Many hike options at the Dragon’s Mountain in South Africa
Drakensberg, or the Dragon’s Mountain, is one of the most beautiful of the world. There you can visit the famous Amphitheatre, the impressive basalt wall of 5km length, and also the second highest waterfall of the world.
It´s located roughly half way between Durban and Johannesburg. If you like hiking and nature, this is definitely a place not to be missed in South Africa.
Check it out cool options of hikes at the area.
Bloggers tip: the hostel Amphitheatre Backpackers organizes tours to Cathedral Peak, Tugela Falls and Lesotho, alternating them daily.
CATHEDRAL PEAK
It´s one of the most known hikes of the area. The peak reminds the top of the tower of a Cathedral. It´s a full day tour, the hike is hard and recommend only for who is used to practicing physical exercises. You go up and down 1,500 meters in the same day, and walk about 19 km.
At the tour organized by Amphitheatre Backpackers they take you by shuttle until the starting point (about 2 hours later, leaving the hotel at 6:30AM). It finishes around 9PM and it costs 950 rands (Nov/16) including the shuttle, the guide and the lunch – if you book more than one tour, you get a better price.
TUGELA FALLS
Tugela is the second highest waterfall of the world. It´s located in the Amphitheatre, the famous 5km cliff wall at Northern Drakensberg.
It takes a three days hike to get to the top. The Amphitheatre Backpackers tour is a short version of it – they take you half way by shuttle, so that you can get to the top and come back in the same day.
You have lunch at the top (the summit is at 3,254m), with an amazing 360 degrees view. The tour costs 650 rands (Nov/16) and includes the guide, the shuttle and the lunch.
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SELF-GUIDED HIKE – TUGELA GORGE
When I went to Northern Drakensberg I couldn´t join the Amphitheatre Backpackers tours, as I had tight schedule, so my option was to do a self-guided hike.
A great option for that is the Tugela Gorge hike, at Royal Natal National Park. Tugela is the name of the river, and also of the second highest waterfall of the world. Apart from seeing the beautiful Gorge, in this hike you have beautiful views of the Amphitheatre, a natural tunnel crossed by the river and amazing crystal turquoise water pools.
It´s a light hike, almost flat and very easy to navigate. To do it, you gotta go to Royal Natal Park, it starts at the Thendele Camp parking lot.
Bloggers tip: when you enter the park, get a map at the Visitors Center, there you see the Tugela Gorge trail and also many others.
You walk about 1km by the river – approximately 1 km after the starting point you go left on the fork (there´s a sign showing the way) and cross the river on a small bridge. There are many beautiful things to see around, such as the mountains known as the Policemans Helmet (to your right), and the Devil´s Tooth (closer to the Gorge).
To get to the Gorge/river you walk around 2 hours. Don´t stop there – keep walking to your right (you can find the trail a bit before the river, connecting the trail where you came from). It´s an easy walk over rocks, crossing the river sometimes, until you arrive at the tunnel.
Bloggers tip: take sandwiches, snacks and water with you, there´s nothing to buy to eat on the way.
The tunnel is another highlight of the trek. You can go inside it, walking in the river (with its freezing water! It´s better to leave your stuff outside an go wearing your swimming suit only), and also go to the other side of it by the trail. For this you gotta go up the ladders you see at the right side of the tunnel, and go all the way up using the crampons. It takes a bit of effort to get there, but it´s worth it. You can see the tunnel from the top, and also see the other side of it.
Between the Gorge and the tunnel you´ll see many tempting crystal turquoise water pools – I stopped there on the way back, it´s a great way to relax after all the effort! It´s also a great place for a picnic.
Bloggers tip: there isn´t public transportation from Amphitheatre Backpackers and Royal Natal Park, but the hostel can organize a shuttle there for you. It costs 100 rands (Ago/16 – two ways, price per person).
How about you? Have you already been to Drakensberg and have some cool tips about it? Or do you plan to visit it and have some doubts? Share your ideas leaving a comment here!
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Planning your trip:
– Travel Insurance: travel safe using the best travel insurance that covers even adventure sports – get a quote here
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The blogger stayed at Amphitheatre Backpackers by invitation of the hostel. I’d like to thank again for the opportunity, and also make it clear that all the opinions present here are independent and personal.
