About the Tugela

Long ago, an old Zulu wife was telling stories to the children about mighty deeds done and battles won. But when she came to the part where the victorious warriors had to cross the swollen Tugela River, she paused. "That is the wild one, the one that frightens," she murmured, remembering a strong young man, the friend of her youth, who had, they said, plunged into the river bravely - never to reappear. The impi came home without him. Ever since she had trembled at the thought of how the river had affected her life, taking it in a quite different direction.

Many of us feel that way. It is a river that gets into your blood and churns through your dreams.

The Tugela is so much part of the Zulu heritage and the history of Natal that is impossible to think of the province without imagining the great brown road that cuts its way through the green hills. It is said that if you took a bowl of dried porridge and tipped it out, the top would be flat but with deep cracks in-between. The cracks would resemble the river gorges that cut their way through the flat midlands of the upside-down province. Because the geology consists of soft sandstones and shales, rivers have deeply incised the edge of the escarpment - much to the delight of river-runners. Steep gradients, wild rapids, and thickly bush clad cliffs and hillsides create the steamy, confined atmosphere of this river.

ZINGELA RIVER CAMP

There have been several river camps on the Tugela over the years, but the most famous and popular remains Zingela, owned and run by Mark and Linda Calverley. It lies in the bowl of hills that used to be called the Biosphere (since deproclaimed as a reserve but still a wilderness area). On the 4X4 road in you are likely to see inyala antelope and impala, as well as the odd ostrich, zebra, warthogs and maybe a python. The climate is sultry and the bush is filled with chirping birds and twittering instincts. It's quite safe to walk, ride a horse, or push the limits of the track on a mountain bike. This is where to come for a truly African adventure getaway.

Go here to make an inquiry about accommodation.

Zingela is the base from which I like to operate, although I still have a soft spot for the now-abandoned Keisha camp about 10km downstream. The major attraction of both Zingela and Keisha is the fact that they lie in the Tugela Canyon, a long and winding corridor between prominent ramparts of rock. What makes Zingela great for rafting is that Mark and Linda have pushed tracks through to various put-in and pull-out points, never requiring a long shuttle. There is action everywhere on the river, even on the milder "Smell the Roses" jaunt down to camp, where a single big standing wave provides hours of surfing fun.

SOURCE TO SEA

Here's a quick run-down on the river from source to sea:

In the Drakensberg the Tugela boasts the highest waterfall in South Africa and the second highest in the world after Angel Falls in Venezuela. The Little Tugela, Bushmans and upper Tugela all offer extreme mountain creeking for kayakers. Between the Drakensberg and the Canyon the Tugela is a midlands river which can be rocky and shallow but can also flood suddenly. It is raftable at times.
The Canyon begins just below the town of Colenso, and after several large waterfalls it snakes down towards monster rapids like Jaws, Rocky Horror, Washing Machine and Liquidizer. Later on it tumbles past a lone pinnacle called Finger Rock and finally hits Keisha rapid's massive standing waves and the nasty sluice of Shark's Fin. The canyon is at least a two-day run if you do it all. But there are lots of shorter options.
The Red Ravine is some 30-odd km below the Canyon and has a less fearsome reputation - at least in terms of rapids, though Mashunka is nothing to be sniffed out. Unfortunately the Ravine (so named after a towering wall of volcanic rock) is more or less out of bounds now due to banditry.
The Tugela Gorge is the most dramatic feature of the journey from the mountains to the coast. Here, legendary rapids like Horrible Horace and the dreaded Four Man Hole lurk amid house-sized boulders. The river truly merits its Zulu name, the Frightening One. The gorge is a day run, though the logistics of shuttle transport can take you into the night.
Below the Gorge the Tugela is by no means placid as it makes its way to the coastal plain. S-bend has both rapids and crocodiles, and the Little Canyon near Mandini is an accessible rapid run, made smelly by the nearby paper mill.

Whatever you choose, the Tugela will give you a run for your money - provided there has been enough rain. Don't try to go rafting if there's a drought. Though the river upstream is dam-controlled they seldom elease enough water to make up for poor rains.

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GRAEME SAYS:

The Tugela is our most consistent wild and scenic river. Spend a few days in this hot subtropical valley and you will forget where you came from!