Mafadi
| Mafadi | |
|---|---|
  Mafadi Location of Mafadi in South Africa (on border with Lesotho) | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,450 m (11,320 ft) |
| Listing |
Country high point List of mountains in South Africa |
| Coordinates | 29°12′08.4″S 29°21′25.5″E / 29.202333°S 29.357083°ECoordinates: 29°12′08.4″S 29°21′25.5″E / 29.202333°S 29.357083°E |
| Geography | |
| Location | South Africa and Lesotho |
| Parent range | Drakensberg |
Mafadi (Afrikaans: Mafadipiek) is a peak on the border of South Africa and Lesotho. At a height of 3,450 metres (11,320 ft), it is the highest mountain in the nation of South Africa, but is lower than Thabana Ntlenyana, the highest peak in Lesotho which is, at 3,482 metres (11,424 ft), the highest point in Southern Africa. Mafadi lies at S 29 12 08.4 E 29 21 25.5 in the WGS84 format.
Ascent
Ascents of Mafadi, attempted from the South African side, are normally made from the Njesuthi campsite. The Njesuthi escarpment of the Drakensberg is one of the more remote hiking regions, and normally takes 2 days to reach the escarpment. The route involves about an eight kilometer hike to Marble Baths. This is followed by continuing up the river and with a combination of short paths and boulder hopping. This all ends at the bottom of the ridge, which leads to the Molar, with a campsite. The subsequent path up the ridge to the top of the mountains is known as Leslie's Pass. The path follows the ridge until below a rocky band where it traverses to southern side. The way continues up a short scree section, followed by more hiking up a quite steep gradient, until the final 20 metres are made up a grassy slope. From here, the top of Leslie's Pass (at S 29 09 12.7 E 29 20 38.0) follows, and a spectacular hike up the ridge connecting Lithobolong and Mafadi.
A route referred to as the Corner-Leslies Loop is becoming a popular way of reaching Mafadi. It entails hiking to Centenary Hut in Injisuthi Nature Reserve on day 1, ascending Corner Pass and climbing Mafadi on day 2, descending Leslie's Pass to Marble Baths on day 3, and returning to the Njesuthi campsite on day 4.
On 8 October 2015, South African trail runners Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the ascent of Mafadi via the Northern High Approach, an alternative, and slightly shorter but steeper route of the popular Corner's pass. They set a time of 5h 48min, starting and ending at the Njesuthi campsite, and covered a total of 38.52km with approximately 2200m of elevation gain/loss. The previous FKT was set in 2012 by South African Andrew Porter, with a time of 6h 22min from the Giant's Castle campsite via Judge pass.[1]
Disputed name
The name of Mafadi (which literally means the Mother of Fadi) is currently under dispute, its original Sotho name Ntheledi (which means "Makes me slip", referring to the nearby stream) being considered by some to be more relevant and correct.
External links
References
- ↑ "Andrew sets new Drakensberg Traverse record". www.ar.co.za. Retrieved 6 August 2018.