Up Up and Away

Before Cesar went back to Canada, we decided that his trip to South Africa would not be complete without a visit to the Drakensbergs.  Ali had just returned from her "home for the holidays" visit to Canada and we were all keen to get away for the weekend.  We had been really eager to do the Canopy Tours in the Champagne Valley of the Drakensbergs.  So we figured a weekend of ziplining and hiking was in order.

 We drove up early on Saturday morning to make it just in time for the 10am canopy tour. 

The tour included twelve ziplines through the Grotto forest.  The website boasted that the experience will "take your breath away" and it kind of did.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful.  From the minute we walked onto the first platform we felt like we were in a rainforest, complete with exotic birds, magnificent waterfalls and breathtaking cliffs.

We were all initially a bit nervous, but we pretty quickly got the "hang" of things. 

The experience was absolutely incredible and exhilarating.  We felt like we were flying and it was amazing.  There is definitely something to be said about being able to experience nature this way.

After a quick lunch we decided to go for a hike near the Monks Cowl, the mountain which lies between Champagne Castle and Cathedral Peak.  Apparently it gets its name from its distinct shape of a monk's hood.  Personally I think some people have way too much imagination.

The hike was fantastic.  We could see dark clouds gathering in the distance and the distinct sounds of thunder over the peaks.  Yet the sun was still shining and the weather was quite warm.

There was all sorts of interesting wildlife around us that Cesar kept on pointing out.

The hike took us to one of the most majestic spots I have ever been.

After spending the night in thatched rondavels near the mountains, we woke up refreshed and ready for another day of hiking.  We decide to hike up to the San rock paintings near the Giant's Castle.  We got instructions from the owner of the lodge as to the quickest and most direct route.  Little did we know that the quickest and most direct route was a gravel road that although only 40km long took us close to an hour and a half to drive on.  Surprise!

Giant's Castle is a peak in the central Drakensbergs.  It gets its name from the outline of the peaks and escarpment that combine to resemble the profile of a sleeping giant.  As I said, too much imagination :) As we got closer we could hear the loud rumbling of the clouds in the distance.  The thunder progressively got louder and louder.  Soon after we began our hike, giant droplets of water began to fall.  Though we were soaked by the time we got to the caves, there was something incredible about hiking in the rain with the loud thunder nearby.  The San rock art was also quite impressive.

Yet another great weekend for the books (or the blog in this case)!