Cooped up in a city or squandered in a suburb, it’s easy to forget how damn wonderful nature can be. Here are some truly stunning views of the Drakensberg Escarpment in South Africa. I love how the shadows and light shutter over the mountains throughout the day. Drakensberg is derived from the Afrikaans word Drakensberge which means Dragon Mountains. Pretty fitting.
Filmed by photographer Alex Nail over the course of a 9-day hike, he writes:
The Drakensberg Escarpment of South Africa is one of the world’s most dramatic landscapes. Known by the Zulus as uKhahlamba, the Barrier of Spears, the escarpment hosts colossal cliffs, jagged ridges and the world’s second highest waterfall, Tugela. The watershed forms a border with the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. The route we backpacked made its way through these rolling hills before emerging at the end of the day to spectacular views. The area is farmed by local Basotho shepherds, usually teenage boys, who look after sheep, goats, cows and donkeys. The Drakensberg is also the source of many of South Africa’s great rivers and rainfall here is critical to communities around the country. In the summer months clouds bubble up in the morning and by the afternoon thunderstorms crash around the surrounding peaks.
