On the SAa17 Rainbow Route tour, Adolf and Cloud did a hike in the Drakensberg Mountains at Lower Lotheni... It is a day where we don't have to do any driving, and can enjoy a peaceful day outside in nature. I elected to take this group on the Eagle Trail. This trail takes one on a path next to the Lotheni River; this is one of the many rivers that are formed in the sloping hills of the Drakensberg. The name Drakensberg means mountains in the shape of a dragons back. This imposing mountain range forms part of the border between South Africa and Lesotho. It is known to be one of the most beautiful places in South Africa for the nature lover. It is green most of the year, blooming with wild flowers, including our national flower, the King Protea.

The Eagle trail is about 14km in total. It took us along the Lotheni river to a small waterfall where we took a break. Some of us scrambled up the surrounding rocks to take some funny photos. This is where I started talking about the Drakebsberg, about its rich history, beginning with the Koi San who lived here thousands of years ago leaving, behind a stunning collection of rock art for everyone to enjoy today.

We continued the walk and gradually began climbing up a small mountain. When we got to the other side of the mountain, the vegetation changed dramatically, from grassland to forest in just a few meters. We were now at the side of the mountain that recieves the most shade. There was also a natural spring that produces water high up the mountain, resulting in an evergreen forest in the middle of the grassland biome!
When we walked past it, I noticed some droppings of an anthelope; they were quite big. The only large anthelope that lives in the Drakensberg is the Eland. The Eland is the largest of all the anthelope, reaching a weight of  900 kg! I went down and picked up some of the droppings to show everyone. I explained what it was and how I knew that the droppings were from an Eland and not from anything else. I told everyone to keep their eyes open and look carefully at the slopes in the distance, maybe we would get lucky and spot some Eland.
Soon we found out that this was unnecessary as just a few meters ahead of us, we spotted a herd of 6 Eland laying there in the shade in this forest, being protected from the cold breeze. They were a picture of serenity, they saw us but did not seem to care. They layed there like royalty, not paying any attention to us. Everyone quickly got out their cameras and took photos at an impressive spreed! It was the perfect picture. We were no more than 30 meters away from them. Everyone was so quiet, it was one if the most peaceful moments of my life! Here we got a feeling of how calm the lives of these animals are that live in this magnificent place. This was pure relaxation.

We left there happy to have seen them, to have been part of their siesta, and to have left with them in peace. This was the highlight of the walk. We continued the walk and got home, that night eveyone was smiling and talking about this experience that none of us had expected, but will surely remember this for the rest of our lives.