Original subtitles

(dramatic music)

(wind whistling)

(dramatic music)

(upbeat music)

- Our journey begins in

the Drakensberg Mountains,

a range of over 1,000 kilometers

in the east of South Africa.

One of its many summits, exceeding 3,000 meters,

is Cathedral Peak in KwaZulu-Natal.

This part of the country is also well known

for its historic battlefields of the 19th century.

At Spion Kop, the British fought and lost

against the Boers, descendents of the first Dutch settlers.

The battle of Isandlwana was a crushing defeat

for a well equipped British army

against a Zulu force armed with only spears and shields.

Perhaps best known is the defense of

the mission at Rorke's Drift

where 150 British soldiers fought off 20,000 Zulu warriors.

Our final location is the site of

the Battle of Blood River where the Boers

won a crushing victory over thousands of Zulu fighters.

Our journey begins at the highest section

of the great escarpment known as the Drakensberg Mountains.

The name comes from the earliest Dutch settlers

to the region who called them

the (speaking foreign language), or mountains of dragons.

One possible reason for this name

is that the pointed summits gave the appearance

of a scaly back of a mythical dragon.

There were old local legends of such beasts

roaming the mountains and dinosaur fossils

unearthed at the time would've seen

to the settlers like the remains of dragons.

The escarpment runs for over 1,000 kilometers.

And in this central section in the district

of KwaZulu-Natal it acts as the border with Lesotho

and also contains the range's highest mountains.

Several of which rise over 3,000 meters.

(light music)

This dramatic landscape,

with a whole range of rock formations,

is now part of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park,

a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is described by UNESCO as having

exceptional natural beauty in its soaring

basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks,

and golden sandstone ramparts.

The site's diversity of habitats

protects a high level of globally threatened species,

especially birds and plants.

And in this landscape are a number of villages

laid out in a largely traditional manner

such as here at Milzini.

Many of the villagers still live in thatch drowned houses

known as rondavels which are traditionally

made from mud blocks, though nowadays

modern materials are often used

such as concrete foundations, cement blocks,

and corrugated tin for the rooves.

The remoteness of many villages means it's important

that they are economically self-sufficient.

And this means a reliance on agriculture and cattle.

Amongst the crops grown are maize, pumpkins,

watermelons, and various kinds of tubers and beans.

These roaming cattle have a fine view of Cathedral Peak.

(light music)

This is one of the easiest higher climbs

in the Drakensberg Mountains at just over 3,000 meters.

With a fit pair of lungs and strong legs

it's a full day's hike to the top and back.

For our journey, it's somewhat easier as we can follow

the route from the air.

So, sit back and enjoy the ride up Cathedral Peak.

(rhythmic drumming music)

The view from the top is breathtaking,

both at the cross of the escarpment

and down into the valley.

Cathedral Peak was first climbed in 1917.

(light music)

Behind the summit is the Bell

which can be scaled by the more experienced climber

as there are huge drops to both sides

of the narrow path along the traverse

between the two peaks.

In fact, all along what is known as Cathedral Ridge

are varied peaks to be climbed by skilled mountaineers.

For many people, however, it's enough just

to look at these dramatic mountains from the valley below.

From here at the top it's possible

to look down into the valley and the Cathedral Peak Hotel

which opened its doors to guests on Christmas Day 1939.

At this time the whole area was very isolated

and the nearest road was miles away.

But despite this in 1936, a family bought a farm here

and decided to build a hotel

with stone quarried on the site.

During the war it quickly became a place

for wounded Allied soldiers fighting in North Africa.

Today, the hotel is in a UNESCO World Heritage site

and therefore tries as much as possible

to be self-sufficient and minimize

its environmental footprint.

The hotel also supports the community that surrounds it

with many conservation and educational projects.

On top of a hill is the hotel's helipad and a chance

to refuel before we climb back into the mountains.

(helicopter whirring)

(light music)

Along the great escarpment here in KwaZulu-Natal,

are numerous caves created in the easily eroded sandstone.

