9
9. SHARE THE SKIES IN THE
DRAKENSBERG
Cape vultures are huge, with wingspans
of up to two metres. They’re also listed
as endangered on the International Union
for Conservation of Nature’s Red List
of Threatened Species – the species’
numbers falling because of poaching,
poisoning and loss of habitat. It’s quite a
rare event, then, to find scores of these
birds flying within metres of you on the
edge of a sheer escarpment.
Callum Piccione and Shaun Vorster
recently created the two-day Drakensberg
44 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
EXPLORE MZANSI WITH SURE
To book any of these or other South
African adventures, contact your
Sure Travel consultant. Be sure to
ask about our great deals on fly/drive
packages. Visit www.suretravel.co.za
or call 0861 47 48 49.
Vulture Trail, which skirts the border
between the Free State and Kwazulu-Natal.
At 38 km, it’s a fair distance made easier
by not having to lug tents and food – your
gear is transported ahead by car. And it’s
not just vultures that you’ll see: herds of
migratory eland, blesbok and Burchell’s
zebra clatter by, while red-winged francolin
burst from underfoot. Other birds are
there for the spotting, too, if you have the
eye – we counted 65 species by the end of
our stay. Rock paintings snatch you back
in time and yellowwood forests run thick
across skyscraping sandstone mountains.
After each day’s hike, a comfortable
lodge awaits. Berghouse and Cottages
and Greenfire Drakensberg are worthy
destinations on their own, with views over
the Northern Drakensberg. Extend your
trail by a few days to explore the trout
fishing, horse riding, historic battle sites
and restaurants of the area, or do a day
trip up the Oliviershoek Pass via Golden
Gate National Park.
THE DETAILS: Rates for The Vulture
Trail start from R3 500 per person,
all-inclusive.