The Amphitheatre is one of the geographical features of the Northern Drakensberg, South Africa, 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, and more than 10 times the size of El Capitan's most famous face. It is part of the Royal Natal National Park. The Amphitheatre is over 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 Tugela Falls, the world's second tallest falls, plunge over from the Amphitheatre's cliff tops. The spectacularly beautiful mountain hiking trail to the top of Mount-Aux-Sources starts at the Sentinel car park above the WitsieshoekMountain Lodge, over above sea level, from where it is a relatively short climb to the top of the Amphitheatre. Via two chain ladders one can gain easy access to the summit. The trip takes only 5 hours return, not including time taken on top of the mountain. This is the only day hiking trail which will take one to the top of the Drakensberg escarpment, and the view from the top is reputed to be amongst the most beautiful in the world. 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 last part of the hike to the Tugela Falls is a boulder hop. A little chain ladder takes one over the final stretch from where there is a stunning view of the falls rushing down the Amphitheatre in a series of five spectacular cascades. The Tugela Falls, which is situated at the top of the Amphitheatre is said to be the highlight of Drakensberg. In 1964, film directorCy Endfield shot the exterior locations in the mountainous Drakensberg National Park for the epic war filmZulu starring Michael Caine and Stanley Baker. 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 was to the north east near the isolated hill at Isandlwana.
