Drakensberg Information | Conference Venues Drakensberg | Conference Centres | Conferences Drakensberg

Conference Venues South Africa brings you information on Drakensberg situated in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa including information on Facilities and Recreation, Climate, Founding, History Suburbs, Town Planning and Geography

conferences - conference venues and conference facilities in south africa team building and events management south africa conference venues south africa - conferences search for conference venues in south africa browse conference venues information on south africa conferences contact south african conference venues team building and events management south africa

 
You are here: Conference Centres South Africa > Information on South Africa  > Information on Drakensberg

Information on Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

conference centres Drakensberg

About Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to 3,482 metres (11,424 ft) in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba ("barrier of spears"), and in Sesotho as Maluti (also spelled Maloti). Its geological history lends it a distinctive character amongst the mountain ranges of the world.

Click here for Conference Centres in Drakensberg


The range is located in the eastern part of Southern Africa, running for some 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from south-west to north-east. The mountains drain on the western slopes by the Orange and Vaal rivers, and on the east and south by a number of smaller rivers, the Tugela being the largest. Looming over the nearby coast of Natal the range covers the border between KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa and the Drakensberg mountain kingdom of Lesotho.

A Guide to the Drakensberg describes the escarpment as lying "parallel to the south-eastern coast of South Africa from the Northern Province to the Eastern Cape."[1] In the vicinity of Giant's Castle, it "swings to the south-west and enters the Eastern Cape", splitting there into the separate ranges of Stormberg, Bamboes, Suurberg, Nieuveld and Komsberg.

Towns and cities in the Drakensberg area include: in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa; Ladysmith, the large town Newcastle, the former Zulu capital Ulundi, the coal-mining centre Dundee and Ixopo; and further south Matatiele and Barkly East in Eastern Cape Province South Africa; plus all of Lesotho, whose capital is Maseru. The hilly landscape extends north from the Drakensberg as Swaziland, whose capital is Mbabane.

 

Drakensberg Conservation

The high slopes are hard to reach so the environment is fairly undamaged. However, tourism in the Drakensberg is developing, with a variety of hiking trails, hotels and resorts appearing on the slopes. Most of the higher South African parts of the range have been designated as game reserves or wilderness areas. Of these the UKhahlamba / Drakensberg Park was listed by UNESCO in 2000 as a World Heritage site. The park is also in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (under the Ramsar Convention). The Royal Natal National Park, which contains some of the higher peaks, is part of this large park complex. Adjacent to the Drakensberg National Park is Cathkin Estates Conservation and Wildlife Sanctuary which spans 1044HA of virgin grassland and represents the largest privately owned game park in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg region. Across the border in Lesotho an area is protected as the Sehlabathebe National Park.

The grassland of the lower slopes meanwhile has been greatly affected by agriculture, especially overgrazing. There are two large protected areas in this area: the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve has the Big Five game (elephant, black and white rhino, African Buffalo, lion and leopard) as well as cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and wild dogs (Lycaon pictus); and the Giant's Castle reserve is a haven for the Eland and also is a breeding ground for the Bearded Vulture. However, original grassland and forest has nearly all disappeared and more protection is needed.

Drakensberg Ecology

The high treeless peaks of the Drakensberg (from 2,500 m upwards) have been described by the World Wildlife Fund as the Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands ecoregion. These steep slopes are the most southerly high mountains in Africa, and being further from the equator provide cooler habitats at lower elevations than most mountain ranges on the continent. The high rainfall generates many mountain streams and rivers, including the sources of the Orange River, southern Africa's longest, and the Tugela River. These mountains also have the world's second-highest waterfall, the Tugela Falls (Thukela Falls), which has a total drop of 947 metres. The rivers that run from the Drakensberg are an essential resource for South Africa's economy, providing water for the industrial provinces of Mpumalanga and Gauteng, which contains the city of Johannesburg. The climate is wet and cool at the high altitudes, which experience snowfall in winter. Meanwhile the grassy lower slopes (from 1,800 to 2,500 m) of the Drakensberg in Swaziland, South Africa and Lesotho constitute the Drakensberg Montane Grassland, Woodland, and Forest.

Towns and Suburbs of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa

Kwazulu-Natal
Amanzimtoti , Assagay, Ballito , Bayala, Beachfront, Bergville , Berea , Bishopstowe , Blythedale , Botha's Hill , Cowies Hill , Curry's Post , Dargle , Drakensberg, Durban City , Empangeni , Estcourt , Eston , Geluksburg , Gillits , Glenwood , Hillcrest , Hilton , Hluhluwe , Howick , Illovo , Inchanga , iSamangaliso Wetlands ,Isandlwana , Ixopo , Kloof , Kokstad , La Lucia , Lake Jozini , Lidgetton , Marina Beach , Melmoth , Mkuze , Mooi River , Morningside , Mount Edgecombe , Mtunzini , Musgrave , Newcastle , Nottingham Road , Oribi Gorge , Oslo Beach , Paulpietersburg , Pennington , Pietermaritzburg , Pinetown , Pongola , Pongolapoort , Port Edward , Port Shepstone , Richards Bay , Rosetta , Salt Rock , Scottburgh , Southbroom , Spioenkop . St Lucia , St Lucia Wetlands , Sydenham, Ulundi , Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park , Umhlanga Rocks , Umzumbe, Underberg , Vryheid , Wartburg , Westville , Winterton , Zimbali , Zinkwazi Beach

 

Conference Venues South Africa | Search for Venues with Conference Facilities in South Africa | Browse through available Confernce Venues in South Africa | Conferences Cape Town | Conference Venues in Western Cape | Conference Venues in Eastern Cape | Conference Venues in Northern Cape | Conference Venues in Kwazulu-Natal | Conference Venues in Free State | Conference Venues in Gauteng | Conference Venues in Limpopo Province | Conference Venues in North West Province | Conference Venues in Mpumalanga |South Africa Information | Contact Conference Venues | Web Resources | Conference Venues South Africa Sitemap 1 | Sitemap 2
Conferences Drakensberg - Conference Venues South Africa brings you conference centres and venues with conference facilities in Drakensberg, South Africa