The 4 Day Central Drakensberg Contour Path Hike

The Central Drakensberg Contour Path hike is a great 4 day hike starting at Cathedral Peak and finishing at Champagne Castle. For a change we only get to 2200m and walk below the huge escarpment 1000m above us. We all meet at Didima Ezemvelo wildlife offices at 8am to sign the hiking register and then we are off into the mountains for 4 days.

Doing this hike in June is perfect.

June can get a little chilly in the Drakensberg with temps dipping below zero but because we only get to 2200m above sea level the temps are a lot milder. Great for beginner hikers of people that feel the cold. Check here on how to prepare for you hike with me.

Day 1 is about a 5 hr hike as we walk past Doreen Falls to get to our camp below the Camel. This is quite a special camp site where we can look up at Cleft Peak over 1000m above us. This day is 6km from 1400m to 2200m.

The next 2 days are walking along the contour path looking up at the Drakensberg escarpment.

Day 2 and 3 are up to 15km each but flattish. You can expect up to 5 hrs of hiking a day. That means time to relax and enjoy the quiet afternoons. We cross over crystal clear mountain streams and little forests as we follow the contour path. A highlight is climbing up Gatberg to sit inside the hole. Our last night is camping below Sterkhorn and Cathkin Peak.

The last day is a 6km walk to Monks Cowl car park. Here we are picked up and driven back to your cars at Didima. This takes an hour so we should arrive there by 12pm.

• Intermedate Drakensberg Hike

Wild Coast and Drakensberg Mountains

On this 6 day overland 4×4 tour of the Wild coast and Drakensberg mountains we explore the beautiful, ‘wild’ scenery of the Eastern Cape Wild Coast.  It’s not called the ‘wild’ coast for nothing. Then onto the Eastern Cape Drakensberg.

We do this tour in June to watch as millions of sardines make their way north.

It is amazing to watch nature in action as hump backed whales, dolphins and Cape gannets gorge on these tiny fish. While on the wild coast we visit the famous hole in the wall. This rock formation is 250 million years old. A little surf fishing is also available. There is nothing better than fresh sea food for dinner.

After a few days in this amazing place we head inland to the snow covered Eastern Cape Drakensberg. First up is the Bastervoetpad pass. It is considered one of the more tricky of the highest road passes in SA. Don’t worry though as there is an alternate route. Tonight we enjoy the Mountain shadows hotel.

Rhodes is a lovely little hamlet right in the Drakensberg mountains.

Here we stay in cozy guest homes in Rhodes and have the opportunity to do a 4×4 drive up some of the highest road passes in South Africa. We check out some incredible mountain scenery driving up Carlileshoek pass and along the War trail before heading back to Rhodes for another night. The last day is over Naudesnek pass and through Underburg.

Of course the views are to die for.

This is really a unique overland 4×4 tour of the Wild coast and Drakensberg mountains. In just 6 days we can visit the beautiful Wild coast and with a short drive we arrive in the incredible Drakensberg mountains of the Eastern Cape. From the warm Indian ocean to the snow covered peaks. It doesn’t get better than this.

The 4 Day Giant’s Cup Trail Hike

The Giants Cup trail is a 4-day hike along the foothills of the Southern Drakensberg. We start at the Sani pass backpackers and sleep in lovely huts along the way. The 4-day hike finishes at Swiman hut at Garden castle. It can also be done in just 2 days where we walk back to Sani backpackers or we can go all the way and hike for 5 days finishing at Bushmans Nek. Each day is similar in length and takes most people 4-5 hours to walk. As it is in the foothills we are always looking up at the huge mountains. Hodgson’s peak is visible for most of the way. After a while garden castle comes in to view.

The Rhino peak is also visible high above us.

There is a path most of the way so the walking is fairly easy. This makes the Giants Cup Trail a good hike for families or beginners. Or even for people that just want to get into the mountains. The hike is mostly between 1400m and 2200m altitude so we can expect to see some wild-life here too. Eland which is the biggest antelope in Africa make this area their home. There are also baboons, jackals, Grey rhebok  and reed buck to be seen. As we don’t climb to a high altitude the weather is not so extreme which makes the hike very pleasant. We cross lots of crystal clear mountain streams which is great for a stop and a cup of tea.

While sitting near the streams we see a lot of beautiful birds so not only is this a mountain hike but also a nature hike. The Giants cup trail is quite unique as we stay in mountain huts along the way which means we don’t have to carry tents and we sleep in a nice bed.

• Intermedate Drakensberg Hike