all Ezemvelo areas and from Head Office, P.O. Box 13053, Cascades, Pietermaritzburg 3202, (telephone 033-845 1999)
Should the station concerned not receive the full payment within 14 days the reservation will be cancelled
Payment for reservations made at short notice must be made at the station concerned on arrival
Cave bookings are controlled locally so that any adverse impact on the environment by visitor numbers can be dealt with immediately
Visitors should therefore book directly with the Ezemvelo station concerned (see below)
the limits set for the maximum numbers of people in a cave/catchment/camping site will be enforced
caves may be temporarily closed for a recovery period
the use of tents in the wilderness area is allowed unless demarcated as a non-camping area on the official Drakensberg map (on sale at Ezemvelo stations)
no camping is allowed within 3 km of major camp developments or within 1 km from a mountain hut
persons who touch or interfere in any way with rock art are liable to a fine of up to R500 000 and/ or imprisonment up to 5 years. This includes the application of water or any liquid to the paintings to make them more visible
Visitors are advised that they should carry camping equipment even if they expect to spend a night in a cave, as weather conditions or other factors may result in their not reaching their objective
Furthermore, ALL hikers should fill in the mountain rescue register (available at all Ezemvelo offices in the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park) before they set out on their hike
It is recommended that all overnight hikers read the brochure, ‘It's Tough at the Top - Hiking Safely in the Drakensberg'