The Amphitheatre is one of the geographical features of the Northern

Drakensberg The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring cou ...

, and is widely regarded as one of the most impressive cliff faces on earth. The cliff face of the Amphitheatre is roughly three times the size of the total combined area of all the cliff faces in Yosemite's famous

El Capitan El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about from base to summit along its tallest ...

, and more than 10 times the size of

's most famous (South Western) face. It is part of the Royal Natal National Park. The Amphitheatre is more than in length and has precipitous cliffs rising approximately along its entire length. The bottom of the valley floor, from where many photographs of the mountain structure are taken, is over below the highest point of the amphitheatre (the summit being over above sea level—with Mont-Aux-Sources just over above sea level). The Tugela Falls, the world's second tallest falls, plunge over from the Amphitheatre's cliff tops. Amphitheatre Drakensberg View

The mountain hiking trail to the top of Mount-Aux-Sources starts at the Sentinel car park above the Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge, about above sea level. Another trail to the foot of the Tugela Falls starts at Royal Natal National Park. The easy seven kilometre gradient up the Tugela gorge winds through indigenous forests. The Tugela Falls, which is situated at the top of the Amphitheatre, has been described as a "highlight of Drakensberg". In 1964, film director

Cy Endfield Cyril Raker Endfield (November 10, 1914 – April 16, 1995) was an American screenwriter, director, author, magician and inventor. Having been named as a Communist at a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing and subsequently blacklisted, ...

shot the exterior locations in the mountainous Drakensberg National Park for the epic war film '' Zulu'' starring

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

and

Stanley Baker Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 192828 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a pro ...

. The set for the British field hospital and supply depot at Rorke's Drift was created by the Tugela River with the Amphitheatre in the background. The real location of the battle at Rorke's Drift was about to the northwest near the small hillock known as

Isandlwana Isandlwana () (older spelling ''Isandhlwana'', also sometimes seen as ''Isandula'') is an isolated hill in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is located north by northwest of Durban. The name is said to mean abomasum, the second s ...

References

External links

Guided Drakensberg Trekking & Hiking
{{coord, 28, 46, S, 28, 54, E, region:ZA_type:mountain_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Drakensberg Landforms of KwaZulu-Natal Landforms of South Africa Cliffs Landforms of Africa

See also

References

External links