Hiking in South Africa: Drakensberg Mountain Range

Planning a trip to South Africa and looking for a little adventure? Are you looking to add some incredible day hikes or multiday hiking adventures to your South Africa trip? Do you love hiking mountains with lush greenery, even some greenery in the winter, perfect hiking weather, and idyllic luxury mountain lodges with incredible views? Then you must visit the Drakensberg area, affectionately known as the Berg, located in the KwaZulu Natal region bordering Lesotho. These South African mountains are just incredible and so dramatic. We spent 5 days hiking around all the mountain trails and we’re here to give you our best tips.

Lodging

This area is full of amazing places to stay. It’s totally up to your budget. There are luxury private villas with mountain views, campsites with nothing but a plot of land, and everything in between. So, pick what style and adventure you like, and book a place. We stayed at a few places, and we can definitely recommend them all. 

Dragon Peaks Mountain Resort was the perfect launching place for Blindman’s Corner hike (more on that below). The Luxury Lakeside rooms are larger than expected with a king bed, a full-size kitchen, and a huge, beautiful patio window overlooking the lake and the mountains. 10/10 recommend! The restaurant on site is just ok. It was nice to have a warm meal but definitely not our favorite so either come prepared with groceries to cook in your full-size kitchen or grab a meal at another restaurant nearby. We suggest a meal at Swallowfield Restaurant, which is definitely a treat yourself moment! The prices are reasonable considering the food is outstanding. Try the crispy pork belly with mashed potatoes (I’m still dreaming about it) and chicken parmesan risotto. There is a very small general store called Oats just outside the property if you need something small.

Cathedral Peak Hotel has that old world charm. It was founded in the 1940’s by Albert van der Riet, a local legend who “had a captivating vision of a secluded hotel that would be closer to the mountains than any other hotel at the time”. While the hotel has tried to stay current in most of the main areas, some of the rooms feel old. But let’s be honest, you aren’t here for the rooms. You are here for the mountains and boy do they have trails for you to hike. The team has crafted 18 trails into the surrounding mountains ranging from easy to expert. More on those trails below. The other great thing about this hotel is that it comes with full board. And let me tell you, everything we ate was delicious!  From a braai at lunch to a full buffet dinner to the warm cozy breakfast, all the meals are absolutely delicious. The hotel offers a bunch of other free things like a full 18 hole mini-golf (it was really fun), a swimming pool, children’s playground, bocce ball, tennis, squash, badminton, volleyball court, pool table, outdoor chess, and board games. There are additional paid things like a full golf course, horse rides, fishing, helicopter tours, quad biking, and of course the spa. It’s really a great place to stay so close to so many hiking trails and if you enjoy good food, it’s your place to stay.

If you are hiking Sentinel Peak (and we recommend you do, see below for all our tips), Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge is the best place to stay so you are able to wake up and just hike. It’s also a good idea to spend the night before your hike here so you can acclimatize. There really isn’t anything else to do here but hike, so if you don’t want to hike, this lodge isn’t for you. Did we mention it’s absolutely breathtaking? Situated on a ridge facing the mountains, it’s the most scenic view I’ve ever had at a hotel. The hotel itself is basic but clean. The lodge has a decent food menu which is helpful considering it is a 30-40 minute drive to any food in the closest town. These rooms do NOT have kitchen spaces so bring groceries with you for lunch on the hike but plan on dinner and breakfast at the lodge. 

Eating

For lunch, we happened to always be on the mountain, so we planned ahead and bought groceries in a bigger town for a better grocery store. We recommend the grocery store chain Checkers with the closest ones being in Bethlehem, Harrismith, or Ladysmith. Check your route and see where you can stop. The little towns in the area have much smaller grocery stores that usually carry a few essentials but not the selection we like.

