Southern Drakensberg: All Listings 

Cobham is situated in the Southern Maloti-Drakensberg Park, South Africa’s first cultural and environmental World Heritage Site, and is approximately 150 km from Pietermaritzburg. The exceptional natural beauty of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site is evident in its soaring basaltic buttresses, golden sand ...
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An easy 2 hour hike over 3.7 km with a total uphill of 377m. The cave is huge and offers excellent protection from bad weather. The last section on the way to the cave is up some wooden steps.There is enough flat sections in the cave to sleep 10 people comfortably. The video by Patrik Kjellgren @patttrici shows how bi ...
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The Giants Cup trail is the only established trail in the Drakensberg. The hike is over 5 days (and 5 nights accommodation in the Drakensberg) and is 58.9km's in total. The first day is 12.8 km's and you stay in Pholela Hut. Day two is 8.8 km's and you stay in Mzimkhulwana Hut. Day 3 is 12 km's and you stay in Winterho ...
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Garden Castle is situated in the southern most section of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park. The reserve is a total of 35 300 ha in extent and offers the visitor a variety of experiences. Garden Castle forms part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park, South Africa’s first cultural and environmental World Heritage Site. The excepti ...
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Situated in the southern section of the Maloti Drakensburg Park, Lotheni is noted for its magnificent scenery and hiking. The reserve is 3 984 ha in extent.  Situated in a spectacular section of the Maloti Drakensberg Park, the main activities revolve around mountain hiking with many scenic trails. The Emadundwini ...
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Sani Pass is a high mountain pass. The path is a steep gravel road. By law only 4x4 vehicles may drive this road. A difficult 8 hour hike (16 km's) The hike up the pass begins in the car park 5.5 km past the Sani Pass Hotel. It is long and steep. Passports are necessary at the top.
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Vergelegen is situated in the Southern Drakensberg and is 180 km north west of Pietermaritzburg. This section of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site is 21 000 ha in extent and lies in the upper Mkhomazi water catchment area. It is an important water production area. Hiking in Vergelegen is both scenic and ...
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Pillar Cave is in the Garden Castle area.
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uMkhomazi is situated in the southern part of the Central Drakensberg, 100 km from Pietermaritzburg. uMkhomazi is 6 000 ha in size and forms part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. The uMkhomazi section of the Maloti Drakensberg Park is one of the most isolated and least explored mountainous areas i ...
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Tarn Cave is a great cave to stay overnight in the Bushman's Nek area. The hike is 8.9km's to the cave with an elevation gain of 661m along the way, a slow and easy pace and you will be there in around 4 hours.
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12.5 km's (5 hours) via Pholela Hut on the way to Gxalingenwa Cave and 11.5 km (4 hours) return via Pinnacle Rock. The hike is good for bird watching and game viewing. It follows the Emerald Stream, past indigenous forest to a spectacular waterfall with pools suitable for swimming on the way back form the cave. The hi ...
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A popular pool only 4.5 km from Bushman's Nek camp. The pool is apparently named after Cedric Biggs, a leader of the Mountain Backpackers Club some years ago, who was known for plunging through the ice into the freezing pool. It's also referred to as "Three pools" on some of the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife maps and literatu ...
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An difficult 10km hike which takes roughly 5 hours with a total uphill of 1 194m. An early start and the hike to the top and back can be done in a day, else take is easy and sleep in a cave or tent at the top overnight.
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The hut sleeps up to 30 people and forms part of the Giants Cup trail.
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This is a moderate hike of 9.6km to Bushmans Cave. You can either return the same day, overnight in the Cave or make this day 1 of a multi day hike in the Bushman's Nek area. The views in the valley along the way are stunning and once just above the Cave the southern escarpment views towards Rhino and Hodgson's peaks ...
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Situated in the Bushman's Nek Valley, wildlife commonly seen in the Bushman's Nek area is varied, and includes eland, reedbuck, grey rhebok, oribi and klipspringer, as well as dassie and porcupine. Jackal buzzard and black eagle may be seen soaring above the slopes. The streams are full of trout. Bushman's Nek also pr ...
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The Bushman's Nek Pass is suitable for hiking and horse riding. The hike from Bushamn's Nek camp to the top of the pass is 8km with a total elevation gain of 679m making this a moderatley difficult hike. The first half of the hike takes you past Cedric's Pool and is relatively flat, the next 3km are steep to the top o ...
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A stunning 3 day hike. If you want a moderately easy hike, enjoy seeing Bushman Paintings want the luxury of a Hut on night 1 and enjoy caves as your accommodation on night 2 this is the hike for you. The sunrise from Lakes Cave is brilliant and the colours of a sunrise on the berg mountains are brilliant. The Hut ca ...
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The sunrise from Lakes Cave is brilliant and the colours of a sunrise on the berg mountains are brilliant. This 12km hike from Cobham will take 4 to 5 hours, the hikes starts off pretty flat  and get steeper after 6km's, the last 2km's after Nutcracker Cave being the steepest.  The total elevation gain is 49 ...
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Tarn Cave is in the Bushmans Nek area, this cave offers excellent views, a level sleeping area and good protection from the elements.
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This old building was a farmhouse before the property was taken over by the state and put under the control of the old Department of Forestry, who then turned it into the first overnight hut on the Giant's Cup Trail. It has now been equipped with gas geysers, but the old wood stove can still be seen in the kitchen. The ...
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Thaba Ntsu/Devil's Knuckles is in the Bushmans Nek area. The South Knuckle is the most topographically prominent 3000m peak in South Africa.
