Mountain movement

Some people are drawn to the stillness of mountains. I love the movement - the ever changing light, the way it creates texture in the thick grass, the energetic way the water moves here. Even as an adolescent, my soul came alive in these mountains. 

The Berg House and Cottages is one of my favourite places to witness this ever-changing light. Based in the Northern Drakensberg, near Royal Natal and Bergville, from this vantage point one looks down the length of almost the entire Drakensberg mountain range. One may simply sit on the stoep and watch the drama of light and cloud. The incredible rock formation pool is another favourite position from which to gaze upon the full range of beauty. 

The thatched cottages are both snug and stylish, with that all-import white linen, French country style decor, fireplaces and creative outdoor seating spaces. 

The best part of the stay is that they deliver the most delicious meals in a cute basket to your door, to be enjoyed with those uninterrupted views. 

The Berg House and Cottages 

Lake Naverone, Drakensberg

Healing Waters

There is something about being close to water which is good for the soul, and these stone cottages are about as close as it gets to the waters of Lake Naverone in KwaZulu-Natal. Three of the cottages even have decks which reach out over the lake, underneath which eerily enormous Grass Carp silently pass.

The cottages have everything one requires for a stay in the Drakensberg – thatched roofs, textured stone walls, fireplaces and wing-back chairs. The open plan design allows for a flow between indoor catering, sitting at the fire in the lounge and outdoor braaing.

This place is all about those vast and spectacular views and from every aspect of the cottages one looks onto that magical combination of mountains and waters. They will call to your soul and you will find your blanket-wrapped, coffee-carrying self heading out at first light even on the frostiest of mornings.

Accommodation Experience:

We stay at Lake Naverone with a grieving friend and it is a good place for it. We spend our time alternating between looking through old photographs, going for walks around the lake, reading our lost beloved’s poems, floating on the boats and gazing at the ever-changing view. Sometimes it is dark and brooding as the intense Drakensberg storms roll in with their purple cloaks and zap their lightening fingers part randomly and other times seeming to target specific locations with unconcerned malice. However they quickly pass and other times we are spellbound by the irreconcilably delicate rainbows. In the early mornings the water is as still as a mirror and the frosted jettys look treacherously beautiful.

It’s a lot to take in and my heart feels strained but very alive, especially now as I look across at my grieving friend rhythmically fly-fishing at the edge of the lake, at the end of an era and at the beginning of something new.