March / April 2026
I flew from Cape Town to Durban, choosing it as the starting point for my trip to the Drakensberg Mountains.
During a previous trip to South Africa, I was flipping through a photo book about South Africa at the Cape Town airport and saw some fantastic pictures of the Drakensberg Mountains. That’s why I decided to explore this amazing region.
Table of Contents
Giant’s Castle Area
The 200-kilometer drive from Durban to Giant’s Castle Resort took about 3 hours.
Hike to Giant’s Castle Pass
At 22 kilometers round-trip, the hike to Giant’s Castle Pass and back is the longest in the area. Since the last part was uninteresting and clouds were rolling in, I turned back earlier.
The 3,315-meter-high Giant’s Castle Mountain from a distance
During the hike, I spotted two 6-centimeter-long African foam grasshoppers, which secrete a toxic foam-like substance to ward off predators.
African striped skinks are a common sight.
As usual, clouds rolled in during the afternoon on the way back.
The Giant’s Castle area is known for the rock paintings in a cave located just a 30-minute hike from the lodge. However, due to a forest fire in 2025, the cave is currently closed for tourists.
The area around Injisuthi Camp
This camp was the most basic. Electricity came from a generator, which was only in operation between 6 and 10 p.m. During that time, the slow internet was also available, but only at the front desk. Since there was no restaurant, I cooked for myself in the kitchen of my bungalow.
Yellowwood Hike
After arriving in the afternoon, I went for a short hike around the camp.
View of the camp beneath the autumn trees
Hike to Battle Cave and the Marble Baths
There were two Frenchmen camping at the campsite. We decided to hike together the next day.
Once again, breathtaking scenery!
Because of its cultural significance, the cave is only accessible with a key, which we received at the camp reception desk.
The rock paintings were created by the San people, a hunter-gatherer group that has lived in the area since time immemorial.
Hunting scenes
A closer look at the hunting scenes: These people were already using bows and arrows.
We then hiked into another valley, where the marble baths are located. However, due to a severe storm, they had been largely destroyed.
Cathedral Peak Area
Cathedral Peak Hotel
The vertical poles are lightning rods.
Rainbow Gorge Hike
Another stunning hike on a perfect sunny day!
Hike to Mushroom Rock
Hike to Cathedral Peak
This hike is one of the most challenging in the Drakensberg Mountains. The receptionist told me right at the start that climbing Cathedral Peak wasn’t possible at the moment because it had rained and the final section was slippery and therefore too dangerous.
I decided to set out anyway, as far as I could. As usual, it was still sunny in the morning, but more and more clouds rolled in as the day went on.
A look back at the lodge
Another look back
On my way, I passed this impressive waterfall.
The summit would have been on the left, but it was completely shrouded in clouds.
Since more and more clouds were building up, I turned back here.
A look back
Cathedral Peak Lodge and the many hiking trails starting from there are definitely worth checking out!
The area around Thendele Camp
The road to Thendele Camp
There aren’t any restaurants anywhere near this camp, so I cooked for myself in the kitchen of my bungalow.
View from my bungalow
Hike to Tiger Falls and Lookout Rock
Right after I arrived in the early afternoon, I set out on a short hike in beautiful weather.
Hike to Tugela Gorge
It had rained during the night, and it was cloudy in the morning. At first, I didn’t want to go on a hike at all, but I set off later anyway. It was well worth it!
This hike leads into the valley through which the river flows past the Tugela Waterfall, which I’ll get to see at my next destination.
Which rock is called ‘Policeman’s Helmet’?
It took me about 1¾ hours to reach the gorge from Thendele Camp.
As the gorge grew narrower and narrower, I turned back so I could be back at camp before dark. After all, I didn’t set out until around noon because of the bad weather. According to the websites, the adventure really begins here in this narrow gorge.
The next morning, a large group of baboons had gathered around my cabin. They can get aggressive when they see food. Some even climbed onto the roof and left their feces behind. But they moved on before I finished packing.
I continued on to Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge. From here, you can reach the largest or second-largest waterfall on Earth.
Tugela Falls Hike
After a 45-minute 4×4 shuttle ride early in the morning, we arrived at the Sentinel parking lot, where the hike began.
After an hour and a quarter, I reached the two chain ladders that are used to climb over two high ledges. It helps if you’re not afraid of heights.
The river is quite small, but it can still form a very spectacular waterfall.
Some people camped on this plateau and were able to enjoy the sunrise.
Breathtaking scenery!
At 948 meters across five tiers, the Tugela Falls is the second-highest waterfall in the world and the highest multi-tiered waterfall!
This picture shows the waterfall all the way down to the last step at the very bottom of the picture.
On the way back
This hike is definitely the most impressive one in the Drakensberg Mountains!
Golden Gate Highlands National Park
This national park features steep, colorful cliffs, deep gorges, lakes, and a dinosaur museum.
Kgodumodumo Dinosaur Interpretation Centre
During road construction, fossilized dinosaur eggs were discovered that were so well-preserved that the skeletons of the dinosaur embryos could be studied. These and other dinosaur fossils found in the area are on display in this impressive museum.
On the way to Lesotho, I drove through some truly magnificent scenery again!
As the pictures show, a visit to the Drakensberg Mountains is definitely worth it.
The small towns in the area are inhabited almost exclusively by Black people, so I was the only white person in the supermarkets. The locals were delighted to see a white person again. In the supermarkets, I noticed that higher-quality and thus more expensive goods, such as free-range eggs or non-industrial cheese, were missing, probably because there was no demand for them.
This text is an automatic English translation from the German original by deepl.com