Adventures and day trips in the Drakensberg are many and you will have to make some difficult decisions about what to leave out. Action day adventures can include exploring a game reserve on Horseback, 4x4 Off road Routes, Hiking Trails, Mountain Bike Trails, microlight flights, canopy tours and safari drives. We do not actually take you on the adventure tour ourselves rather we will arrange experienced guides who offer these services.
| Amakhulu Central Reservations is a great place to enquire about more Drakensberg Adventure options. |
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More Drakensberg adventure information from Drakensberg Tourism |
The surrounding areas of the Antbear offer easy to adventurous hiking trails. Overnight hiking can be arranged where you sleep in a mountain hut, tent or bushman cave in Drakensberg. Day hikes here are as numerous as the mountains that surround us. The Drakensberg is renown for some of the best hiking available anywhere in the world.
Giants Castle offers some of the most dramatic spots of the Central and Northern Drakensberg. Its a 2 day walk to get to the top of the escarpment and if you intend trying find out about sleeping in one of the mountain huts along the way. Giants Castle is by no means a tourist trap and its unlikely you will even see another person there except in the Giants Castle camp itself that is. Don't for get the lammergeyer hide a perfect spot to sit and watch these impressive birds. This is limited to 1 group a day max six persons so should be arranged before hand. We like to recommend the "Worlds View" hike a very easy 4 hour walk ending with a spectacular 360 degree view of Giants Castle and the valleys around. Giants Castle offers a lot more hiking trails too. I don't like to recommend the bushman rock art sites here as they are presented in a very touristy fashion with a few plastic bushman etc. For bushman rock art Kamberg is a much better option.
Royal Natal National Park and the Amphitheatre are possible one of the post photographed mountains in the Drakensberg. Its little wonder the mountains here are pretty spectacular. Overnight walks to the top are possible or you can take the easy option and get to the top of the Amphitheatre by driving to the Sentinel and walking the last 2 and a half hours to get to the top. Its a spectacular view over Royal Natal National Park. Royal Natal is also home to the Tugela Falls a waterfall that falls some 950m down the Drakensberg Escarpment. Its pretty spectacular and can be viewed from both the top of the Amphitheatre or from the bottom in Royal Natal National Park. The most famous walk in Royal Natal is the George Walk some 7Km following the path of the Tugela River to the base of the Tugela Falls.
Injasuti is situated in the northern section of the Giant's Castle area. Injasuti offers some of the most breathtaking walks imaginable only the road to get to Injasuti is not in good condition with lots of pot holes. If you can survive the road you are rewarded with the most dramatic walking offered anywhere in the Drakensberg. The surrounding scenery is dominated by Cathkin Peak, Monk's Cowl and Champagne Castle. Injasuti camp lies cradled between the Injasuti (or `Little Tugela') and Delmhlwazini rivers at the head of the Injasuti Valley.
Cathedral Peak borders on the upper Thukela area in the Northern Drakensberg. Cathedral Peak containing the magnificent Didima Valley with its many examples of San Rock art, it is a hikers paradise offering routes that range from a few hours to several days. For the visitors less inclined to physical activity or whose time is limited, Mike's Pass provides an opportunity to drive to the top of the Little Berg near the head of Didima Gorge for spectacular views of the main escarpment and the surrounding lowlands.
Kamberg is part of the Southern Drakensberg and presents a softer but not less beautiful aspect of the Drakensberg Mountains. A 3 hour trail will take you to the most spectacular examples of Bushman Rock Art located anywhere in Southern Africa. The guided tours are of a high standard and not at all touristy. There tour starts with a multimedia presentation of Bushman and then goes on to talk about the specific paintings in Kamberg at Game Pass Shelter. This is a must do in my opinion
The benifit of Highmoor is that you drive to the top of the little berg and right from the start of the trails you are rewarded with views you could otherwise only see having walked two hours. Highmoor is a small part of the Drakensberg Park sandwiched between Giants Castle and Kamberg. Most visitors to Highmoor are interested in trout fishing. Highmoor is not marketed well and is a gem that is worth staying an extra day in the Drakensberg for. The Crane Foundation is next door and is a great place to be able to view the wattled crane and crowed crane in their natural environments.
Monks Cowl is beautiful that is for sure. Its also developed. Here you will find helicopter flights over the Drakensberg, 18 hole golf facilities in a spectacular environment and lots of tourism. This Champagne Valley accounts for at least half the tourism in the whole Drakensberg region. The walking is spectacular too but understand you need to walk at least an hour before you leave the other tourists behind you. You wont make a mistake by visiting Monks Cowl and Champagne Castle its just not an insider tip.
Explore a game reserve on horse back and view giraffes and zebras from only a few paces in the Weenen and Spionkop game reserves. These especially scenic game parks without malaria offer the possibility for day trips, an especially interesting option with a guide. Trails through the parks are especially rewarding regarding game sightings. Weenen has the highest concentration of Rhinos in South Africa and offer rhino tracking as adventure activity.
Situated in the tranquil Natal Midlands, the Karkloof Canopy Tour offers an unequalled experience gliding along steel cables between eight canopy level platforms built high within the Karkloof forest. Safely harnessed in state of the art climbing gear and under close supervision of a professional team of guides, prepare yourself for a three hour adventure that will take you amongst the birds, monkeys trees and plants of this magnificent forest. The slides are up to 175m long and provide unforgettable rides and spectacular views of the forest canopy including a little waterfall.
There are many back roads here which make for delightful 4x4ing. Some providers offer special 4x4 trails and even 4x4 training. Quad bikes are also and adventure activity offered in the Champagne valley.
Tractor tubes make for a different experience floating down the Bushmans river. With a guide you drift down the river and after you end at Moorpark nature reserve and are rewarded for your hard work with delightful picnic braai. Zingela Safaris offers pretty spectacular white water rafting on the Tugela River for the not so faint harted.
Experience exactly how most of the people live in this country. This is not a tourist show like some of these tours but rather an attempt to let tourists experience the real thing. you go with a local to the locals is sort of how he puts it.
An adventure paddle into the wilds of Wagondrift Dam. Experience the scenery, bird life and places of interest from a new point of view.
A second option is the Weenen canal where with a river guide you paddle down the canal which passes through the bottom of the Weenen Game Reserve. This is not really adventure but rather pure relaxation and is great for bird watching
Test your physical ability to go where you never thought you will be able to go with your mountain bike. There are lots of dirt roads that make for perfect mountain bike trails. The Giants Castle Challenge takes place every year in february and this is a challenging mountain bike race.
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