Day Hikes – Highmoor – Kamberg – Giants Castle Nature Reserves  (Midlands based guests) 

Highmoor Nature Reserve : is situated in the central region of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park, South Africa’s first cultural and environmental World Heritage Site. The reserve is 14 749 ha in extent and offers the visitor a variety of experiences. It is renowned for its excellent trout dams and scenic views.

The exceptional natural beauty of the Maloti- Drakensberg Park is evident in its soaring basaltic buttresses, golden sandstone ramparts, rolling high altitude grasslands, steep-sided river valleys and rocky gorges. The area has incredibly rich biodiversity including many endemic species.

 

Kamberg Nature Reserve: with its picturesque resort, lies in the central part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site.

The surrounding landscape is rich in San (or Bushmen) history, with San raiding parties using the hills and valleys to hide cattle taken from settlers who had appropriated their land to the point where the San were no longer able to sustain themselves through their tradition hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

The beautiful Mooi River runs through the nature reserve, adding significantly to the Kamberg experience by adding fly-fishing to the list of activities.

There are some wonderful rock pools to swim in so please pack costumes, towel, hats, sunscreen plus good walking shoes, binoculars, camera  and a water container.

 

Giants Castle Nature Reserve:  is situated in the central part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Dubbed “the Flower of the Drakensberg” due to its impressively rich floral diversity, rolling grasslands, crags and cliffs, lies in the “Little ‘Berg”, with Giant’s Castle Resort overlooking the Bushman’s River. It offers much for the outdoor enthusiast as well as those searching for the tranquillity of natural surroundings. A network of mapped trails spreads along the river, into the foothills or into the high ’Berg itself, providing endless opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, photographers, amateur botanists and hikers to immerse themselves in tranquil solitude.

Spring is a particularly special time of the year, with many of the seasonal grassland plants in bloom. Here one can often see the indigenous agapanthus dusting the veld with a blue haze, or the yellow/orange bloom of the red-hot poker, amongst many others. The world-renowned Giant’s Castle Main Caves Museum provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of the vanished San people (or Bushmen) who lived in these valleys historically and left such a priceless legacy of rich rock art.

The world-renowned Vulture Hide offers the bird-enthusiast and photographer a unique opportunity to view and photograph various raptors and vultures, such as the endangered bearded vulture, the Cape vulture and Verreaux’s eagle that occur in the region.

Accommodation is available in the Highmoor and Kamberg areas which can be arranged.