South Africa - 9th Dec 2016 - Amphitheatre Backpackers to Sentinel Peak Day Trip
This video features still Photos & Video Clips taken at Amphitheatre Backpackers Lodge located just off R74 highway about 22 kms north of Bergville in KwaZulu Natal, early on Friday 9th December 2016. Then viewers see a drive up Oliviershoek Pass into Free State Province & through lively former apartheid homeland town of Phuthaditjhaba (Qwa-Qwa) then up to Sentinel car park up past nearby Witsieshoek Mountain Resort at about 2,500 metres. Scenes include photos and video clips of a day starting early morning at the Backpackers Lodge on a day I never expected would ever happen again, after my attempt to drive up the very rough gravel road to the car park, after having lunch at Witsieshoek Mountain Resort on 20th April 2006 during my trip to South Africa that year.
I chose to use some music tracks by M83 such as Intro, Outro & Un Nouveau Soleil as they best captured the tempo and atmosphere of this place - and my day as I felt its exhilaration.
Amphitheatre, Drakensberg South Africa | Top Attractions in Africa | chain ladder Drakensberg
Amphitheatre, Drakensberg South Africa | Top Attractions in Africa | chain ladder Drakensberg
The Amphitheatre is one of the geographical features of the Northern Drakensberg, South Africa, and is widely regarded as one of the most impressive cliff faces on earth. The cliff face of the Amphitheatre is roughly three times the size of the total combined area of all the cliff faces in Yosemite's famous El Capitan, and more than 10 times the size of El Capitan's most famous (South Western) face. It is part of the Royal Natal National Park.
The Amphitheatre is over 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in length and has precipitous cliffs rising approximately 1,220 metres (4,000 ft) along its entire length.[1] The bottom of the valley floor, from where many photographs of the mountain structure are taken, is over 1,830 metres (6,000 ft) below the highest point of the amphitheatre (the summit being over 3,050 metres (10,000 ft) above sea level—with Mont-Aux-Sources just over 3,254 metres (11,000 ft) above sea level). The Tugela Falls, the world's second tallest falls, plunge over 948 metres (3,100 ft)[1] from the Amphitheatre's cliff tops.
The Amphitheatre ridge looking southeast
The spectacularly beautiful mountain hiking trail to the top of Mount-Aux-Sources starts at the Sentinel car park above the Witsieshoek Resort, over 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above sea level, (Witsieshoek in turn can only be reached via Phuthaditjhaba) from where it is a relatively short climb to the top of the Amphitheatre. Via two chain ladders one can gain easy access to the summit. The trip takes only 5 hours return, not including time taken on top of the mountain. This is the only day hiking trail which will take one to the top of the Drakensberg escarpment, and the view from the top is reputed to be amongst the most beautiful in the world.
Another trail to the foot of the Tugela Falls starts at Royal Natal National Park. The easy seven kilometre gradient up the Tugela gorge winds though indigenous forests. The last part of the hike to the Tugela Falls is a boulder hop. A little chain ladder takes one over the final stretch from where there is a stunning view of the falls rushing down the Amphitheatre in a series of five spectacular cascades.
The Tugela Falls, which is situated at the top of the Amphitheatre is said to be the highlight of Drakensberg.[2]
In 1964, film director Cy Endfield shot the exterior locations in the mountainous Drakensberg National Park for the epic war film Zulu starring Michael Caine and Stanley Baker. The set for the British field hospital and supply depot at Rorke's Drift was created by the Tugela River with the Amphitheatre in the background. The real location of the battle was 100 kilometres (60 mi) to the north east near the isolated hill at Isandlwana. More info:
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Kruger National Park | Top Attractions in Africa
Table Mountain National Park | Top Attractions in Africa
Phutaditjaba
Fun times in the Free State, South Africa.
Highest Waterfall In the Universe- Mount Aux Sources Vlog.
So this was my first time hiking , truly speaking , it was scary but it filled me with an adrenaline rush so i'll most probably do it again.
Climbing up the highest Waterfall in the Universe. That's a story to tell.
