DISCOVER TRUE MOUNTAIN MAGIC

Cost R1 488 pp (excl. food) Duration Two nights Special sights Bearded vultures, secretive oribi and endless views

To get the best views at Golden Gate, you have to stay at Highlands Mountain Retreat. It’s the most private of all the accommodation offerings in the park, perched on the top of a mountain at 2 200 metres above sea level. Sensational views over the grasslands on the slopes of the Maloti Mountains come standard, and you might even spot some zebra chewing their way through the landscape. Comprising just eight log cabins, it is thoughtfully tucked into the hills and grass even grows on the roofs, concealing them. Here, you’re high enough to see birds of prey swooping by and really feel a part of the landscape. Of South Africa’s 800-plus bird species, 350 occur in the grassland biome and 171 have been recorded at Golden Gate. Two threatened species endemic to the area are the yellow-breasted pipit and southern bald ibis. The most renowned sighting, however, is of the highly threatened and very handsome bearded vulture or lammergeier – known for dropping bones from dizzying heights to shatter them into little pieces so it can get to the marrow. Senior section ranger Dhiraj Nariandas says that the vulture ‘restaurant’ in the park is their northernmost feeding site in the country. ‘There are approximately just 300 individuals in South Africa and the restaurant was set up for their sake, but Cape vultures benefit from the carcasses too. It’s also an easy place to spot black-backed jackal.’

FROM ABOVE For waking up to a glorious sight, Highlands Mountain Retreat easily has the best views in the park; blesbok are common in Golden Gate – drive slowly as the roads aren’t fenced off from roaming game.