The sweeping beauty of the uKhahlamba was captured by talented UK based photographer Alex Nail. The Drakensberg is one of his favourite places in the world!
Alex is a landscape photographer from Bristol, UK. He first visited the Drakensberg in 2014 and fell in love with the area. Alex has since returned to South Africa eight times to visit the Drakensberg.
He invites people to join him on photography workshops that usually involves around 8 days of hiking. He will be hosting a workshop in March 2018.
We stumbled upon this video on Vimeo and were immediately captivated by the beauty of the area that Alex managed to film. Most of the video is a time-lapsed footage, this includes the movement of the clouds which almost look like the waves of the ocean.
Alex shared information about the trip in which he filmed the footage.
The Drakensberg Escarpment of South Africa is one of the world’s most dramatic landscapes. Known by the Zulus as uKhahlamba, the Barrier of Spears, the escarpment hosts colossal cliffs, jagged ridges and the world’s second highest waterfall, Tugela.
The watershed forms a border with the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. The route we backpacked made its way through these rolling hills before emerging at the end of the day to spectacular views. The area is farmed by local Basotho shepherds, usually teenage boys, who look after sheep, goats, cows and donkeys.
The Drakensberg is also the source of many of South Africa’s great rivers and rainfall here is critical to communities around the country. In the summer months, clouds bubble up in the morning and by the afternoon thunderstorms crash around the surrounding peaks.
This footage was captured on a 9-day unsupported hike through the area with two friends, Hougaard and Steve, and a guide. Our route took us from the Amphitheatre to Rockeries, down Mweni Pass and up Fangs Pass before returning to where we started. With 70% of the oxygen at sea level and 32kg of camping kit, food and camera gear, the hike was challenging but made enjoyable by excellent weather and inspiring scenery.
The track ‘uKhahlamba Drakensberg’ is performed by Insingizi and produced by Kurt Adametz.
Watch the video below.
by 