Its SouthAfrica

Ukhahlamba, the Xhosa word meaning ‘barrier of spears’, refers to the majestic portion of the Drakensberg that dominates the northern section of the Eastern Cape, forming a border with the Free State.

This region, through which winds the Orange River, is home to Lake !Gariep, Tiffindell - the only snow ski resort in the country, the hot springs of Aliwal North, and quaint Victorian towns like Lady Grey and the national monument town of Rhodes.

Ukhahlamba is largely sheep, cattle and goat farming country. Its gentle sparseness and lack of evident wealth makes it perhaps a little less sought after by the average traveller, but the fashioning of a tourist route that covers over 600 kilometres between East London and Aliwal North, known as the Friendly N6 Route, has opened up this nether region, where wheat is grown in the foothills of the Drakensberg. It includes the towns of Barkley East, Lady Grey and Tiffindell on its journey, and binds the Ukhahlamba region and its inland towns to the rest of the province.

With attractive outdoor options like mountain biking, trout fishing, horse trails, rock art, fossil trails, large forestry plantations around Maclear, Ugie and Mount Fletcher, pretty churches, and the water sports paradise that is Lake !Gariep - so vast that it crosses the boundaries of the Free State, Eastern and Northern Cape and the Karoo Heartland and covers over 360 kilometres - it is not surprising that this formerly undiscovered region is receiving unprecedented attention.

If you haven't already done so, why not add the Northern Ukhahlamba Region to your itinerary for your next holiday in the Eastern Cape in South Africa?