And in these caves are rock paintings

made by the sand people at least 40,000 years ago.

It's estimated that along this ridge

are between 35,000 and 40,000 examples

which together form the largest collection

of this type of painting in the world.

So far, some 20,000 individual rock paintings

have been record at 500 different caves

and overhanging sites.

Keeping guard and looking for prey

in the rising thermals are the cape vultures.

They nest on the cliffs and the females lay one egg a year.

From here, they can fly great distances

often in excess of 12,000 kilometers

in search of large animal carcasses which they feed on.

Since 2015, they have been listed as an endangered species.

All this dramatic beauty attracts tourism

which is steadily developing as more hotels

and resorts are being built in the valley.

Now, the area is a UNESCO site

and further development and conservation

can be properly managed.

Luckily, here along the high slopes,

the environment is fairly undamaged,

though hiking trails do visibly

make their way up the slopes.

Running along this ridge is the border with Lesotho.

A small land-locked mountainous country

encircled by South Africa.

And here on the east side, the Drakensberg Mountains

act as a border between the countries

for well over 400 kilometers.

Known as the Kingdom in the Sky because of it's altitude,

Lesotho is the only country in the world

to be entirely over 1,000 meters above sea level.

We cross the border back into South Africa

at one of the most spectacular natural features;

the awe-inspiring amphitheater.

A crescent-shaped basalt rock wall around 1500 meters high.

It is over five kilometers wide and broadly regarded

as one of the most impressive cliff faces on Earth.

For comparison, it is more than 10 times

the size of El Capitan's most famous rock face

in America's Yosemite National Park.

The amphitheater is part of the northern section

of the Drakensberg Mountains and a major part

of the Royal Natal National Park which is also included

in the UNESCO site.

It's here that some of the most spectacular

scenery can be found.

Including the Devil's Tooth.

This 150-meter-high stack standing on top

of a 1500-meter-high cliff was considered unclimbable

until 1950 when three mountaineers

made it to the top for the first time.

The Devil's Tooth is considered by most experienced climbers

as the Drakensberg's toughest rock climbing challenge.

Following winter snows and heavy rain,

many waterfalls cascade off the escarpment.

And here, in the amphitheater,

we find the second-highest waterfall in the world

after the Angel Falls in Venezuela; the Tugela Falls.

As it is the dry season, the flow of water

is at its lowest and not as impressive

as it is after rain.

There remains an ongoing dispute

as to whether these falls are actually

the tallest in the world.

The Angel Falls drop 979 meters and the Tugela, 948.

However, in 2016, a check signed to the expedition

took new measurements.

Calculating the Tugela Falls dropped 983 meters.

The data has been sent to

the world waterfall database for confirmation.

Without doubt, the Angel Falls are almost universally

regarded as having the tallest single

uninterrupted drop whereas the Tugela Falls

are divided into five smaller tiers.

Whatever the outcome of the debate,

these falls are an impressive natural feature

and each year attract thousands of visitors

who hike up to get a closer look.

(light music)

The falls flow into the Tugela River, which, in 1982,

was dammed to create wood stock dam reservoir

to provide water for domestic,

industrial, and farming purposes.

South Africa has become one of the most

water-scarce countries in the world

with extremely variable rainfall.

So, for farmers to have a major reservoir on hand

has helped much-needed crop yields.

The reservoir is also a source of power

as water is led via canal to a small lake

from where it is pumped up the Drakensberg Mountains

into a holding tank.

During periods of peak electricity demand,

the water flows back down through turbines

to produce hydroelectric power.

This modern technology has helped guarantee

a regular electricity supply

and so raised the standard

of living for the local community.

The most important crop in the country is maize

with KwaZulu-Natal being one of the chief growing areas

especially in the thousands of small farms

as here in the shadow of the Drakensberg Mountains.

(birds chirping)

South Africa is famous for its wildlife

and for the tourists who travel to all

the safari game parks in search of it.

