Tugela River

Location of the Tugela in KwaZulu -Natal

The Tugela Falls in the Royal Natal National Park ( Drakensberg, KwaZulu -Natal, South Africa). The picture was taken in September; the Tugela resulted in only very little water.

The Tugela ( Thukela isiZulu or Uthukela ) is 405 kilometers in length, the longest river in the South African province of KwaZulu -Natal. It rises in the Drakensberg Mountains and flows into the Indian Ocean. Shortly after its source it passes the Tugela Falls, with 947 meters the second highest waterfalls in the world. The mouth is located at Tugela Mouth between the towns of Richards Bay and Durban. Its catchment area is 29,100 square kilometers. The name of the river is a Zulubegriff and means something that scares '.

The river had historical significance as the boundary between Natal and KwaZulu.

The source of the Tugela is located just 3.5 km away from the source of the Orange River, which is called the upper reaches Senqu and west flows.