Royal Natal National Park is scenically situated below the Amphitheatre in the Northern Berg and the campsite there is arguably one of the best in KZN. Ezemvelo Wildlife have been on a quest to remove all ‘alien’ trees from campsites and sadly, this has meant that the massive Pine trees that shaded the area have all been taken down. In this instance I understand that these trees in particular were starting to rot and would have posed a huge danger to campers, but it was still heartbreaking to see the area bare of trees and much needed shade.
I was there with some friends to do a day hike up the Crack and then down the Mudslide, a popular route whilst the trail runners were aiming to go up to Witsieshoek and then to Tugela Falls and back, a run of almost 50kms. Not for the faint hearted! We set off early and made our way to the bottom of the Crack on a hot and humid and day. The Crack as it is known runs up a gully towards the plateau and is negotiated via some scrambling and up various ladders through the forest. Once we gained the top we had magnificent views of the Amphitheatre and the escarpment stretching south towards the horizon - In my opinion ( unbiased of course!) the Amphitheatre beats Table Mountain hands down in terms of sheer unspoilt beauty. We decided to continue to Witsieshoek and enjoyed a well earned toasted sandwich and cool drink before heading back towards the Mudslide. This was new territory for me and I was keen to see Gudu Falls which lies between the Crack and the Mudslide. It did not disappoint and indeed is one of the most impressive waterfalls in the Berg. We all went for a dip in the warm waters of a delightful pool that is situated a little way back from the top of the Falls. A memory that will stay with me forever and I can understand why Hylton wanted to make a last pilgrimage to this favourite spot of his before emigrating.
We then descended the Mudslide which is an exciting obstacle course descending steeply down a gully via numerous steep ladders and even a chain to abseil down. I found this far more challenging than the Crack and was glad to experience it at last.
Unfortunately the day ended on a disastrous note as my camera got water damaged - I had put it in my daypack to keep it safe whilst descending the Mudslide but stupidly had not closed the lid of the water bladder securely so the water seeped into the camera works. Buy the time we got back to camp, the damage was done. A very hard lesson learned and not sure when I will be able to replace it. The runners had got back to camp about 15 minutes before us - we were impressed! We enjoyed a well earned hot shower and then a braai on a perfect evening. It was not long before I was in my tent - it had been a long exciting day and some of us had walked 19km and of course the trail runners even more.
The following day we hiked up to the bottom of Gudu Falls, which was well worth the steep climb to get there. A beautiful spot indeed and a fitting ending to an enjoyable weekend.
( Thanks Merv for your photos )
