Some B&Bs, park entrances and local guides only take cash payments. This means carrying a significant sum with you as driving back to an ATM will be time-consuming and expensive.
You will need R40 per person per day (2016 price) for your mandatory park permit though rates may vary from area to area. They are available from the park entrance gates during normal working hours (usually 8am to 4pm, often closed for lunch).
Accommodation
Many parts of the Drakensberg are comparatively remote. Given that some areas have little choice of accommodation it is very important to secure this in advance to obviate a wasted, long and possibly awkward drive. This is particularly relevant in the case of the KZN-Wildlife rest camps, often fully booked many months in advance.
The South African peak holiday times are Easter, most of December and the first half of January. Bookings can be made by telephone, especially from South Africa, although it is also increasingly possible to book over the internet.
In the sections of the book which cover the individual geographical areas of the Drakensberg some indication is given as to whether accommodation is plentiful or sparse together with some recommendations from the author’s personal experience (although standards may change from year to year).
Some of these accommodation details, including general websites which contain information on hotels, bed-and-breakfast establishments, rest camps and so on, are listed in Appendix C, together with telephone numbers where available. Nevertheless, there is no real substitute for doing your own research because it is more fun and brings to your attention all sorts of other interesting stuff.
A spring day at Cobham – snow can occur at any time of year
The climate – when to visit
The Drakensberg has summers with hot days and refreshingly cool evenings but accompanied by high rainfall, often with thunderstorms which can be frighteningly dramatic. The maximum temperature in the valleys is around 35°C. In summer cloud cover is very common on the summits.
Winters can be very cold, especially at high altitude. At night on the summit plateau the temperature may be as low as -20°C. Although, frost occurs frequently and heavy snow is possible,the overall precipitation in winter accounts for less than ten per cent of the annual total.
It is difficult to recommend a ‘best time’ for visitors who want to walk in the Drakensberg. April and May are usually excellent with reasonable daytime temperatures but cool nights and, importantly, blue skies with low average rainfall, but this is not absolutely reliable. The downside of May and June is that there may be some haze related to the burning programmes (see ‘The Habitats’ above) but this really only interferes with photography. September is often a good month with all the signs of emerging spring, and daytime temperatures rising nicely. The higher rainfall season is just beginning at that stage. From mid-October to March rainfall is quite high, and manifest especially as heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon. So to a certain extent it depends why you are visiting the Drakensberg. For long hikes, the end of April, May and possibly June or September are excellent. In summer they are still possible but a very early start is required. For flowers and birds November and December have much to offer.
Royal Natal National Park – visibility on the plateau can be limited for days at a time
The important underlying message is that temperature, rainfall and wind are, notwithstanding charts showing averages, unpredictable. Sudden changes in the weather are notorious. The bottom line is that whenever you visit you should be prepared for almost any conditions at any time.
Health matters
Malaria
There is no risk of malaria in the Drakensberg.
Gastrointestinal infections
All travellers recognise that there is a risk of gut infection when travelling abroad. When there is any question of contaminated supplies, simple precautions such as avoiding fruit that you can’t peel and drinking bottled water or other drinks will minimise problems.
In the Drakensberg the question of whether or not to drink from mountain streams is an important one. If there is human habitation upstream it should be absolutely ruled out. If there is Baboon habitation upstream the risk is uncertain but probably remote. Some infections can, however, be passed from animals to humans through water supplies so the risk, however small, does exist.
Medical authorities often advise against drinking from streams. However, generations of South African hikers (and the author) have partaken of delicious, cold and sometimes very necessary refreshment from this source without harm. You must decide.
Most walkers drink safely from streams
Dealing with snake bites
Some common-sense practical steps considerably lessen the risk of significant snakebite. Wearing proper walking boots and thick socks in the Berg provides some defence against an inadvertent step onto a basking snake, and gaiters add a little more protection. Don’t put your hands under logs or masonry and never into holes in the ground, especially in old termite mounds. And never, ever, pick up snakes even if you think you recognise their harmlessness, unless you are a real expert.
Most venomous snakes can control whether or not they inject venom in a bite and if so in what volume. Therefore, to be bitten by a venomous snake may not be associated with envenomation and symptoms. The circumstance where no venom is injected is known as a ‘dry bite’. If the snake delivering the bite has been recognised all well and good but do not try and follow it with intent to kill on the basis of information gathering or revenge. This tactic may lead to a doubling of casualty numbers.
Symptoms
Generally the earliest symptoms after snakebite are those of anxiety related to fear of the consequences. These may include dryness of the mouth, sweating and tachycardia (fast heart rate) with nausea. With cytotoxic venom there is immediate and severe burning pain at the site of the bite and then local swelling which may continue for two to three days.
After neurotoxic envenomation there may be local pain but little or no swelling, with drowsiness, vomiting and increased sweating within five to 30 minutes. Later, from 30 minutes to three hours, more obvious nervous system effects emerge which may lead ultimately to difficulty with swallowing or breathing.
First aid management
The victim needs to get to an appropriately-equipped medical unit as soon as possible. This may be difficult. Fortunately, you usually have three to four hours at least to accomplish this and it has been reckoned that even without any first-aid or formal medical treatment at least 98 per cent of snakebite victims survive.
However, all walkers in the Drakensberg should have a sound knowledge of basic First Aid including CPR. Some areas are very remote and accidents happen.
So what steps can you take and should you not take in preparation for evacuation?
Immediate action
Keep calm
Get help whenever possible. There may be a mobile phone signal. It may be necessary to send someone for help.
Things you SHOULD do
Keep the victim still and calm. Reassurance is an important management tool and it is always worth reminding those bitten that most recover completely without any treatment. (They won’t believe you if you are panicking yourself.) Unnecessary movement may hasten the spread of venom.