MONKS COWL

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LOCATION : Central Berg

 

ENTRY FEE : 40 ZAR (3€) 

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OPENING HOURS : 6am-6pm

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WEBSITE : www.kznwildlife.com

Monks Cowl refers to the peak located between Champagne Castle and Cathkin Peak in the Central Drakensberg. Monks Cowl is well known for its hiking trails snaking through the valleys and forest. With its grassland, its impressive cliffs and its waterfalls cascading for hundreds of metres, Monks Cowl provides to hikers lovers many hiking routes varying from few hours to several days walk. There is a camping at the entrance of the site, and you can find caves to shelter along overnight trails (booking are needed). 

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The Sphinx : 4 km, 3 hours, linear route and back

Blindman's Corner : 12 km, 6 hours, circular route

Hlatikhulu Nek : 16 km, 8 hours, circular route

Sterkhorn : 15 km, 10 hours, linear route and back

Sterkspruit Falls : 2,5 km, 1 hour, circular route

Hlathikulu Forest : 7.5 km, 5 hours, circular route

The Gorge - Nandi's Fall : 7 km, 5 hours, circular route

Bush Reserve : 4 km, 2 hours, guided walk

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Monks Cowl was the part of Drakensberg we enjoyed the less. The grassland was totally burned by fire and the atmosphere felt quite dark and dramatic. After contemplating so many colors in the other parts of Drakensberg, this black landscape where life no longer feel gave us the impression to be in the middle of the Mordor in the movie Lord of the Ring. We didn't have much time to spend in Monks Cowl so we decided to hike only two short trails in the lower part of the site. Maybe it was a mistake to choose trails going through this burned grassland. Maybe if we had chosen a trail climbing the cliffs we would have appreciated better Monks Cowl. The first trail brought us to a pool with a view on the mountain range. Then we changed our route to get to the Sterkspruit Falls, an impressive waterfall which is definitely worth a look. The total duration of this walk in Monks Cowl was around 1 hour and a half.