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Bulwer Mountain Shelter #2 is outside the Maloti-Drakensberg Park and is located in Bulwer. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: An eland is depicted here apparently ‘entering’ a curtain of natural mineral deposits on the parent rock. San rock paintings sometimes used natural features in this way with people and animals ...
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A circular 3 day hike in the Bushman's Nek area. Day 1 is a moderately severe 4-5 hrs hike (10 km's) This hike follows a well-defined path on the northern flank of the Thomathu Ridge. The cave faces north-east and sleeps up to 12 people. The cave is not very deep though and strong winds can be a problem. Day 2 hike to ...
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The hike up to Hodgson's Peak (South) is described as moderate. From the top you can see into the KZN midlands and Lesotho.
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Hodgson’s Peaks is in Lesotho and near Sani peak. It is considered as an easy hike.
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A fun family day outing to Cobham and a short easy walk along the Pholela river. The distance is your choosing, from 1km to 5km in total. As you wind your way along the river choose one of the many pools to have a swim in and have a picnic lunch. This is a great way to introduce your kids to the Drakensberg without it ...
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This hut is in excellent condition and sleeps up to 30. The Hut is day 2 of the Giants cup trail. From the Cobham Reserve its an easy 8.6km hike to the hut. The hut is in a valley and can thus be quite chilly at night, take an extra jacket with. A lovely pool can be found below the hut to swim in, make sure you are a ...
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Winterhoek Hut is in the Garden Castle region and is surrounded by old oak trees. Their is accommodation for 30 and the hut forms part of the giants cup trail.
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A hike of 2 hours (4 km's) with an initial uphill of around 180m in elevation, the rest of the hike is flat. This is one of the few short hikes in the area a small party can use the cave, which has running water nearby and sleeps six to eight people, depending on the weather.
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North-facing, providing views of Ngwangwe Peak and Walker's Peak.
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A strenuous 9.5km hike from Buskman's Nek Camp. A Map and knowledge of the area is necessary as no path exists in parts. The total elevation gain is 645 meters, no part of the hike is downhill. The cave could fit 50 people but 12 is the maximum allowed by Ezemvelo. A stream is below the cave all year and the sunrise i ...
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12.5 kms (5 hours) via Pholela Hut and an elevation gain of 530m. The hike via Pholela Cave follows day 1 of the giants cup trail in reverse for the first  7.25km's and then you turn left (continue straight) and follow Gxalingenwa River up the valley. The cave is a real cave with great views into the valley. It' ...
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Enjoy a peaceful, scenic & memorable getaway to Underberg. Mount Grace is situated in the Underberg area which is known for it's activities and adventures and is a haven for nature lovers, hikers, fly fishing fanatics, mountain bikers, paddlers, bird watchers and adventure seekers alike. There are so many interes ...
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Nutcracker cave is in the Cobham area, its 7km from the camp. The cave has a sloping floor and offers good shelter from storms. In summer it is quite damp in the cave. Lakes cave is a further 2 km up and is the best alternative for an overnight camp if in this area of Cobham.
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Cyprus cave was formed when the underlying soil was washed away by the stream that flows over the top into a pool in front of the cave. The cave is named after the cyprus grass which grows in the area.
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11.5 km (4 hours) via Pinnacle Rock and an elevation gain of 432m The hike is good for bird watching and game viewing. It follows the Emerald Stream, past indigenous forest to a spectacular waterfall with pools suitable for swimming on the way back form the cave. The cave is a real cave with great views into the vall ...
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In the foothills of the southern Drakensberg nestles Castleburn a home to eland, reedbuck and 100 species of bird, who flock to the re-established wetlands. Spacious, thatched, architect-designed cottages, built of hand-hewn local stone, cluster around Lake Madingofani. Its shimmering surface reflects the rocky summits ...
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The hut accommodates up to 30 people and is situated just off the main route of the Giant's Cup Trail, slightly above the South African border post and overlooking the Bushman's River and views of the far southern drakensberg.Thaba Ngwangwe and Tomathu Peak can also be seen up on the escarpment on either side of Ngwang ...
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Rhino Peak (Thaba Ngcobo) is located in the Garden Castle area.
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Spectacle Cave is in the Cobham area. This is a large cave with level areas for 6 people offers good protection from bad weather. Pholela and Gorge Cave are very close by.
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Bath Plug Cave is located in the Cobham area. It's a large cave with bushman paintings, thus no camping is allowed. The cave is 4km from the Cobham Reserve. The cave name comes from the large hole in the cave through which the water disappears into. The images in Bath Plug Cave are very eroded as a result of natural ...
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Whyte's Cave is in the Garden Castle area, accessible from either Garden Castle or Bushman's Nek. The cave has a level floor and provides faily good protection from bad weather.
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Mashai Pass is often used by hikers climbing the Rhino. Some sections are harshly eroded making it a tricky pass to do. It is the first gully North of Mlambonja Peak and has cairns marking the top.
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Lakes cave is 12km from the Cobham Reserve. The cave is spacious but can only sleep 8 max (2 would need to sleep on the top ledge). A river is below the cave and the views are excellent. Sunrise from above the cave is amazing with view of both the small and big berg on a clear day. If raining and windy the bottom sec ...
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A great scenic outlook of rock formations and grassy plains with almost unlimited views of the escarpment from north to south on a clear day.
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Langalibalele Cave is in Garden Castle near the base of Langaibalele Peak. No camping is permitted due to the cave having Bushman Paintings. The exact location has not been shown.
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Featuring mountain views, 124 The Fairways is a chalet with a garden, a terrace and shared lounge. Complimentary private parking is provided. Composed of 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, this chalet comes with a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. There is a seating area and a kitchen complete with an oven, a microwave a ...
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