Belinda Spence had wanted to take on the majestic Drakensberg Mountains for many years. These Easter holidays saw her dream come true after she discovered a planned hike last year already.

After booking her place along with her husband Andrew, she had many months of planning her meals and clothing for the trip.
The excitement was greater than a child on Christmas morning.

A huge thank you goes to the fantastic team of mountaineering guides that actually put the hike together and supported and encouraged all the way. Gustav Greffrath from Itchyfeet in Winterton was the organiser of the 2016 Grand Traverse.
We started at The Sentinel in the Northern ‘Berg and completed the 14-day hike at Bushmans Nek in the Southern ‘Berg. Approximately 240km in total.

Gustav was assisted by his wife Nerissa who teaches at Winterton Primary School, Khule Mabaso who is from the Bell Park Dam area and is a trainee mountaineering guide and Deon Small from Berg Adventures in Estcourt. Gustav briefed us each day with his contour maps and pointing out the peaks and rivers.

We were extremely lucky with the weather where we only had one day of mist and rain. Gustav’s skills with GPS and tracking saw us head in the correct direction, stay safe and enjoy the experience. Deon assisted with our two re-supply drops.

He was the lead guide with the porters and students that delivered our fresh food and clothing up Organ Pipes Pass and then again up Bannerman’s Pass. It was tough! A real challenge, but so worth every minute.

We summited the highest peaks; we saw the sources of rivers, met interesting Basotho men and saw many, many sheep and goats. We have a beautiful country! We have a great mountain range right on our doorstep, with fantastic and well qualified guides to allow everyone to experience the ultimate beauty. I recommend this to everyone. Thank you to the great team!