The Amphitheatre
A wall up to 1,200 m high.
Klg113 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pavel Špindler — CC BY 3.0 · Pavel Špindler — CC BY 3.0 · Juniper339 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · NJR ZA — CC BY-SA 3.0
Royal Natal National Park is a mountain reserve of about 81 square kilometres in the northern Drakensberg, in KwaZulu-Natal, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite the name it is a provincial park run by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and its great feature is the huge rock wall called the Amphitheatre. These mountains were once the hunting ground of the San people, who left striking rock paintings. The San no longer live here, but their art remains among the area's most important heritage. Today the park belongs to the Maloti-Drakensberg transfrontier area and is one of the country's best known hiking destinations. The Amphitheatre runs for about 5 km, with a wall up to 1,200 m high. On top is Mont-Aux-Sources, where the Orange and Tugela rivers rise. From it the seasonal Tugela Falls drop in five leaps totalling officially 948 m, which some measurements rank as the world's tallest waterfall. The Tugela Gorge trail leads between rocks and pools, and there is also the famous Policeman's Helmet rock. The gorge walk takes most of a day, so start early and bring water and layers, as the weather changes fast. Afternoon storms are common in summer, and snow can fall in winter. Do not cross rivers when the water is high. Giant's Castle is 86 km away in a straight line, but the road between them is much longer.
A wall up to 1,200 m high.
Rocks and pools between walls.
A famous rock in the park.
Northern Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal
Despite the name it is a provincial park run by Ezemvelo, not SANParks.
They are seasonal, strongest in the rains and much weaker in dry spells.