Jutazz Taba eo In Qwaqwa, 5 Star
Performance
Climbing the Chain Ladders, Northern Drakensberg Amphitheatre
Climbing the infamous Chain Ladders on the Northern Drakensberg Amphitheatre with GoVertical Mountaineering Adventures. govertical.co.za
20171230 140654
Fika Patso (Qwa Qwa)
RC Sloping Madness at Witsieshoek - September 2017
In September 2017, Schalk and Philip went RC Sloping in Witsieshoek, Northern Drakensberg, South Africa.
The slope targeted for the beginning of weekend was the famous mountain slope behind the Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge facing a massively strong 80kph+ westerly wind which we adventured and traversed using an arsenal of slope wings.
Massive amounts of adrenaline and legal highs were experienced on a phun flying weekend! This video aims to give you a small window into our adventure.
Curious and want to join us on our next adventure? Come by House4Hack! House4Hack :
Snow in Phuthaditjhaba - 26 July 2011
Snow in Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa.
Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge - Drakensberg
Situated in the Northern Drakensberg at the foot of the magnificent Sentinel Peak and looking across to the Drakensberg’s Mont-Aux-Sources and Amphitheater, with endangered bearded vultures soaring overhead.
Metsimatsho dam at Thaba bosiu qwaqwa
KTM 990r Witsieshoek Qwa-Qwa
johann naude
(made with #spliceapp -
Andy Compton - Trip to QwaQwa
Here's my song 'Trip to QwaQwa', which is inspired by my road trip to a gig in the beautiful rural parts of South Africa, a few hours drive from Jozi.
Zenzile was my guide and the gig was for vinyl warrior SK Dog.
The footage was taken on my Iphone.
The songs can be streamed from all sites, and bought from bandcamp or any other download shops.
Written & Produced by Andy Compton
Peng Records 2019.
The Old Mutual Wild Series Mont-Aux-Sources Challenge 2017 - Event highlights clip
Feeling on top of the world at the Old Mutual Wild Series Mont-Aux-Sources Challenge...
Beautiful conditions, spectacular setting and adventurous runners, this event had it all - and is certainly not for the faint-hearted with climbing up chain ladders and scrambling down the Gully.
This is an awesome experience, my first one and I really didn't see this coming. This is a challenge for sure. #MAS2017 runner.
Come on a visual journey with us as we take a look at this stunning clip of highlights from the event, by Danegerous Pictures
Witsieshoek Pass (Part 1) - Mountain Passes of South Africa
For full details on this pass, as well as all the passes and poorts of South Africa, including GPS, technical, safety, historical and tourism information, plus a fully interactive, dual view Phoca map showing printable directions from where you are with time and distance pre-calculated, go to MountainPassesSouthAfrica.co.za
thaba tsa qwaqwa
video uploaded from my mobile phone
Chain ladders: Lehlohonolo Matobako & Lebohang Togoe
Chain ladders to Tugela Falls and a view of Fika Patso Dam
New Year | Drakensberg trip | by K.Channel
31 Dec 2017 - 2 Jan 2017
This is a small clip from our family on the trip from Pretoria to Drakensberg. Hope you enjoy and SUBSCRIBE K. Channel for more adventuring trip around the world.
Places:
- Witsieshoek Mountain lodge (in Phuthaditjhaba)
- Sugar & Cinnamon restaurant
- Golden Gate Highlands National Park
- Golden Gate hotel and chalets
- Claren
1st hiking trail at Witsieshoek Mountain lodge | 12.5 km. | 4 hrs. 45 min
2nd hiking trail at Golden Gate Highlands National Park | to Echo Ravine and Mushroom rock | 1 hr 30 min
CONTACTS :
kanyakorn.boonchai@gmail.com
SOCIAL MEDIA :
Instagram : kwan_kb
Monontsha Pass - S.Africa, Lesotho
Drive up to Monantsha Border Post on the border of Lesotho & S.Africa, through the border post and then down to the Caledon River crossing into Lesotho. About 10 minutes of further footage driving on the Lesotho side.
QWA-QWA
The laying bare of the seductive beauty of mountainous Qwa-Qwa Witsieshoek South Africa