Guided Drakensberg Hikes in South Africa!

Drakensberg Hiker Logo

Guided Drakensberg Hikes in South Africa!

Drakensberg Hiker Logo

What makes Drakensberg Hiker special?

Traveling with Drakensberg Hiker means enjoying the friendship, fun and adventure we bring to all of our Drakensberg Hikes.  It also gives you the comfort and security that hiking with an experienced team brings!

The spectacular views of a Drakensberg Hike, under the care of an expert mountain guide, surrounded by like-minded hiking companions makes your trip a very special and unique experience.

Our happy hikers and travelers recommend us to family, friends and colleagues.  More importantly, they come back to do more hikes with us… What could make Drakensberg Hiker more special?

No one can show off a country better than a local

Here at Drakensberg Hiker we arrange partially or fully portered Guided Drakensberg hikes in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Best of all … we will do your catering and cook your meals for you! No more getting to the end of a hard day’s hiking and having to cook a meal alone in your tiny tent.

At the end of each day of your Drakensberg Hike, you can relax and socialize in our large “mess tent, the mug and bowl restaurant” with your fellow hikers and enjoy a meal cooked for you prior to turning in for a good night’s sleep!

To see our exciting list of planned hikes in South Africa and overland tours, please have a look at our scheduled guided Hikes in the Drakensberg.

Enjoying dinner in Drakensberghiker’s restaurant.

Enjoying dinner in Drakensberghiker’s restaurant.

Drakensberg Amphitheatre - making our way up the Gully

What’s happening at DrakensbergHiker in December 2024?

If you would like to know what are we up to at the moment, please see below and click on each tab to see what exciting things we are doing at DrakensbergHiker and with our sister company, Southern African Overland Tours at the moment.  As you can see we have a very busy month ahead!

4 Day Spring Overland Tour of Lesotho

With Southern African Overland 4×4 Tours, our sister company …

We are doing a 4 Day Spring Overland Tour of Lesotho from 5-8 Dec 2024! Keep an eye on our FaceBook and Instagram Pages for amazing pics and updates on our progress! Have a look when we are next doing a Overland Tour of Lesotho here, or let us know if you would like us to arrange a private overland 4×4 tour of Southern Africa or Lesotho for you!

 

4 Day Spring Overland Tour of Lesotho

With Southern African Overland 4×4 Tours, our sister company …

We are doing a 4 Day Spring Overland Tour of Lesotho from 5-8 Dec 2024! Keep an eye on our FaceBook and Instagram Pages for amazing pics and updates on our progress! Have a look when we are next doing a Overland Tour of Lesotho here, or let us know if you would like us to arrange a private overland 4×4 tour of Southern Africa or Lesotho for you!

Amphitheatre overnight hike report
Mafadi is South Africa's highest peak

Welcome to DrakensbergHiker, home of the best guided Hikes in South Africa!

My name is Ian Shooter and I love to offer guided Drakensberg Hikes in South Africa. I was born and raised in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and would love to share my passion and years of hiking in the stunning Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa with you.

I believe that no one can show off a country better than a local!

Please read more about our dedicated and passionate Drakensberg Hiker team here, and …

«Let’s go HIKING in the Drakensberg»!

So … what can Drakensberg Hiker do for me?

Drakensberg Hiker offers adventure, camping, trekking and guided Drakensberg hiking holiday opportunities to all, young and old, families, couples and single travelers.  Have a look at the Drakensberg Hiking Package Options Section below to see what the differences between our ‘Gold’, ‘Silver’ and ‘Bronze’ Drakensberg Hike packages are!

We have it all right here in South Africa

And most of it is in KwaZulu-Natal, our lovely home province. Therefore we invite you to add a wilderness trail or a 4×4 overland tour of Southern Africa, or up Sani Pass into Lesotho or a visit to one of the many battles or a visit to a big 5 game reserve.

 

Overland 4x4 tour of Lesotho

Big 5 Game Reserves in KwaZulu-Natali, South Africa with DrakensbergHiker

Drakensberg Hiker works closely with our sister company Southern Africa Overland 4×4 Tours…

Click here to find out more about Southern Africa Overland 4×4 Safari Tours.

This means we can arrange an overland tour of Southern Africa for youOur overland tours of Southern Africa take us to Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  An overland 4×4 tour of Southern Africa is a great way to finish off a beautiful Drakensberg hike!