Once out in the towns near the mountains, there were a lot of small restaurants, many attached to a lodge. A lot of the bakeries, cafes, and restaurants closed earlier than we expected, like 4pm, so it can be harder to find dinner places. Because of that we noticed that some resorts come with full board so you can eat at your lodging. Like we’ve mentioned before, a lot of hotel rooms come with a kitchen. Because of this, you could also bring groceries and cook in the room.

Day Hikes

Most places in South Africa require a permit to hike. We paid anywhere from 70-140 ZAR per person per day to hike. Some places you have to fill out a form with all your information including what colors you are wearing. It’s all for your safety and to ensure you make it back. After the hike you have to sign out again to prove you’re off the mountain. It’s actually very easy. Some places don’t require anything but a payment. They all take credit cards but be prepared with cash just in case the signal isn’t working very well.

The top three hikes we recommend are: Sentinel Peak Hike to Tugela Falls, Blindman’s Corner, and Rainbow Gorge. 

If you are only able to do one hike in South Africa, make it Sentinel Peak Hike to Tugela Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall. Situated in Royal Natal National Park, this is one of the most stunning and rewarding views for how accessible the hike actually is. I wouldn’t recommend it for beginner hikers, young children, or those not able to hike far. It is a 14km round trip hike to the falls but it includes two vertical chain ladders, some steep drop offs, and high elevation 2,925 meters (9,596 ft). Even with all of that, this is our favorite hike in the area. 

The hike will cost you 505 ZAR (90 entrance, 275 shuttle both ways, 140 conservation fee to be paid at Witsieshoek or Sentinel, keep receipt to show at Sentinel). To do this hike, start at the Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge parking lot. This is a great place to spend the night before your hike as well if you need to acclimatize to the elevation. Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge sits at 2,286 meters (7,500 feet). However you are able to drive in and park in the lot if you are not spending the night here. 

To get from Witsieshoek to Sentinel Car Park where the hike starts, you can drive yourself but you must have a 4×4 vehicle. Since most hikers don’t, Witsieshoek offers a jeep transfer service for a fee. We thought they were joking at first about how bad the road is but after experiencing it, just pay the small fee to take the jeep transfer service so you don’t ruin your car. You definitely need to book in advance as the transfer jeep only holds 10 people and it has a strict schedule with only 4 times slots going up in the morning so you don’t want to miss your opportunity to hike on the day you are there. You can book here at their website. Pro tip: you have to book both the transfer up and the transfer down separately so don’t forget about the down otherwise you’ll add an additional 7km to your hike to get back. 

Sentinel Car Park has absolutely no amenities. It’s just a guy in a small run down building where you have to sign in and out. There is a bathroom but no running water. The route is pretty straight forward from here though. Follow the path, the arrows, and signs toward the Falls/Summit. As always, we suggest downloading Google Maps offline, using a hiking app like AllTrails or Maps.me to make sure you can track where you are even without service. 

There is one sign that points to a Viewpoint to the left. We recommend taking it to see incredible sweeping views of the Amphitheater. It’s just a few minutes detour. Once you reach the chain ladders and the summit (you’ll see the huge pile of stacked rocks), we recommend you continue on to the Tugela Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall. This top plateau area does NOT have a defined path. Just walk straight towards the Devil’s Tooth. This plateau area was the hardest part of the hike for me. Although it’s completely flat, the scrubby bushes and run-off water make it harder to walk and feels like land mines you are jumping around. 

However, it’s all worth it once you reach the top of Tugela Falls to look down at the tallest waterfalls in the world. We ate lunch right at the top overlooking it. Pro tip: continue to the left up the cliff side to get some incredible views of the falls. 

The hike back down you will read there is a second path called the Gorge that creates a loop. Ask before you go as when we hiked, the rain fall had washed the gorge out making it super unsafe to hike down. We had to go out and back the same trail which meant doing the chain ladders down. It honestly wasn’t as bad as I expected so don’t be afraid. Hopefully you get a chance to do this hike as it was one of the top three best hikes we’ve ever done! 

