Giant's Castle

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For the ruined monument on the Isles of Scilly, England, see Giant's Castle, Isles of Scilly
Giant's Castle
South Africa relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Giant's Castle
Location in South Africa
Highest point
Elevation 3,315 m (10,876 ft)
Listing List of mountains in South Africa
Coordinates 29°20′0″S29°29′0″E / 29.33333°S 29.48333°E / -29.33333; 29.48333 Coordinates: 29°20′0″S29°29′0″E / 29.33333°S 29.48333°E / -29.33333; 29.48333
Geography
Location KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Parent range Drakensberg
Climbing
Easiest route Scramble
Panorama at Giant's Castle GiantsCastlePanoramaSmall.jpg
Panorama at Giant's Castle
Giant's Castle 3D Giant's Castle 3D.gif
Giant's Castle 3D
Giant's Castle at sunrise Giants Castle at sunrise from the contour path.jpg
Giant's Castle at sunrise

Giant's Castle is a mountain located within the Drakensberg range in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It includes a grassy plateau nestled among the deep valleys of the southern end of the central Drakensberg. Together, the shape of the peaks and escarpment are thought to resemble a sleeping giant's profile; hence, its name.

Contents

Giant's Castle is best known for its nature reserve and the bushman rock art preserved at its main caves, and the game reserve is home of the eland as well as the bearded vulture and Cape vulture. The area is considered one of South Africa's many adventure areas, and attracts hikers, nature enthusiasts, and other tourists. It also hosts the Giant's Challenge marathon in April each year. [ citation needed ]

Hiking Trails

There are in excess of 25 walks in the Giant's Castle Game Reserve. The 285 kilometres (177 mi) network of trails here includes 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to 30 kilometres (19 mi) hikes, spanning from 1 hour to overnight.

There are currently 14 recognized escarpment passes in the region (listed north to south):

Related Research Articles

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Lesotho is a mountainous, landlocked country located in Southern Africa. It is an enclave, surrounded by South Africa. The total length of the country's borders is 909 kilometres (565 mi). Lesotho covers an area of around 30,355 square kilometres (11,720 sq mi), of which a negligible percentage is covered with water.

Geography of South Africa Overview of the geography of South Africa

South Africa occupies the southern tip of Africa, its coastline stretching more than 2,850 kilometres from the desert border with Namibia on the Atlantic (western) coast southwards around the tip of Africa and then northeast to the border with Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. The low-lying coastal zone is narrow for much of that distance, soon giving way to a mountainous escarpment that separates the coast from the high inland plateau. In some places, notably the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the east, a greater distance separates the coast from the escarpment. Although much of the country is classified as semi-arid, it has considerable variation in climate as well as topography. The total land area is 1,220,813 km2 (471,359 sq mi). It has the 23rd largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 1,535,538 km2 (592,875 sq mi).

Drakensberg Mountain range in South Africa

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Tugela Falls

Tugela Falls is a complex of seasonal waterfalls located in the Drakensberg of Royal Natal National Park in KwaZulu-Natal Province, Republic of South Africa. It is now accepted as the world's tallest waterfall as a revisited validation was done and that it is actually the tallest waterfall in the world, rather than Venezuela's Angel Falls.

Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

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St Marys, Isles of Scilly Human settlement in England

St Mary's is the largest and most populous island of the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago off the southwest coast of Cornwall in England.

Harrismith Place in Free State, South Africa

Harrismith is a large town in the Free State province of South Africa. It was named for Sir Harry Smith, a 19th-century British governor and high commissioner of the Cape Colony. It is situated by the Wilge River, alongside the N3 highway, about midway between Johannesburg, about 300 km to the north-west, and Durban to the southeast. The town is located at the junction of the N5 highway, which continues westward towards the provincial capital Bloemfontein, some 340 km to the south-west. This important crossroads in South Africa's land trade routes is surrounded by mesas and buttes. It is located at the base of one of these called Platberg.

Blyde River Canyon Large canyon in South Africa

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Great Escarpment, Southern Africa Major topographical feature in southern Africa

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Mafadi

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Amphitheatre (Drakensberg)

The Amphitheatre is one of the geographical features of the Northern Drakensberg, South Africa, and is widely regarded as one of the most impressive cliff faces on earth. The cliff face of the Amphitheatre is roughly three times the size of the total combined area of all the cliff faces in Yosemite's famous El Capitan, and more than 10 times the size of El Capitan's most famous face. It is part of the Royal Natal National Park.

Royal Natal National Park

Royal Natal National Park is a 80.94-square-kilometre (31.25 sq mi) park in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa and forms part of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Notwithstanding the name, it is actually not a South African National Park managed by the SANParks, but rather a Provincial Park managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. This park is now included in the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area Peace Park.

uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park Part of a world heritage site in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is a protected area in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, covering 2,428.13 km2 (938 sq mi), and is part of a world heritage site. The park includes Royal Natal National Park, a provincial park, and covers part of the Drakensberg, an escarpment formation with the highest elevations in southern Africa.

Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve

Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve is situated in the Drakensberg escarpment region of eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. The reserve protects the Blyde River Canyon, including sections of the Ohrigstad and Blyde Rivers and the geological formations around Bourke's Luck Potholes, where the Treur River tumbles into the Blyde below. Southwards of the canyon, the reserve follows the escarpment, to include the Devil's and God's Window, the latter a popular viewpoint to the lowveld at the reserve's southern extremity.

Bushmans River

The Bushman's River is an east to north-easterly flowing tributary of the Tugela River, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg Mountain range, with its upper catchment in the Giant's Castle Game Reserve, north of the Giant's Castle promontory. It feeds the Wagendrift Dam and then flows past the town of Estcourt to join the Tugela River near the town of Weenen.

Langalibalele

Langalibalele (isiHlubi: meaning 'Sunnyday', also known as Mthethwa, Mdingi, was king of the amaHlubi, a Bantu tribe in what is the modern-day province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Norrard Rocks

The Norrard (Northern) Rocks are a group of small uninhabited granite rocks in the north–western part of the Isles of Scilly, to the west of Bryher and Samson. In 1971 they were designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their breeding seabird colonies and they are permanently closed to landings from boat passengers. The vegetation on the islands is limited by the extreme exposure and only six species of flowering plants have been recorded.

Porth Hellick Human settlement in England

Porth Hellick is a tidal inlet on the south coast of St Mary’s, the largest island in the Isles of Scilly.

Van Reenen Place in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Van Reenen is a settlement in Uthukela District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is located on the N3 national road at the top of Van Reenen's Pass on the Great Escarpment of the Drakensberg. The town is named after Frans van Reenen, original owner of the farm where Van Reenen was established and planner of the route of the Van Reenen's Pass.

References

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  2. "You Be The Judge". Vertical Endeavour.
  3. Newman, Jonathan. "I Am Crazy But I Am Not Stupid". Vertical Endeavour.
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  5. 1 2 Newman, Jonathan. "Hlubi Passes". Vertical Endeavour.
  6. Newman, Jonathan. "Langalibalele Pass". Vertical Endeavour.
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  8. 1 2 3 "Jarateng Passes". Vertical Endeavour.
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