spaswinefood: Let's raise a glass or two to South Africa's Drakensberg

Let’s raise a glass or two to South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains. South Africa is known for its amazing scenery, wildlife and of course its wines. When it is possible during our Spaswinefood travels we like to combine all three. Needless to say, such was the case when we explored the Drakensberg during our South African adventures. Here's to the Drakensberg.

CHEERS to the Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

Drakensberg Mountains
Drakensberg’s 1600 km mountain range is an Ukhahlamba World Heritage Site. The Drakensberg is the stuff of which legends are made. The Zulus described the escarpment as “The Barrier of Spears”. Whereas the early Voortrekker pioneers described the mountains as “Dragon Mountains” because of the myths of fire breathing dragons living in the mountains. Throughout history the Drakensberg has played an important part in the history of the Bushmen, Zulu, Boer and the British. An important record of that history is the rock art of the San Bushmen that can be found in caves and shelters in over 300 places in the area.

Drakensberg Explorations
After exiting at the town of Winterton we drove about 26 km to the town of Monks Cowl, a World Heritage Site. From there we continued for another 45 km to Bergville, a small town at the foothills in the Northern Drakensberg. From Bergville there are a number of entrances into the Drakensberg Mountain range. We had other plans. First, we picked up supplies, etc. in Bergville. Then we were off to Silverstreams, our campsite in Underbreg. Bergville to Underbreg in the Southern Drakensberg is a distance of 250 kms (155 miles).

D2 to Silverstreams, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

6km to Silverstreams, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

Explorations in the Underberg Area
As we drove the gravel road that led into Silverstreams there were intermittent rain shows. The mountains were shrouded in fog. I never tired of viewing the expansive landscape in the Underberg area. Underbreg is a rural community known for its dairy and cattle farming.

Views along D2, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

Travels along D2, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

D2 Travels, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

We passed animals grazed in the fields. At points we stopped to view the breathtaking Drakensberg Mountains through the fog.

Drakensberg through the Fog © Spaswinefood

Driving through the expansive landscape, with its breathtaking views was indeed delightful.

Getting Closer © Spaswinefood

Almost There © Spaswinefood

The next morning we enjoyed an early morning walk to Bushmans Nek nearby our campsite. The road was muddy after the rain. Still there were folks out for a morning jog.

Joggers, Bushmans Nek © Spaswinefood

Bushmans Nek © Spaswinefood

As we traveled to and from our campsite we passed by other accommodations and spas in the area.

Passing Bushman Nek Resort © Spaswinefood

Spa Country © Spaswinefood

We indeed drove through incredible landscape as we traveled to and from Silverstreams.

Stunning Landscape, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

Further Along, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

Further Along #2 Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

Further Along #3, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

Fields and Mountains, Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

Time for Tea and More
One stop we made on one of our outings was at the Tea Garden. We stopped for lunch.

Tea Garden © Spaswinefood

Tea Garden © Spaswinefood

Reviewing Maps, Tea Garden © Spaswinefood

But of course I ordered tea. After all wouldn't you want some tea in the Tea Garden.

Time Time, Tea Garden © Spaswinefood

It was a simple lunch with quiche and veggie burrito being our choices that day.

Quiche & Salad, Tea Garden © Spaswinefood

Veggie Burrito, Tea Garden © Spaswinefood

We also had breakfast once at the Waffle Hut.

Waffle Hut © Spaswinefood

Breakfast, Waffle Hut © Spaswinefood

Silverstreams
While touring Southern Drakensberg we stayed in Silverstreams and explored the nearby areas. It is always a challenge to divide your time between exploring around our campsite and the overall area. Nevertheless we did manage to hike a little into the mountain trails near our campground.

Hiking in the Southern Drakensberg © Spaswinefood

While at the campsite we were visited frequently by Vervet monkeys. These monkeys not only love to play but also like to steal food, etc. from the campsites.

Vervet Monkeys © Spaswinefood

Vervet Monkey, Silverstreams © Spaswinefood

In the evenings there at the base of the Drakensberg Mountains we ate dinner. I am sure that this is something the locals take this for granted. For us however it was a special treat to drink a glass a wine while gazing at the mountains. Fortunately, we had brought with us some Stellenbosch's Ken Forrester and Stellekaya wines to enjoy.

Ken Forrester Wines

Ken Forrester, Petit Rosé Stellenbosch 2013 © Spaswinefood

Earlier in Stellenbosch we picked up a good supply of Forrester wines.

Stellekaya Wines

Yes, we also picked up some Stellekaya wines for our travels.

There, as we drank our wine we could not help but notice that we were under the watchful eyes of the nearby monkeys.

We could see the Vervet monkeys plotting nearby.

There as early autumn started to settle into the mountains, with daylight starting to fade, we knew that the monkeys would retreat soon for the night.

We so enjoyed these South African wines, as we ate dinner with the Drakensberg Mountains as our backdrop.

Finally everything went quiet. We knew that the Vervet monkeys had disappeared for the evening.

I realized that all too soon this would be a memory of this very special place. Let’s raise a glass or two to South Africa’s Drakensberg.

While time has indeed passed I still remember enjoying Forrester and Stellekaya, South African wines at the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg. It is hard to beat gazing at the Drakensberg Mountains, as the sun is setting. I invite you to join me in my travels in South Africa and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.

Sharon

March 2014

Underberg, South Africa

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Friday, July 1, 2016

Let's raise a glass or two to South Africa's Drakensberg

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