THE trade-off was tractors for vultures a few years ago when Bill talked me into going to the annual Clocolan Vintage Tractor Fair.
A tractor fair? Well, Bill is crazy about all things mechanical, the older the better, and a vintage tractor fair that would feature ancient tractors, cars, stationary engines and other assorted antique lumps of moving metal was just up his alley.
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While I’m not generally crazy about mechanical marvels I am crazy about vultures. Endangered, misunderstood and often persecuted, the various magnificent species that make up Mother Nature’s avian clean-up squad are among my favourite birds.
I would gladly trek to the Eastern free State town of Clocolan for the weekend to see the tractors if we could also visit the Golden Gate National Park to to see if there were any vultures patronising the ‘vulture restaurant’ there.
Our long weekend jaunt to Clocolan, accompanied by a group of friends, was excellent. The vintage tractor fair was a festive community event we all enjoyed. I was thrilled to see an adult and juvenile bearded vulture, plus assorted other raptors and ravens, at the feeding station. And then there was the sheer loveliness of the Eastern Free State.
So this year, when Bill suggested that a return visit to the tractor fair was long overdue, I quite agreed with him, particularly as we were now retired. We would be able to turn the excursion into a mini road trip that would include a few other mountain destinations – and a visit to the vulture restaurant.
It was actually a friend of ours from Zimbabwe who gave us the idea for our little mountain adventure. Mike had offered to house sit for other friends of ours who lived in Himeville in the southern Drakensberg area. As we hadn’t seen much of Mike in recent year and as we feared he might be rather lonely by himself in a strange town, we said we’d spend a couple of days with him in Himeville. Bill came up with the bright idea of planning our visit for the Wednesday and Thursday nights before the tractor festival, then carrying on to Clocolan. So that is what we did.
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We needn’t have worried about Mike being lonely. By the time we met up with him in Himeville, he was on first name terms with almost everyone in the village – and most of the people involved in the various tourism enterprises in the area. However, it was wonderful catching up with all his news.
Himeville, established way back in 1902, is a delightful little rural village. Mike, a rather hyper-active person, insisted we take a long, brisk sight-seeing walk around its green and leafy streets – stopping along the way to greet various villagers he knew – before we lit the braai fire and settled down for a good chat. Our friends’ home is beautifully situated at the edge of Himeville’s commonage and it commands a magnificent view of the Drakensberg. Dressed in their summer finery, the mountains were looking their best.
With the southern section of the Drakensberg close to home we have often visited the area and it was the first section of the mighty mountain range we got to know well. Perhaps its biggest draw card is the famous Sani Pass, the rugged, gravel, switch-back 4X4 mountain pass that is the only road from KwaZulu-Natal into Lesotho.
We have often ventured up or down this pass, either on a day trip or as part of an excursion into Lesotho, and it never disappoints. It must be one of the most dramatic roads in southern Africa, but it is not the only reason for our frequent trips to the southern Berg.
It is a great destination for nature lovers, particularly its wonderful Cobham Nature Reserve, where we have often camped. In fact, it was in Cobham that Bill and I, together with a big gathering of friends and relations, celebrated the coming of the new millennium. In the 18 years since then we’ve camped there often although we have rather neglected it recently.
Situated at the southern tip of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Park, Cobham is set out around the banks of the crystal clear Pholela River. Together with the Vergelegen Nature Reserve, with which it is managed as a single unit, it is about 52 000ha of magical mountain terrain.
With its striking mountain scenery and rich floral diversity, it is an exceptionally beautiful little spot. Cobham boasts a rustic hiking hut, a simple, attractive camping area, natural swimming holes and walks and hikes for all ages and abilities.
We all wanted to take a walk the next day and considered doing one of the Cobham hikes but Mike suggested the Stromness hike, which we’d never done before, so we decided to try that one out.
It was not as easy as he’d made it sound. The hike starts in the grounds of the Sani Pass Packpackers’ Lodge from where it goes up – and up and up. I took my time, letting Mike and Bill stride ahead, as I am not an uphill specialist and there were plenty of flowers to stop and see along the way. Eventually, the path flattened out onto a plateau, the view from which made the long climb well worthwhile.
The hard work wasn’t over. Going downhill, the pathway was rough, steep and often strewn with gravel so you really had to watch your step. All the same, it was a lovely hike and one I would recommend. When we eventually completed the descent we did a little detour to a nearby waterfall and a field of bright orange kniphofia before heading for home.
We were rather weary but not too tired to wander back into the village that evening for a special treat. It being the beginning of March, Himeville was still experiencing a spectacular event every evening. As the sun set, thousands of the town’s little summer visitors, raptors known as Amur falcons, were coming in to roost in a group of large trees in front of the Himeville Arms Hotel.
These diminutive raptors breed in Asia during the northern summer months then flee the winter cold by completing one of the most amazing avian migrations. After being fitted out with a tiny solar-powered transmitter on her back, one falcon was tracked by satellite. Her incredible 14 560km journey included a five-day section during which she flew 5 912km non-stop.
Seeing the Amur falcons is always a treat when you visit the Drakensberg and KwaZulu-Natal Midlands region in summer and watching these amazing little raptors coming in to their roosts is a sight you shouldn’t miss.
We spent another convivial evening around the braai fire with Mike before setting off early the next day. Revisiting the southern Drakensberg had been great but now it was time to go and look at some tractors.
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