Location:
Vergelegen Wilderness Area, southern Drakensberg escarpment. The cave is situated about 200 metres below the top of Nhlangeni Pass, and about 100 metres off to the southern side of the direct line down the pass, although there is what seems like a cattle path that passes just below it. The pass itself is one of the widest in the Drakensberg, so finding the cave in mist requires careful navigation.
GPS Coordinates: WGS84
S29 29.557 E29 17.772 at 3134 metres (Landlubbers)
Description:
Nhlangeni Cave lies in basalt, but despite this it looks more like a sandstone overhang. In good, dry weather it could accommodate 6 hikers, but a more realistic year-round figure is 2 to 4. Close by is a small overhang referred to in the photographs above as Annex No.1 to the main cave. Even further out along the same rock face is another cave (Annex No.2) with a low stone wall which looks like it might offer better accommodation, but it is lies higher and further from the route up or down the pass and requires a clamber to reach.
Comfort: 4/5
The sleeping area is quite level.
Water: 0/5
There is no running water near the cave, but in the height of the wet season this could possibly be collected from trickles running down the rock faces in the area. The nearest reliable water sources are about 1 km down the pass below the cave, or 1 km from the top of the pass in Lesotho.
Pools: 0/5
No running water means no pools.
Shelter: 3/5
Depending on which direction the weather is coming from, the cave could be quite exposed and in driven rain only those at the back of the overhang would remain dry.
Outlook: 4/5
The cave faces across the very wide slope of Nhlangeni Pass onto the rock wall beyond. This projects outwards from the escarpment, culminating in Mohlesi Peak. Overall it is a pleasing but relatively plain outlook.
Overall Rating: 11/25
History:
Unknown