Mnweni Magic

Aaaaah, Mnweni… its name is whispered among hikers, evoking a sense of awe and wonder. Making one imagine a time before parksboard and reserves. It is the wildest part of the Drakensberg range, filled with dramatic scenery and rugged beauty. At a friend’s birthday party at the Durban Botanical Gardens, I ran into Dave. We reminisced about past hikes and pitched ideas for future adventures. That’s when I said, “Dave, I really want to hike Mnweni.” His response was exactly what I hoped for: “Okay, so when are we going?!” It’s important to have friends you can reminisce with, but it’s the friends who are always game for new experiences that you’ll truly share life with.  

We checked our calendars, and the only weekend we could both manage was in the dead of winter. But that wouldn’t stop us; we blocked out the dates and set out to find our trail tribe. After some time, a few cancellations, and a couple of additions, our group settled at six. We hoped we were up for the challenge, as we weren’t entirely sure what we were signing up for.  

I arrived at the Mnweni Cultural and Hiking Centre on Thursday evening to arrange transport to the trailhead and a bakkie to pick us up afterward. My mind buzzed with anticipation as I gazed at the range we would soon venture into, filled with excitement and a hint of nerves about the unknown. 

After a restful nights sleep in one of the rondavels in the cultural centre, the rest of the group arrived promptly at 7:30 on Friday morning. We hopped into the taxi and set off to the trailhead. After the compulsory photo of us while we still looked semi-decent, we were off. Some of us meeting for the first time, we chatted merrily as we began the first ascent through the rural township, where children ran up to us shouting, “Sweets, sweets!” Soon, our chatter turned to breathlessness as we acclimatized to the heavy packs and altitude. Once we passed through the homestead section, we went through a farm gate and into the reserve. The mountains left us in awe as we marvelled at the stunning, wild range that lay before us.  

The crew at the trailhead

Day 1 was pretty relaxed as we laundered along the river for around 16 kilometers. We stopped along the way for snack breaks in the riverbed, marveling at the dramatic mountains that lay before us. None of us had hiked this area before, so we had a Plan A and a Plan B each night… we ended up going with Plan B both nights. Our Plan A for the first night was to stay in Shepherd’s Cave, but upon arrival, we decided to push on to Plan B, Chi-Chi Bush Camp, as the cave was filled with animal droppings and we still had some time.  

The section between Shepherd’s Cave and Chi-Chi was overgrown with grass taller than us, brushing against our faces as we trudged along. It was disorienting and, frankly, irritating. I thought Elsabe might lose her cool if the tall grass didn’t relent soon. The last stretch after the grass involved some rock hopping along the riverbed. The sun began to set, and we still hadn’t reached our destination; with no good spot to set up camp in sight, we pushed on. Finally, we reached Chi-Chi Bush Camp… if you could call it that. It was a small (really small) sloped (really sloped) patch of grass at the base of Mnweni Pass. We did our best to find the flattest spots to set up camp, but it was already clear that it would be a rough night.  

Rock hopping up the riverbed

Camp setup for the night at Chi Chi

After setting up camp, we got the gas cookers going, when disaster struck. Tristan, using Dave's gas cooker, somehow managed to ignite the entire apparatus. Mind you, it was winter, and we were surrounded by dry grass... Justine and Chelsea began shouting, “Ooh! Ooh!” unable to get the words out as the rest of us looked up at the unfolding chaos. A vision flashed through my mind of the six of us standing in the riverbed as the mountain went up in flames. Fortunately, thanks to Tristan's lightning reflexes, he was able to stomp out the small fire swiftly. After the near disaster, we settled down with some hot coffee and enjoyed Mama Alles’ dehydrated meals.  

That night was uncomfortable, to say the least. Chelsea and I had just met that day, but I repeatedly woke up at the bottom of my small two-man tent, practically hugging her legs. I was on the verge of sleeping next to the rock outside the tent, in the sub-zero temperatures, which seemed like a better option than sliding down. Luckily, I decided against it because, in the middle of the night, we heard something grazing outside our tents, curious about the brightly coloured tents in the wilderness.  

The next morning, we faced the task at hand: ascending Mnweni Pass. It loomed before us like a giant we needed to conquer. So, we soldiered on. Crossing to the other side of the river without doubling back, proved challenging. We managed to form a human ladder up a steep little cliff, hoisting our bags to the top and following one by one. The ascent was as challenging as most Drakensberg passes are—difficult but so worthwhile. Unlike the previous day, the weather was cold and misty. The stunning views of the pass that I had seen in pictures were replaced with thick mist, limiting visibility to about 20 meters. At one point, Tristan took out his harmonica and played some gentle music, it made the whole experience feel like something out of Lord of the Rings. We made our way up slowly but steadily. Justine and I reached the top first and were treated to about five minutes of sunshine, melting away the mist and offering a fleeting glimpse of the view. The others emerged from the mist like eerie silhouettes a few minutes later.  