Lesotho is a convenient and close country to visit after a refreshing hike in the Drakensberg!

Have a look at the overland 4×4 tours of Lesotho that we offer here.

Therefore we invite you to add any of these options on to your hike in the Drakensberg.  Imagine going on a beautiful relaxing hike in the Drakensberg, and then enjoying a wilderness trail or a 4×4 overland tour of Southern Africa, or going up Sani Pass to the highest pub in Africa.  Sani Pass is the only road access to Lesotho from KwaZulu-Natal.

Giant's Cup Trail Hike
Giants Castle Circuit Hike
Protea Caffra Drakensberg

How fit do must I be to Hike with Drakensberg Hiker, and how long are your hikes?

Drakensberg Hiker offers a variety of different guided hikes for people of all levels of fitness and hiking ability, we grade our hikes on a number of levels:

Overnight Drakensberg Hikes

Easy &  Family Friendly Drakensberg Hikes

Intermediate Drakensberg Hikes

Intermediate-Challenging Drakensberg Hikes

Challenging Drakensberg Hikes

Extreme Drakensberg Hikes

Our hikes range from short 2 day hikes to the more challenging, but incredibly amazing 14 day trips for those who want to explore more of the Drakensberg…

All of our Drakensberg Hiking tours are: guided and catered for your comfort and convenience; have a look at the Drakensberg Hiking Package Options section below to see what additional portering options you can choose from.

If you would like to join us for a hike but don’t see one scheduled for a suitable date, be sure to let us know

All our hikes are listed on our Popular Drakensberg Hikes page with contact forms for each hike!

There are a number of guided, portered and catered Drakensberg hikes in South Africa scheduled in the next few months. Please check out our Scheduled Hikes page and let us know if you would like to join us on any of these Drakensberg Hikes.

Please use our contact form to tell us more about what you’re interested in and we will get back to you with the best hiking holiday options in South Africa!

Drakensberg Hiking Package Options

We have differentiated between options for porters for your hike using ‘Gold’, ‘Silver’ and ‘Bronze’ as the options to choose from, so remember to select the correct option on your enquiry or hike form when you contact us.

We understand that the Gold, Silver and Bronze packages might seem a bit confusing, so we have done some calculations to assist you with which one will be most suitable for you, and to ensure that you have the most enjoyable hike possible!

It is a good idea as part of your hike preparation to do some extra walking anyway, so while doing a walk of approximately 5km, including some uphill and downhill parts, carry a pack with the pack weight listed in the description of the package you are interested in. If you are quite comfortable with that weight, then that is the right option for you.

If you find yourself battling, and don’t have time to do some more preparation, then consider moving to a different package.

All three options (Bronze, Silver & Gold) include full catering, and the supply of your tent.

GOLD

Fully Portered Drakensberg Hike

 

You carry only a day-pack containing your own with drinks, snacks and jacket for each day.

Includes 3 meals a day!

You will not be carrying a standard hiking backpack at all, instead we will supply you with a 35l drybag into which you will put all your personal gear for our porters to carry.

The day pack you will carry weighs approximately 4kg.

Sleeping bags, tents, etc are carried our porters who also put your tent up!

Our amazing DrakensbergHiker Porters

SILVER

Partially Portered Drakensberg Hike

 

You carry a backpack with your clothes, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, wash kit, and water bottle.

Includes 3 meals a day!

The pack weight you will carry on the Silver Package is approximately 14kg.

Tents etc are carried and put up by our porters.

Magnificent Cathedral Peak

BRONZE

Non-portered Drakensberg Hike

 

You carry your own backpack with all your personal gear, including your tent, and your share of the food.

Includes 3 meals a day!

The pack weight you will carry on the Bronze Package is approximately 22kg.

You will put up your own tent and take it down again each day.

Easter cave 4 day hike

Drakensberg Hiking Package Options

We have differentiated between options for porters for your hike using ‘Gold’, ‘Silver’ and ‘Bronze’ as the options to choose from, so remember to select the correct option on your enquiry or hike form when you contact us.

We understand that the Gold, Silver and Bronze packages might seem a bit confusing, so we have done some calculations to assist you with which one will be most suitable for you, and to ensure that you have the most enjoyable hike possible!

