Not only is Giants Castle in the Drakensberg, S. Africa a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the highest mountain range in all of southern Africa, it’s also home to some of the richest rock paining areas in the world!
Giants Castle: Main Cave where more than 500 Bushmen paintings can be seen.
The most famous of these is the Giants Castle: Main Cave, a cave with over 500 San (bushmen) paintings, some of them dating back at least 5000 years! Most of the rock art depicts local animals or hunting scenes. The Main Cave is a pleasant 45 minute hike from Giants Castle Chalets where I stayed. When I arrived I was greeted by our guide Thandekaximba who explained the rock art and tried to (unsuccessfully) teach me Zulu: The Coolest Language I’ve Ever Heard.
Sadly, hunter and gathers were no longer to be found at the beginning of the 20th century as farming took over, pushing people into a completely different lifestyle. A visit to the Giants Castle Main Cave gave me a glimpse into a lifestyle that had carried on for thousands of years before ending so abruptly.
Know Before You Go to the Giants Castle: Main Cave
- Entrance is available by guided tour only.
- Guided tours are held on the hour everyday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm.
- The hiking trail to the Main Cave is well marked and relatively flat. Anyone in reasonable shape should be able to do it.
- Giants Castle Chalets are conveniently located near the Main Cave – just a 45 minute walk.
- There are also numerous other hiking trails in Giants Castle
I’m really fascinated by caves and rock paintings. It’s so interesting to see how people drew their surroundings thousands of years ago.
@italian Notes – Me too! They really give you insights into what was important in life so long ago.
I am fascinated by these types of cave paintings. It’s sort of like blogging but 5000 years ago! That’s how they passed on their stories.
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Laurel, this is really cool. I’d love to see something like this … so fascinating!
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