We found an epic spot on a ledge near the top of the pass to enjoy a light lunch. Shivering, we munched on our well-deserved snacks, still surrounded by mist. During lunch, we heard distant voices but couldn’t locate their source. Soon after packing up, grateful for the movement to warm our bodies, we continued.  

Cold lunch at the top of Mnweni

We planned to sleep in Ledges Cave that night, but due to the thick mist, we had to keep checking Google Maps and AllTrails to ensure we were headed in the right direction and not about to walk off the escarpment. Suddenly, a tall figure appeared out of the mist—a fellow hiker searching for water. He was part of a group that was close behind us on the ascent and would have passed us during our lunch break (aaaah the voices!) and they were sleeping in Ledges Cave. Okay, time for Plan B… again: Mponjwane Cave. I’ve learned not to be rigid with plans, as they often don’t pan out, and honestly, it has always been a blessing.  

We continued along the escarpment in the mist, looking for a water source. Eventually, we found a series of small streams, mostly frozen over with a sheet of ice. We refilled our bottles and continued our search. Up and up we went. There’s a common misconception that once you’re on top of the escarpment, it’s smooth sailing and relatively flat, this is certainly not the case. As we ascended, we found ourselves above the cloud base, gazing at the magnificent Mponjwane. It was possibly the most beautiful view I’d seen in the Berg to date, peeking out from the clouds with confidence, while the clouds danced around it like waves in slow motion. We took our time soaking in the moment, enjoying the sunlight warming our frozen skin and marvelling at God’s creation.  

The great Mponjwane piercing through the clouds

Soon after, we found the cave and had a restful time, eating soft chew sweets and scrambling up boulders before supper. I’m happy to report that we pitched our tents on flat ground in the cave, setting ourselves up for a comfortable night’s sleep. We took a little walk above the cave to watch the sunset. The wind was bone-chilling, but the sight was too good to miss. We gazed at the horizon, watching as clouds moved over the mountains, reminding us of Noah and the flood—and how much water it would have taken to cover these peaks. In that moment, I felt grateful that we hadn’t stayed in Ledges Cave; we would have been lost in the mist and missed my favourite sunset to date.  

Sunset from above the clouds

I find that it’s in the mountains that I receive revelation and feel closest to my maker. There’s a reason God met with Moses on a mountain and why Jesus would climb to be with His Father. Mountains also have a way of putting our problems into perspective; I’ve yet to meet someone who feels stressed while eating a ham and cheese sandwich on a mountain. They serve as a reminder of how small we are, in the most comforting way. Those mountaintop moments in my life have been incredibly significant. I’ve also learned to appreciate and enjoy the journey and the challenges. We live incredibly cushy lives; everything is convenient, and we rarely find ourselves doing really hard things. I believe that’s why running is so popular; it is a challenging task that always leaves you with a sense of accomplishment. There’s something in us that thrives when we push ourselves and test our limits. We were designed to step out of our comfort zones and grow in the process—but I digress.  

After a hearty supper, we enjoyed a restful sleep, grateful for flat ground, following the previous night’s discomfort. Justine had forgotten her 1-liter water bottle outside, only to find it frozen solid in the morning, confirming our suspicions that the temperatures dropped to below freezing. After breakfast, we set off for the last leg of our trek, bidding farewell to our fortress for the night and venturing into the unknown. Unsure how long it would be before we found water again, we took a 700-meter (each way) detour to a winding river to fill up. The river had a thin layer of ice covering it, and we had a blast poking holes in the ice and seeing how long we could hold our hands in the water. 

Frozen river water on the escarpment

The view looking down Rockeries Pass made up for the lack of scenery we encountered on Mnweni pass the previous day. The jagged mountains reached for the sky like upside-down icicles, and we realized why Mnweni is known as “the place of the fingers.” We carefully navigated our way down the pass, our bodies now accustomed to the weight of the packs, though we still slipped on loose rocks as we descended. We spotted countless caves and unique rock formations along the way, with vultures soaring overhead and the occasional Jackal Buzzard making an appearance.  

The crew before descending Rockeries

The remainder of the hike was relaxed as we made our way to the pickup point, hoping that the stranger we had paid to fetch us would show up. Time was ticking, and we were running later than anticipated due to our earlier detour. Near the last river crossing, Justine decided to trot ahead to ensure our lift didn’t abandon us. She was relieved to find a bakkie on the road, exactly where he said he’d be, waiting to chauffeur us back to the cultural centre. Near the bakkie stood a regal white stallion; she had to look twice to ensure it wasn’t a figment of her imagination. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to our now-beloved Mnweni. We hopped into the bin of the bakkie, all smelling like the khaya and laughing as we enjoyed the wind blowing through our unwashed hair.  

Unwashed but joyful as we reminisce

We were grateful for the lift, as it saved us about 5 kilometres of walking through the township, especially with some locals fixing the road along the way who didn’t want to let us pass. Thankfully, our trusty driver negotiated and got us back safely. Altogether, it was an unforgettable weekend, and we left our hearts in Mnweni, looking back and thinking, “Until next time.”