But there is another way of experiencing

the country's wildlife and that is on game farms

such as here in KwaZulu-Natal

where landowners can profit from the animals

living on their land.

Thousands of former cattle ranches

are now profitable game farms,

hunting reserves, and successful parks for eco-tourism.

It's ironic that the growth of controlled hunting has,

in turn, led to greater wildlife conservation.

In the 1980s there were relatively few private

game reserves outside the well known safari parks

such as Kruger National Park.

Today, there are more than 2,000.

But mixing profit and conservation

is sometimes not so simple.

For example, a wildlife ranch generating profit

from hunters must have the animals

that clients wish to hunt, while a tourist lodge

needs to stock species that are attractive

and visible to those enjoying recreational game drives.

Successful conservation requires

a balanced longterm approach.

In 1899 Great Britain found itself at war

for the second time against the Dutch settlers,

known as Boers, over the struggle to create

a single unified state of South Africa

under British control.

In January 1900, the British forces moved towards

to the town Ladysmith which was under siege by the Boers.

One British division was sent to capture Spion Kop,

a hill which dominated the approach to Ladysmith

and was held by the Boers.

It took so long for the British forces to prepare for battle

that the Boers were able to build up their defenses

on the hilltop now covered with memorials.

On the night of the 23rd of January in heavy mist,

the British launched an attack on what

they thought was Spion Kop.

But it turned out to be a small amount

some 500 meters from the main peak.

The following day there was bloody fighting

as the British tried to force their way

to the top of the main peak.

By nightfall, both sides thought that

the other had taken the hill,

so they abandoned their positions

and it was only once a Boer scout realized

the situation that they retook the hill

and the British withdrew back across the Tugela River.

This indecisive battle of Spion Kop

cost many lives and the moving memorials

to both British and Boer are still maintained

and lay scattered across the hilltop.

Two future historical figures of world renown

played a small part in this battle.

Winston Churchill acted as a courier between commanders,

and Mahatma Gandhi was a stretcher bearer

for the Indian Ambulance Corps

and decorated for his bravery.

Strangely, the name Kop lives on in English.

The word means a hill in the Afrikaans language.

And the single tier standing terraces

of several British football clubs

were nicknamed the cop due to their resemblance

to the battlefield topography.

(dramatic music)

The district of KwaZulu-Natal was once part

of the Zulu kingdom which, through the 19th century,

saw a rise in both power and prominence.

This began with Shaka Zulu,

an inspirational leader who integrated

defeated clans into the Zulu nation on an equal basis.

As a result, by 1825 his empire had grown

to cover around 30,000 square kilometers,

roughly the size of Belgium.

Most of the population lived in settlements

known in Afrikaans as corrals.

This reconstruction consists

of two concentric barricades of thorn trunks.

The huts are located inside the outer barrier

which was the strongest for defense

and the cattle in the inner circle,

but the smaller enclosure for the calves.

The corral is usually built on a slight slope

with a main entrance at the lower end.

This enables rainwater to clean the cattle corral.

The ground dries quickly and any enemy has to fight uphill.

The largest hut, opposite the entrance,

was for the chief's mother.

The chief's hut is next to it.

The number of other huts corresponded

to the number of wives he had.

But life for the Zulu nation in the second half

of the 19th century was about to change forever.

Through conflicts with the Voortrekkers,

descendants of the early Dutch settlers,

and the British who sought to incorporate

these independent republics into its empire.

One of the reasons for this was the discovery

of gold and diamonds in some of the rivers

during the 1860s, which then led to large deposits

being found and mined.

Britain's high commissioner presented

a shameful ultimatum to the Zulu king, Cetshwayo,

with which he could never comply.

That he should disband his army and abandon

key cultural traditions.

In 1879 the British Army invaded Zululand

which to lead to one of its worst military defeats

against an indigenous foe here, at the battle of Isandlwana.

20,000 Zulu warriors armed with assegai iron spears

and cowhide shields met 1800 British soldiers

who were part of the main force.

