I don't recall the precise moment the Drakensberg's snowcapped peaks came into view, nor exactly when I lost myself in the landscape. All I know is that, by the time we arrived at the lodge, two and a half hours from the airport, we were steeped in purest countryside: grassland plains, undulating hills and tall mountains in every direction.
This was my first trip to KwaZuluNatal and I was struck by the ceaseless up-down of the landscape, the busy topography. I don't recall seeing so much as a cricket field-sized area that was flat. Cast your eye in any direction, and there's a mound, or hill, or steeprising peak.
Another thing I noticed: