Safari to Drakensberg

a great area for outdoor activities

The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains are located on the western side of the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa.

Essentially a 250 km long escarpment bordering fringing of the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, these dramatic mountains plunge precipitously to reach rolling foothills to scenic high-altitude farmland.

This wonderful landscape is a paradise for outdoorsy people, with spectacular hiking in particular, but with a huge range of other activities such as mountain-biking, horse-riding, river-rafting.

We divide Drakensberg into three areas …

Drakensberg North

Drakensberg North is centred on the Royal Natal National Park. The scenery here is exceptional and the mountain hiking is second to none. The most famous feature is the Amphitheatre, a massive encircling escarpment cut by the Tugela Falls.

The hike up to Mont Aux Sources is a strenuous and dramatic 20km day, but there are plenty of easier and still fabulous half and full day trails.

This section of the mountains is the most accessible from Johannesburg and accommodation is mainly focused on weekend trippers coming down from Gauteng. The area is therefore dominated by large and relatively low cost resorts, which tend to be of limited appeal for the majority of international visitors.

The best accommodation options are the modest Montusi Mountain Lodge and the simple but remote Thendele Camp (an unusually good parks authority facility in a lovely remote location at the foot of the mountains).

Drakensberg Central

Drakensberg Central is a near continuous escarpment fronted by foothills and backed by the mountains of Lesotho. The various trailheads and accommodation options are mainly located at the head of three valleys.

Cathedral Peak Hotel is one of the oldest lodges in the area and still one of the slightly more appealing options. Ardmore Guest Farm is an unusually intimate place by local standards and provides access to busy Champagne Castle and Monk’s Cowl areas. Injisuthi Camp is a decent parks authority property which provides access to the multiple day treks of the Giant’s Castle area.

Drakensberg South

The Drakensberg South area may not have quite the same majesty of the great escarpments to the north, but the mountains remain impressive and provide some superb hiking routes, whilst the farmlands below are amongst the most beautiful in the country.

The Sani Pass up to Lesotho is a famously precarious route which ultimately leads to ‘the highest pub in Africa’. Horse-riding, mountain-biking, river-swimming and river-tubing are among a wide range of outdoor activities on offer.

The area also contains a few really decent rural accommodation options, amongst which the simple Penwarn Country Lodge is probably the best. For more hardcore hikers and campers there are some excellent remote facilities further into the mountains.

The best times for hiking in Drakensberg are the Mar-Apr and Nov-Dec mid seasons between the hot wet summer and the snowy winter.

largely focused on domestic tourism