Second Recommendation: Blindman’s Corner hike is a 12km loop which is great to be able to see Cathkin Peak and the surrounding mountains from multiple angles. The gorges are dramatic, the views breathtaking, and the top is as high as you can go without a guide. There are additional trails that go higher, but it’s recommended to take a guide as the weather changes fast and many of these require overnight camping stays. We did the whole loop in just under 5 hours. A few reviews said it’s family and kid friendly, but we’d recommend only if you know hiking. The path itself is well laid out but it gets a little steep in some places with a few drop offs. The good thing is that you can turn around at any point if it gets too challenging.

To get to Blindman’s Corner, start at the Monk’s Cowl Car Park. It’s free to park but you will have to fill out the form and pay the entrance fee at the guard station. Head up the jeep track and take the first left. Follow signs for Crystal Falls and Sphinx. The path is very easy to follow as it’s the only thing out there. Steps have been created in places with rock and logs. The path leads you to Breakfast Stream where the plains start to open up. As you approach, you notice you’re on the ridge. Finish at Blindman’s Corner. Then when you head back down, take the trail to the left, Keartland’s Pass. It will end back at the same place so you’ll get back to your car, but it will take you through the other side of the gorge. This side does have a few steeper sections so be careful on the descent.

If you’re looking for something easier with less altitude, check out Nandi’s Falls. It is perfect for all fitness levels as it’s much flatter. It will take about 3 hours. There are pools you can swim in and a beautiful waterfall at the end. Definitely a hike to remember.

Third Recommendation: Rainbow Gorge

We’re not sure why it’s named Rainbow Gorge. It’s definitely a green gorge and a unique hike but the name eludes us. There are only two places to start this hike. We recommend parking at Didima Camp Cathedral Peak parking lot. Here the path is only 6km. If you start at Cathedral Peak Hotel, the path is almost 12km! You will have to pay the entrance fee if you are not staying at one of these two hotels (Didima Camp or Cathedral Peak Hotel). The start of the path is clearly marked from the Didima Camp parking lot. It’s paved at first but don’t let that fool you, it’s almost a 45 degree incline! It was pretty intense. Then the path leads left around the ridge of a golden brown and green mountain. The views are breathtaking. Finally, as you descend into the green gorge, you can feel the temperature change and everything gets super green, even in the winter. The stream is gorgeous with small pebbles to large boulders, incredible shades of moss growing everywhere, and with the sun streaking through, it’s just magical. You have to hike back the same way and after you leave the green, the golden brown and green you started your hike on are just so much more dramatic to the eye.

If you are staying at Cathedral Peak Hotel, we’d recommend the Doreen Falls trail (1.5 hour trail) that is a great way to walk behind the beautiful falls and swim in the cold water. Mushroom Rock trail is straight up so pretty intense but the views are some of the best in the area. If you want to hike Cathedral Peak, you’ll need to hire a guide so just ask at the hotel reception.

Multiday Hikes

We did not do any overnight hikes, but many of these hikes are raved about including the Giant’s Cup Trail, a 4-day hike. It is a set route as you must stay in the planned huts at certain check points so make sure to book in advance as the huts do get sold out and you are not allowed to camp just anywhere on this path. Guides can take you up almost all of the peaks including Cathkin Peak and Cathedral Peak (2-3 days), or you can do one of the many hikes from location to location like: Amphitheater to Mnweni (4 days). Companies like Drakensberg Hiker, Dirty Boots, and SA Adventure Trails all offer overnight excursions you can book online or contact them directly.

Conclusion

While we focused most of our time on hiking, if you are looking for other things to do, there are many. The Drakensberg Boys Choir puts on a fabulous show. You can take a helicopter ride to see the mountains with ZAR Aviation. Canopy Tours does a zipline extravaganza through the mountains which is highly rated for the length and sheer number of ziplines you get to experience. There are spas, golf courses, archery ranges, and even a falcon rehabilitation center. The options are endless. No matter what you come to Drakensberg Mountains for, we hope you enjoy your time as much as we did!