Drakensberg hiking


Hiking in the Natal Drakensberg is a popular activity for experienced locals and visitors to South Africa. The escarpment allows one to hike on a cliff of roughly 1000m high that stretches for 240 km from Sentinel Buttress in the North to Bushman's Neck Didima camp in the South. Hiking is however not recommended for inexperienced hikers as conditions can change quickly and harsh weather can occur for extended periods.
KZN Wildlife distributes 6 1:50,000 maps that can be used while hiking in the Drakensberg. The maps use the Cape datum as the geodesic reference. GPS users should be careful to use the correct datum as WGS 84 is not always the default. Some GPS waypoints for the Drakensberg are listed below:

List of GPS waypoints in WGS84 format

Pass Summits

  • Bannerman Pass
  • Beacon Buttress Gully
  • Corner Pass
  • Giant's Castle Pass
  • Gray's Pass
  • Hilton's Pass
  • Isicatula Pass
  • Judge Pass
  • Ka-Masihlenga Pass
  • Langalibalele Pass
  • Leslie's Pass
  • Masubasuba Pass
  • Mlambonja Pass
  • Mzimkhulu Pass
  • Ntonjelana Pass
  • Organ Pipes Pass
  • Ships Prow Pass
  • Ships Prow Pass
  • Tseketseke Pass

Caves

  • Didima Cave
  • Fergy's Cave
  • Injasuti Summit Cave
  • Marble Baths Cave
  • Nkosazana Cave
  • Sandleni Cave
  • Shepherd's Cave
  • Spare Rib Cave
  • Twins Cave
  • Wonder Valley Cave
  • Zulu Cave

Peaks

  • Bannerman Face
  • Castle Buttress
  • Cathedral Peak
  • Champagne Castle Dome
  • Cleft Peak
  • Cockade Peak
  • Erskine
  • Gypaetus Point
  • Injasuti Dome
  • Injasuti Greater Buttress
  • Injasuti Lesser Buttress
  • Katana
  • Mafadi
  • Mashai
  • Matebeng
  • Mount Durnford
  • No Man's Peak
  • Popple Peak
  • Redi
  • Stimela Peak
  • Tareteng
  • Thabana Ntlenyana
  • The Corner
  • The Judge
  • The Twins
  • Trojan Wall
  • Verkyker Peak
  • Wilson's Peak

Escarpment

  • Stimela Saddle
  • River
  • River bend
  • Path going around Elephant
  • Saddle
  • Saddle
  • Path behind Windsor Castle
  • Start of Yodler's Cascade Valley
  • Yodler's Cascades
  • Gully to climb up to Pampiring
  • Pampiring Saddle
  • Watershed Saddle
  • Watershed Saddle
  • Watershed Saddle
  • Saddle
  • Spot height 3375m
  • Watershed Saddle 3360m
  • Watershed Saddle
  • Popple Saddle
  • Bannerman Face Saddle
  • Watershed Saddle
  • Saddle 2985m

Huts

Campsites

  • Campsite at the bottom of Cockade Pass
  • Gatberg North Campsite
  • Gatberg South Campsite
  • Keith Bush Camp
  • Monk's Cowl Forest Station
  • Campsite at the bottom of Tseketseke Pass

Path Junctions

  • C9
  • C10
  • C11
  • G5
  • G6
  • M7
  • M23
  • M24
  • M25
  • Blind Man's Corner
  • Camel Pass fork in Organ Pipes Pass
  • Ship's Prow Pass Fork
  • Thuthumi Pass Fork on Organ Pipes Ridge
  • Turnoff to Waterfall Cave