Eastern Cape Drakensberg - 320km

Places of interest include the historic dressed-stone Sivewright Bridge, built in 1890 and named after the first member elected to represent the area in the House of Assembly in 1888. Also worth visiting is the 26-m-high Tsitsa Falls, situated a few kilometres outside the town. The clear mountain streams around Maclear are a popular drawcard with trout anglers.

UGIE

...developed around the mission station established in 1863 on the banks of the Inxu River by the Reverend William Murray. The mission was named after a river of the same name in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, near Murray’s place of birth. The town was founded in 1885 when land was sold, and it remains an agricultural centre today. An extensive collection of agricultural implements and equipment can be seen in the town’s Tractor Museum.

To the northwest of Ugie lies the picturesque Prentjiesberg (‘picture mountain’), with its interesting crenellated spires and rocky turrets. The mountain was named after the numerous rock paintings (attributed to the San) found in the caves and overhangs. The streams in the area are well stocked with trout.

ELLIOT

Laid out in a valley of the Slang River, the farming town of Elliot is set against a backdrop of rugged mountains with magnificent sandstone formations. The town was established in 1885, and its name honours Sir Henry George Elliot, Chief Magistrate of the Transkeian territories from 1891 to 1902. Its Xhosa name, Ekowa, means ‘mushroom’, a reference to the fungi growing in the area in summer. To the northeast of Elliot, the scenery is dominated by the Gatberg, which rises 440 m above the valley below.

This landmark owes its Afrikaans name (meaning ‘hole mountain’) to the hole that has been eroded through the softer strata near its summit. The Xhosa name, uNtunjinkala, means ‘crab’s opening’. The majestic 80-m-high Gillie Cullem Waterfall lies 18 km south of the town.

BARKLY PASS

...meanders for 10 km from Elliot over the southern Drakensberg. From the 2 012-m-high summit there are magnificent vistas of the rolling grasslands, deep ravines and valleys lying more than 600 m below, and on a clear day the Indian Ocean can be seen some 80 km away. Interesting natural rock sculptures, such as Camel Rock, Vulture’s Roost and the Castle, can be viewed from several vantage points to the west of the summit.

DINORBIN ROCK PAINTINGS

Although many of the caves and overhangs in the Eastern Cape Drakensberg are adorned with beautiful rock paintings, the Dinorbin site features one of the longest known galleries in South Africa. Stretching over a distance of 32 m, the paintings (attributed to the San) include rhebok, human figures in various postures, therianthropes (partly animal, partly human forms) and large eland.