2018 started off with a bang (quite literally) as the New Year was welcomed with a spectacular thunderstorm, followed by rain and more rain!
The dams have all filled up, the grass has thickened and turned green, waterfalls are flowing and all the animals are looking portly again. A section of the Spioenkop dam has been dry for 3 years but now has water in it, attracting vast herds of game, and therefore making for spectacular guided bush walks.
Tugela Falls
The second highest waterfall in the world drops 947m down the solid wall of basalt that forms the Amphitheatre. Only during spectacular rains can these falls be spotted from Three Tree Hill itself.
To reach the falls, it is a short drive to Royal Natal National Park, followed by a walking trail to the foot of the Tugela Falls. This easy 7 km (4.3 mi) gradient up the Tugela Gorge winds though Afromontane grasslands and beautiful cool indigenous forests. The last part of the hike is a boulder hop, and at the end, a chain ladder leads over the final stretch for a view of the falls, rushing 947m down the face of the Amphitheater in a series of five cascades.
Progress at Burchells
The floor has been laid on our new 2 bedroom family cottage, so we can now see how really spectacular the view is going to be. To keep our environmental footprint as light as possible, the structure rests on steel columns that have been fixed into the ground. The floor slab has been underlaid with polystyrene blocks, which significantly reduces concrete use, and increases energy efficiency.
This is a product of the future for engineers designing energy-efficient homes and buildings. The polystyrene block has little structural value and is only used as a permanent shutter to hold the concrete in place and to create reinforced ribs strengthening the structure. The polystyrene used today is environmentally friendly and also complies with fire ratings that meet industry standards. Not a single tree was uprooted and tracks leading to the site are already being rehabilitated.
Contact Three Tree Hill Lodge
Web. www.threetreehill.co.za
Email. reservations@threetreehill.co.za
Tel. +27 (0) 36 448 1171
