Trailblazers 2: Sleeping Beauty Cave
Enjoy a geocaching hike through the picturesque Drakensberg and spend the night in the Sleeping Beauty Caves. There are six caches to be collected along this beautiful trail with truly amazing views. Spend the evening under the stars with a summer braai, a few drinks and some great Geochat.
PHOTO CREDIT: mlornelh
It is a 3 hour drive from Durban to the start of the trail. This is one of the shorter hikes in the Southern Drakensberg and comprises a hike from the entrance to Garden Castle, followed by a scramble upwards of about 240 meters to the Sleeping Beauty cave that lies above the trail.
PHOTO CREDIT: OneMatchFox
The walk to the cave is fairly easy (about 4km each way) and is recommended for the whole family. The challenge is the last section, up a series of wooden steps, that can be steep. We should have quite a bit of time to explore various rock pools, interesting rock features and paintings en route. The cave is rather enormous and can comfortably sleep about 12 people, tents are welcome outside the cave should we require additional shelter for the night. There is plenty of flat rock space on which to sleep in the cave, although it can be damp so take ground sheets or plastic along. There are several small pools in the vicinity of the cave, and in summer one can wash off the day's below a little waterfall inside the cave itself. The best pools can be found lower down the valley, on the route up to the cave.
PHOTO CREDIT: Uncharted_za
Date:
19 December 2015 - 20 December 2015
Time:
Hike to the cave will start at 11h00 (Dont forget to sign the mountain register!)
This event is a bring and braai from 17h00 till 19h00 at the Cave
The hike back to the Garden Castle entrance will start after breakfast the next morning at +/- 10h00 (We should arrive back by the latest 13h00)
Cost:
Overnight stay at the Cave or camping is R55pp which is payable when the hike starts to the reserve office.
Please RSVP ASAP so we can finalise numbers with the Garden Castle Wilderness reserve.
PHOTO CREDIT: Rhino and Hedgehog
What to bring?
Trackables for Discovery
Your own food and drink
Warm clothes (Conditions can change quickly at night)
Torches / Lighting
Camera
Plastic Ground Cover / Blankets / Tent
Sunscreen & Sun glasses
Feel free to add any additional recomendations in your log.