They were armed with modern breach-loading rifles,

two field guns, and a rocket battery.

The Zulu king had told his warriors,

"March slowly, attack at dawn,

"and eat up the red soldiers."

And that, they did.

The British were poorly led,

and more importantly, badly deployed.

They were overrun in a devastating attack.

Of the 1800 British soldiers who fought,

1300 were killed, and their memorials

are spread across the battlefield.

The Zulus lost somewhere between a thousand

and two and a half thousand warriors.

(light dramatic music)

The primary reason for the Zulu victory

was that they were concealed from

the British in a valley so that when

the British scouts finally discovered them,

it was too late to prepare properly for battle.

The British defeat at Isandlwana forced

them to retreat out of Zululand

until a far larger British army could be shipped

to South Africa for a second invasion

which eventually ended an independent Zulu kingdom.

(birds chirping)

Fresh from their victory, a part of the Zulu army

came across the mission station and Rorke's Drift

12 kilometers away from the battlefield.

Two survivors form Isandlwana had managed

to warn the 150 British and colonial troops

that several thousand Zulus were fast approaching.

With little time to retreat,

the small force prepared to defend the mission and hospital.

What followed has gone down in military history.

For nearly 12 hours, the Zulus continuously stormed

the British defenses.

Today, the site has been restored, protected,

and a museum tells the story of this heroic battle.

Gradually, the British fell back to the hospital

for a last stand with ammunition running disastrously low.

Eventually, the thatch roof caught fire

and at around 10 o'clock at night,

the survivors rallied in the cattle corral.

Throughout the night, the Zulus kept up

a constant assault against the British positions,

which started to slacken after midnight,

and they finally ended by two a.m..

As dawn broke, the British could see

that the Zulus were gone.

All that remained were the dead and severely wounded.

By that time, the garrison had suffered 14 dead

and almost every man had some kind of wound.

11 Victoria crosses, the highest award for valor in Britain,

were awarded to the defenders of Rorke's Drift.

Seven of them to soldiers of just one regiment;

the highest number ever received for a single action.

In 1964, the defense of Rorke's Drift

was made into a well known film, "Zulu",

starring a young Michael Caine.

50 years earlier, Dutch settlers,

also known as Voortrekkers or Boers,

had left the British-dominated cape colony

of South Africa in search of new land to farm.

At first they were welcomed into Zululand by the king,

Dingane, who agreed a treaty for them to settle.

He then reneged and murdered 600 of them,

including their leader.

In 1838, 470 men, women, and children

found themselves on the banks of the Ncome River

behind a logger or mobile fortification of wagons

surrounded by a Zulu army of close to 20,000 warriors.

This reconstruction in bronze was erected in 1971.

What followed was a massacre.

Despite their numerical advantage,

the Zulus were overwhelmed.

Firepower made the difference as the settlers

two canon tore holes in the Zulu ranks.

While they maintained an incessant hail of musket fire

as the women and children reloaded for the men.

3,000 Zulu warriors died

and the river ran red with their blood.

The settlers remained untouched.

Only three of them were wounded.

In the center of the logger is a small memorial of stones

which was erected in 1866 when around 50 wagons

gathered here to commemorate the battle.

(light music)

In 1947, this granite jawbone wagon

once covered the original stone memorial,

but when the great bronze logger was built in 1971,

it was moved here and a museum was added

which depicts the battle,

as well as the life of the settlers at the time.

In 1999 on the south side of the battlefield,

the Ncome Museum was opened.

It offers a reinterpretation of the battle

from a Zulu perspective as well as displaying exhibits

of their culture and the symbolism of their language.

Architecturally, the museum is unique

as it takes its shape from the Zulu war horn formation

which was initiated by the first king, Shaka Zulu,

and proved so effective in battle.

The Ncome Museum is named after the nearby river

which the settlers later called Blood River.

A dramatic place to end this journey.

(upbeat music)