Loteni
The Loteni Wilderness Area is quite remote and can be reached only via three lengthy dirt road options: from Nottingham Road, bypassing the Mhomazi Wilderness Area; via Boston and Impendle; or from Himeville, bypassing the Cobham and Vergelegen Wilderness Areas. The dirt road sections are often no more than a car’s width wide in places, deeply rutted, covered in large, loose stones and include sections of very slippery clay. A vehicle with good ground clearance is a must, and a 4X4 is advisable during the wet season. The scenery en route is rugged and spectacular, passing though rolling farmland one moment and deep river valleys the next. It is slow going, so take this into consideration when planning your hike.
Unlike Vergelegen, the remoteness and difficulty of reaching Loteni is not matched by a lack of facilities. In fact, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s Loteni entry point is by comparison a sprawling, up-market metropolis, replete with an office shop that sells drinks and snacks as well as trinkets. It has self-contained cottages for tourists in a central location near the office, as well as a campsite with beautiful ablutions, and two further, isolated cottages – all spread out over a considerable area. Sime’s Cottage is suitable for large groups and must be booked in its entirety. This sprawling infrastructure is kept neat as a pin and is impressive to behold. It even has a museum!
People with camper vans or off-road trailers will find the remoteness and facilities very welcoming, and it is a popular spot for fly fishermen. There are several marked trails in and around the camp suitable for day trippers, young families and trail runners. The rivers and streams in the Loteni Wilderness Area are bigger on average than those elsewhere in the Natal Drakensberg, with plenty of remote waterfalls and pools for sun worshippers.
The most prominent features of the Loteni Wilderness Area are The Tent and The Hawk, Redi Peak and Hlathimbe Buttress. During winter, the waterfall behind Hlathimbe Buttress often freezes solid, affording South African rock climbers the opportunity to gain some ice climbing experience.
Loteni is somewhat different to most other areas of the Natal Drakensberg when it comes to backpacking. There are only two lower Berg caves on offer: Ash Cave and Yellowwood Cave. Ash Cave is small and Yellowwood Cave is usually very damp and muddy. Both are less than 7 km from the campsite so they might make nice overnight stops for beginners in the dry season, but they do not have much appeal for experienced backpackers. However, there are two small escarpment caves that enthusiasts will find inviting during the dry season: Hlathimbe Cave (North) and Lynx Cave.
Loteni makes for some serious backpacking. The height difference between the starting point at the car park and the top of the passes on the Loteni escarpment is around 1500 metres – far more than just about anywhere else in the Drakensberg. This height is gained steadily with almost no let-up as you progress towards the contour path below the bottom of the passes. There is only a short respite as the spur flattens on the approach to the contour path in the vicinity of the tarns. The contour path itself is gradually disappearing and becoming increasingly difficult to follow in either direction.
One of the most appealing areas to camp on the escarpment is below Redi Peak (3314 metres). This area happens to be in South Africa, but its proximity to Hlathimbe Buttress and its associated cut-back makes for a sense of splendid isolation. Thabana Ntlenyana (3482 metres) can be seen as a little bump on a very long ridge in the far distance to the west, in front of which stand some other very prominent escarpment peaks such as Duart Castle, Mhlahlangubo, Ngaqamadola, Nhlangeni and Mohlesi. To the east, hidden by a low rise, are Ka-Masihlenga Pass, The Hawk and The Tent, with the top of Giant’s Castle standing proudly in the distance.
Buttress Pass is an honest-to-goodness, what-you-see-is-what-you-get, type of pass. The Hlathimbe Passes are also beautiful in their simplicity. Redi Pass is a much more challenging rock pass – it includes a crux in the form of a rock scramble which may prove difficult or dangerous to climb in wet or snow conditions. All these passes include some open ridge work to reach or depart. Ka-Masihlenga Pass, on the other hand, is a spectacular, deep cut-back that is reminiscent of passes found much further north. The top of this pass confirms it as the king of the Loteni passes – it is barren, bleak, weather-beaten bedrock. Lotheni Pass (also a rock pass) and eNtubeni Pass further north are seldom explored.
Road access: 1/5
The most direct route is via Nottingham Road. The route with the least dirt road is via Impendle but it lacks sign boards so you will need to use a GPS to find your way through the settlement. The route via Underberg and Himeville is a very roundabout one if you are coming from the east.
Parking: 2/5
Vehicles must be parked in the open outside the office. There is no shelter from the sun or hail, but being so far beyond the main wilderness entry gate (which is kept closed), it should be quite secure. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s mission to eliminate exotic trees has left this area quite barren.
Toilet facilities: 4/5
There are two flush toilets in the back of the office block.
Washing facilities: 5/5
There are hot showers in the campsite ablutions. These are about one kilometre from the office car park and it is a slow drive along a concrete strip road and across a causeway to get there.
Sales: 3/5
The office shop is licensed to sell alcohol. It also sells snacks, some basic food items, lots of kid’s books and some touristy trinkets.
Atmosphere: 5/5
Loteni has it all: remoteness, plenty of well-maintained, uncluttered facilities, and a spectacular mountain backdrop. The sense of space and privacy, and the low number of visitors, are appealing.
Overall rating: 20/30