Drakensberg birding during the winter months can be a wonderful affair. A host of endemics are quite common in certain areas. If one does some careful research there are some fantastic hotspots with Drakensberg accommodation close by. A wise choice for accommodation in the Drakensberg would be The Cavern Resort & Spa – they host […]
Snakes are not confined to the tropical lowlands and are actually quite common in the Berg. They are often seen at The Cavern, causing something between fascination and alarm among visitors. Nearly all are harmless. Most frequent, especially in the garden, is the Natal Green Snake. It is pure bright green. It sometimes zooms across
Whilst staying at accommodation in the Drakensberg you are normally blissfully unaware of the nocturnal animals roaming the veld and indigenous Drakensberg forests. The Cavern is an ideal place in the Drakensberg to get to meet some of our nocturnal friends. Recently we have placed some cameras in our Fern Forest. Despite having been living
The bird list for the Drakensberg and its surrounding nature reserve is an impressive one, boasting many endemic species – those having a very restricted distribution. A variety of habitats in close proximity to the Drakensberg reserve offer birdwatchers a chance to find species that have previously eluded them. It does not matter whether you
One of my self-imposed tasks at the Cavern is to help keep the garden at the little school in good order. It’s a great pre-primary and primary school with over 50 pupils, many of whom are sponsored by the wonderful Cavern guests. I have created a garden with a winding path, crawl-through drum and a
It’s that time of year again when I realise that the Yellow-billed Kites have gone off on their holiday up north and I have not recorded their date of departure. One is aware that they have gone but cannot remember when you last saw one; they are such an integral part of any local journey
<– Continued from Drakensberg Birdlist Status codes B = Breeding resident – present all year; known or presumed to breed. P = Palaearctic migrant – non-breeding summer visitor; breeds during the northern summer in Europe and Asia: typically present November-March. T = Tropical migrant – breeding summer visitor; winters in tropical Africa: typically present September-April.
The fantastic array of beautiful mountain flowers found in the Drakensberg on The Cavern nature reserve is far too numerous to detail here. Suffice to say the diversity will enthral any keen botanist, from a dazzling sweep of blue Scilla natalensis to the flagrant display of Barleria monticola; the nodding daisies of Callilepsis laureola and
The beautiful scenery that is so much part of the Drakensberg experience has a dramatic past going back one hundred and forty million years. The Drakensberg would have then been at the very centre of the supercontinent Gondwana. Movements beneath the Earth’s crust caused Gondwana to fracture, and the greatest lava flow of all time
How did The Cavern get its name? This is an extract from Incwadi Yami (1887) by J.W. Matthews M.D. in which the adventurous doctor describes finding evidence of cannibals in the massive cave above the hotel. “Next day, with native police and horses which our host had kindly provided, off we started before the sun
