Tenahead Mountain Reserve
Tenahead Mountain Reserve is a private nature reserve with hotel operations in the southeast of South Africa . It is located at 2,400 m in the Drakensberg Mountains in the Eastern Cape Province , near the southern tip of Lesotho .
The area lies at the transition from the Drakensberg to the Witteberge . There are rock paintings of the San . Antelopes, jackals , hyrax , amphibians, reptiles and 300 species of birds live on an area of around 3500 hectares .
geography
The Tenahead Mountain Reserve is located in the area of the watershed between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It was established to preserve part of the high-altitude rainfall area that is commonly considered to be the main source of water for the Bell River. The Bell River, which flows in a westerly direction, is one of the main waterways in the Kraai River system. This in turn feeds the Oranje River as the primary inflow system , which flows into the Atlantic.
Numerous streams flow in an easterly direction and flow into the Tina (also Thina) river. The Tina itself ends at one of the main arteries of the Mzimvubu , which flows into the Indian Ocean at Port St. Johns .
The name Tenahead was derived from the neighboring mountain Tina Head, which is 2824 meters above sea level and where the Tina rises.
history
The first phase of the Tenahead Mountain Reserve project began in December 2002. Five old farms were acquired and expanded for this purpose.
Two small, deep caves have been discovered on one of the farms at the top of Bonecave Hill . Research has shown that these caves were used as shelters for smugglers and traders in the 18th and 19th centuries. The name Bonecave Hill (roughly: "Bone Cave Hill ") is explained by the legend that a group of eleven Basotho shepherds took shelter there during a heavy snow storm at the beginning of the 19th century . However, it was so stormy that the entrance to the caves was snowed over. Later only the skeletons of the eleven men were recovered.
Lehana's Pass is in the south of the area and is still used today. It connects the area of Barkly East and Rhodes with the eastern part of the former Transkei and Lesotho. It can be driven on with all-wheel drive.
literature
- Mary Fitzpatrick, Kate Armstrong, Becca Blond, Michael Kohn, Simon Richmond, Alistair Simmonds: South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland: Country Guide . Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland. 7th edition. Lonely Planet Publications, Footscray 2006, ISBN 978-1-74059-970-2 .
Coordinates: 30 ° 42 ′ 7 ″ S , 28 ° 8 ′ 11 ″ E