Adventure: Sani Pass + Mont-aux-Sources + Battlefields
DRS7D

7 NIGHTS

FROM $1,680

International flights quoted separately

Follow the adventures of Charley Boorman on this active holiday in the dramatic Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu Natal - the "barrier of spears" soaring above the Natal Midlands. Ascend the Sani Pass in a 4x4 vehicle and have lunch at the highest pub in Africa, before hiking to the source of the Tugela River at Mont-aux-Sources & visiting the Zulu Battlefields at Rorkes Drift.

HIGHLIGHTS

Trekking Sani Pass Mont Aux Sources Drakensberg Mountains South Africa

• Durban Beaches	• Drakensberg Mountains	• Sani Pass	• Lesotho
• Bushman Paintings	• Amphitheatre	• Mont-Aux-Sources hike	• Tugela Falls
• Zulu Battlefields	• Rorkes Drift

Day 1

You will be met at Durban Airport and transferred 30-minutes to your hotel on the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal, renowned for its wonderful beaches and reliably warm holiday weather all year round.

Check in, settle in and relax on the shores of the warm Indian Ocean.

Day 2

Transfer 3-hours today from Durban to the spectacular uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains, recognised as a World Heritage site for its vast collection of San Bushmen rock art paintings.

Known locally as the Barrier of Spears the dramatic Drakensberg Mountains form the backbone of Southern Africa, running all the way down from the Great Rift Valley. Check into your mountain resort in this area of unspoilt natural beauty.

Day 3

Today enjoy a thrilling tour up the Sani Pass in a 4x4 vehicle, crossing into the small kingdom of Lesotho (passport required). The Sani Pass is the highest pass in Africa, offering spectacular views. Here you can visit a Sotho tribal village where you can interact with the locals, before enjoying an included lunch at the highest pub in Africa (light jacket recommended).

Afterwards return down the mountain to your hotel and enjoy relaxing, walking or horse riding in the magnificent Drakensberg Mountains.

Day 4

Today transfer for 3-hours from the southern Drakensberg and through the rolling hills of the Natal Midlands to the far northern Drakensberg Mountains.

Check into your hotel in this region of great beauty, with its many bushman paintings and wonderful walks along the dramatic Amphitheatre.

Day 5

Weather permitting, today there is the opportunity of hiking to the source of the Tugela River at Mont-Aux Sources with a mountain guide.

Rise early and drive 1.45-hour through Olivershoek Pass and past Sterkfontein Dam and hydroelectric scheme to the car park at the foot of the Sentinel buttress. This all day hiking trail takes you around the back of the Drakensberg Mountains to Mont-Aux-Sources, where suddenly the Tugela Falls drops over 3,000 feet to create the second highest waterfall in the world.

From the top of the Amphitheatre you can view KwaZulu Natal thousands of feet below – a memory that will last a lifetime, but only achievable in good walking conditions. If you are not fit enough for this trail, another local trail can be substituted in discussion with your guide.

Carry water & wear sturdy walking boots and all-weather clothing suitable for mountain conditions, as the weather can change very quickly indeed.

Day 6

Today transfer 3-hours through the Natal Midlands and rural Zululand to the the remote battlefields at Isandlwana.

Check into your lodge and enjoy dinner whilst absorbing more of the fascinating history of this great conflict between Britain, the Boers and the proud Zulu Kingdom.

Day 7

Today enjoy a tour to the poignant battlefield at Isandlwana, where in 1879 the mighty British army suffered the greatest defeat in its history following its controversial invasion of Zululand. See for yourself the events portrayed so passionately in the film Zulu Dawn, as the regiment was wiped out almost to a man by 25,000 Zulu warriors.

Continue to Fugitives Drift where a handful of survivors fought valiantly to save the Queen's colours and Rorkes Drift where the following morning a small contingent of 100 British soldiers (many of them sick) held off over 4,000 Zulu warriors earning no fewer than 11 Victoria Crosses – unforgettably brought to life by Michael Caine in the film Zulu.

Adventure: Sani Pass + Mont-aux-Sources + Battlefields DRS7D

Adventure: Sani Pass + Mont-aux-Sources + Battlefields
DRS7D