River of surprises
The route starts at Mont-aux-Sources in the Royal Natal National Park. The Tugela Falls, the highest in the world, crashes down the Drakensberg Amphitheatre and several streams coalesce at the foot of the dramatic cliff.
At the car park (S28.70953 E28.94022), from where you watch the scene, the Tugela River is still young, barely five metres wide and only ankle deep, with its water crystal clear. About 500 km east, however, where the Tugela empties into the ocean, it looks entirely different…
Day 1
A RUN THROUGH HISTORY
A bumpy tar road runs along the Tugela River to a picnic spot next to a dam. Stop here and shoot a gorgeous pic of the Amphitheatre. From here, drive past the visitor centre and shortly afterwards, leave the national park at the main gate.
Barely 200 m outside the gate, will you cross the Tugela for the first time. It seems as though the river has already swollen and become deeper in the past 6 km since leaving the car park. Follow a pothole-riddled tar road for 7 km and turn right at a road sign for Dukuza (S28.67535 E29.03577). From here a decent tar road takes you past several settlements with interesting architecture. One remarkable house next to the road resembles an aircraft, or maybe it’s a boat? The designer clearly had big dreams, but his budget and talent betrayed him. Now this flightless corrugated iron titan, with its VW bus windows, is slowly rusting away.
There are several speed bumps along the road and you should keep an eye out for cattle and goats that have no qualms with strolling into the road exactly when you approach them. After 26 km, you’ll reach the
