Adventure and Gourmet Relaxation in the Drakensberg
Drakensberg/KwaZulu Natal/South Africa
This Drakensberg story is one of retreat, beauty, relaxation and good eating. The drive towards the Drakensberg Mountains swept over the undulating foothills down side-roads that snake along meandering countryside to our first destination Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse. Cleopatra is tucked away in the beautiful Kamberg valley in the Drakensberg Mountains, it is a gourmet getaway where attention to detail is evident everywhere. The dining room and lounge are extended over a trout-filled dam that looks out across the water to the stunning mountains of the Southern Berg. It is a magical place – a secluded luxury hideaway where the most important factor is not to come here if you are on a diet!
The build up to dinner was an event in itself with all the guests meeting at 7 p.m. for drinks and given an entertaining, detailed account of the gourmet meal that was to follow by Richard, the chef and owner. Everything is hand prepared on the premises, some of the sauces (the highlight of most plates) take up to three days in creation. It’s three fabulous starters each, in our case a plate of meltingly succulent scallops, then a rich, baked butternut soup with a dollop of creamy pesto and a plate of Mozambican king prawns. A small freshening sorbet provided Richard the time for final preparations of the main course, an elaborate plate of choice lamb cuts on rosti with three different chutneys, and rounded off with a rich chocolate concoction, perfectly offset by homemade orange-infused vanilla ice cream.
Cathedral Peak – Central DrakensbergFor dinner Andrew had taken the Zulu line. An interesting stew with a type of dumpling bread baked in the same pot. Butternut and maize meal and some wild spinach added a touch of colour. What I have never seen before was the wild asparagus sautéed in lemon and butter with a hint of sesame oil. I start to drool even thinking about that now.
The next morning was a guided horse trail through the Drakensberg foothills. I am not a horse enthusiast normally but with such relaxed horses I would not have missed it for anything. It was just before lunch we headed of to Montusi Montusi a bit like a hotel with a personal country cottage feeling about it. The lodge is perfectly positioned to catch the surrounding view, fields of galloping horses and lakes to fish in. The food here too is excellent perhaps not as unexpectedly different as the Antbear but our lamb with char-grilled lemon and mint was perfect.
Our last day in these mountains was spent walking the Tugela Gorge Walk below the Amphitheatre in the Royal Natal National Park. It took us to the base of the Tugela Falls, where the Tugela River plunges 948m (3,109 ft.) from the plateau, its combined drop making it the second highest falls in the world, and afforded us marvelous views of the Amphitheatre.
Our trip back to Durban guided us through the Midlands Meander – a place I find to be over rated unless you make the effort to pick out the gems that it does offer. We stopped at Marakesh Israeli Goats Cheese for a glass of wine and some cheese tasting. A perfect light snack after that lovely drive to get here. Our next stop took us passed the Karkloof Falls to the Karkloof Canopy tour – a unique eco-experience that takes people on a 3-hr adventure through the magnificent Karkloof indigenous forest. The canopy tour involves traversing from one platform to another along a steel cable suspended up to 30 metre above the forest floor.
It was five thirty when we arrived back at my flat in Durban. We were all tired but satisfied with our week in the Drakensberg Mountains. I know that this region offers much more and far greater extremes but for us it was a perfect balance of natural beauty, good living and just a little excitement.
More Information about the Drakensberg
Links to Drakensberg Accommodation
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