It is a good idea as part of your hike preparation to do some extra walking anyway, so while doing a walk of approximately 5km, including some uphill and downhill parts, carry a pack with the pack weight listed in the description of the package you are interested in. If you are quite comfortable with that weight, then that is the right option for you.

If you find yourself battling, and don’t have time to do some more preparation, then consider moving to a different package.

All three options (Bronze, Silver & Gold) include full catering, and the supply of your tent.

GOLD

Fully Portered Drakensberg Hike

 

You carry only a day-pack containing your own with drinks, snacks and jacket for each day.

Includes 3 meals a day!

You will not be carrying a standard hiking backpack at all, instead we will supply you with a 35l drybag into which you will put all your personal gear for our porters to carry.

The day pack you will carry weighs approximately 4kg.

Sleeping bags, tents, etc are carried our porters who also put your tent up!

Our amazing DrakensbergHiker Porters

SILVER

Partially Portered Drakensberg Hike

 

You carry a backpack with your clothes, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, wash kit, and water bottle.

Includes 3 meals a day!

The pack weight you will carry on the Silver Package is approximately 14kg.

Tents etc are carried and put up by our porters.

Magnificent Cathedral Peak

BRONZE

Non-portered Drakensberg Hike

 

You carry your own backpack with all your personal gear, including your tent, and your share of the food.

Includes 3 meals a day!

The pack weight you will carry on the Bronze Package is approximately 22kg.

You will put up your own tent and take it down again each day.

Easter cave 4 day hike

More about Drakensberg Hiker…

Do What You Love, Love What You Do!

Ian Shooter and the Drakensberg

Ian Shooter is registered with the South African Mountaineering Development & Training Trust as an Advanced Mountain Walk Leader, and he can take you on a guided hike in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa, which is an internationally acclaimed UNESCO World Heritage Site

Scheduled and Popular Drakensberg Hikes

You can see a list of our scheduled guided Drakensberg Hikes, here.

We also have a list of our most popular guided Drakensberg Hike offerings;

Adventure Trip Planning

We will help you to plan your adventure trip and can provide the necessary equipment for your Drakensberg Hike

Do what you love, love what you do!

We do what we love and love what we do; this shows in the service we provide to people wanting to join us for a guided, portered and catered Drakensberg Hike

Experienced Drakensberg Hiking Guides

Drakensberghiker has been operating since 2003 refining our services, training our team and maintaining our equipment

Best in South Africa

Our hiking tours are the Best in South Africa

Where can I hike in South Africa?

We specialize in offering the best hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and our neighboring country, Lesotho.

KwaZulu-Natal is our home and this makes us ideally situated to offer you the very best guided, portered and catered hikes in the Drakensberg and Lesotho.

We can also arrange 4×4 tours of Lesotho including Sani Pass, and love to fit in a little Fly fishing.

Sani Pass To Thabana Ntlenyana Hike
Mafadi highest peak in South Africa

Interested in climbing the highest peaks in Southern Africa?

Come join us and tick climbing up some of the highest peaks in Southern Africa off your bucket list.

The highest peaks in Southern Africa include:

Thabana Ntlenyana in Lesotho, at 3,482 meters;

Mafadi Peak in the Injasuthi are of the South African Drakensberg, at 3,450 meters;

Champagne Castle in the Central South African Drakensberg, at 3,377 meters;

Giant’s Castle in the Southern South African Drakensberg, at 3,315 meters.

Do you provide extra services on your Guided Hikes in the Drakensberg?

Yes we do!

Drakensberg Hiker logistics, equipment hire and transport

Airport Transfers

airport transfers to and from Durban or Pietermaritzburg airports

Bookings into B&B's

Bookings into B&B's

bookings into B&B’s before and after your hike with us

Our amazing DrakensbergHiker Porters

Portered Hikes

porters to help carry your gear to make your trek a lot easier

Drakensberg Hiker tents near The Sentinel and Cathedral Peak

Hiking Tents

we supply single and double mountain tents on all our hikes

Drakensberg Hiker logistics, equipment hire and transport

Hiking Equipment Rental

rental of hiking equipment including sleeping bags, mattresses and back-packs

We are now able to accept Visa and MasterCard payments…!
MasterCard Payments

  Contact us to discuss using your Visa or MasterCard for your hike payment or deposit via our secure DPO PayGate invoicing platform!

Visa Payments