Drakensberg

With Southern Africa’s highest mountain range as a backdrop, this award-winning four-star, self-catering mountain village is one of the country’s premier getaway destinations. Ideally situated midway between Durban and Johannesburg, aha Alpine Heath Resort & Conference Centre gives families and nature-lovers the opportunity to explore their surroundings with luxury Drakensberg accommodation as a home base. Yes, all 100 Deluxe Chalets are superbly equipped and offer breathtaking views of the Drakensberg mountains. Whether it’s for a day, a weekend or even longer, booking your stay at Alpine Heath promises an unforgettable time away! If you’re looking to host an event, you’ll be pleased to know the fully equipped conference venues and various room packages ensure absolute confidence and comfort. If you don’t feel like cooking, head over to Gruyéres Restaurant or Pizza Inferno Pizzeria – their menus are known for delicious meals that cater to all tastes. And in case you need groceries or trinkets to take home, pay the unique Village Market a visit!

Lying as it does, deep in the scenic Drakensberg range, Lotheni and its picturesque resort offers comfortable and attractive self-catering chalets, cottages and campsites. Lotheni Resort is well known for its exquisite scenery and tranquil atmosphere. It overlooks the clear, tumbling waters of the Lotheni River which provides several attractions for visitors. The name “Lotheni” means “in the ashes” and comes from the burnt appearance of the shale found in this river valley. The Settler’s Museum, the original homestead of the Root family that settled in the Lotheni Valley in the late 1800s, provides a fascinating look back in time. Several relics linked to the history of the area are preserved in the museum. Wildlife includes species such as common and mountain reedbuck, grey reedbuck, eland, grey duiker, oribi, Cape clawless otter, mongoose and baboon. There is a diversity of birds, including black stork, verreaux’s eagle, bearded vulture, lanner falcon, Cape vulture and giant kingfisher

Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge provides comfortable and scenic Drakensberg accommodation for hikers, climbers, adventure travellers and families. At 2220m above sea level, Witsieshoek is the highest lodge in the Northern Drakensberg and is the perfect place from which to explore the wonders of these incredible mountains in all their glory. The Lodge is the trailhead for the famous Sentinel Peak Hike that includes the chain ladders, and access to the top of Tugela Waterfall - the second highest waterfall in the world. There are a variety of other hikes in the area, as well as magnificent mountain biking trails.

Antbear Lodge is situated in the Drakensberg region of KwaZulu Natal near to Giants Castle. What makes our lodge particularly special is that we offer accommodation in a luxury cave. This is an accommodation unit built under a rock. Glass doors open onto a wooden deck with hammock chairs and a spectacular view of the Drakensberg Mountains. This is a luxury eco experience. The cave is cozy and comfortable with features like a Jacuzzi spa bath and a fireplace and even has rock art on its walls.

We also offer a private dining experience where we setup a table on the deck of your cave and you dine by candlelight under the stars.

Antbear Lodge is one of those smaller owner run establishments with 15 accommodation units as either Mountain View suites or Garden view suites.

Sustainability and responsible tourism are a huge part of the ethos of our lodge and we subscribe as much as possible to the farm to plate concept. We cook all our meals from scratch and have our own organic vegetable garden. We have our own chickens for eggs, cows for milk and bake our own bread and we even make our own cheese.

Antbear Lodge also offers horse trails ideally suited to beginners. Hot air balloon flights that launch from the lawn in front of the lodge and our newest attraction is our star gazing hammock camp where we tell the Zulu stories of the stars.

The area offers a lot with spectacular hiking trails with dramatic views and waterfalls. And then there is the spectacular bushman rock art where you can see some of the best examples in the world.

Gooderson Drakensberg Gardens is poised on a scenic 860 hectare World Heritage site, and is a one-of-a-kind retreat for guests to reconnect, relax and unwind. Venture into the great outdoors - hiking, horse riding, canoeing or trout fishing. Play a round of golf on the Southern Drakensbergs only 18 hole golf course or simply relax beside the swimming pools.

Our work is to create beauty, to make the land more fertile, to make our living, to leave the world better than when we first came into it ~ Bill Carte ~ 1941 ~ Grandfather and Founder of The Cavern – Northern Drakensberg

The Cavern Resort & Spa, named after the infamous Cannibal Cavern, is nestled in the foothills of the Northern Drakensberg in the Amphitheatre World Heritage Site area. A place of captivating beauty, it is surrounded by majestic, lush indigenous forests and clear berg streams.

Once a humble homestead, rustic and simple, today The Cavern is a comfortable home-from-home for many families who holiday in these majestic Drakensberg Mountains.

The Carte family has owned the Cavern for 80 years and from the outset have given guests memorable family holidays – not just a stay at a good hotel.

At The Cavern we appreciate that it is people who make your holiday – people with whom to laugh, share a drink, and participate in all the many fun activities.

Without obliging anyone to do anything, we encourage our guests to mix on outings and activities. Friendships form here and folk come back time and again - hence the slogan originated by our guests in 1958: "The resort of many happy returns"

It all began with a letter in 1941 from Bill Carte to Ruth; "Ruth, my darling, I plea as never before: Put your trust in me, marry me and be my mate in building up a home and a farm second-to-none in South Africa".

In the 1970s, Peter and Anthony Carte, took up the challenge of hospitality with their capable wives, Rhona and Jean. They grew it from a small guest farm to a thriving Drakensberg resort and by the 1980s The Cavern was in full-swing! Holidays were about making new friends, hiking every Drakensberg peak and ending each day with a little activity in the evening. It was good fun and a great space for the 7 cousins to grow up in.

The Cavern Drakensberg Resort is now run by the third generation: Hilton and Megan Bedingham and Lesley Carte.

Moorcroft Manor, a converted farmhouse with 12 beautifully appointed rooms is, without question, the Southern Drakensberg’s best luxury Boutique Country Hotel. Nestled in Himeville, at the foot of South Africa’s highest mountain range, the hotel is almost magical, seeming to draw its power from it’s magnificent location. Set in an exquisite garden, with crisp mountain air and a proverbial open farm gate to Kwa-Zulu Natal’s natural heritage areas, it offers a re-charging experience for weary travellers and stressed-out city dwellers alike.

Moorcroft Manor offers something for everyone. Whether it is a romantic escape that you are looking for or simply a moment to unwind, our undeniable attention to detail ensures that every guest will experience comfort and luxury, to international standards.

The Southern Drakensberg is the staging ground for several internationally-recognised sporting events, so if you enjoy exploring our mountain ranges on foot, on horseback, or by bike, Moorcroft Manor is your proverbial open farm gate to adventure.

Decorated with original artworks from around Africa, and retaining some of the original farmhouse’s features like the large fireplace in the lounge bar, Moorcroft Manor is an understated balance of old-world country charm and modern creature comforts, a quintessential haven of tranquility that’s good for the soul.

Feeding the soul in more ways than one, every dining experience – be it a day visit to enjoy a midweek lunch or weekend brunch on the terrace, surrounded by the majestic uKhahalamba Mountains (the Zulu word meaning Barrier of Spears), or a dinner in the hotel’s fantastic restaurant – is as memorable as you’d expect.

Thendele Resort, one of the most beautiful, popular and scenic resorts, has the distinction of being the closest of the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife resorts to the high Drakensberg escarpment. The resort nestles below colourful sandstone cliffs close to forests of rare yellowwood trees and stretches of Protea savannah. It provides easy and quick access to some of the most splendid mountain hikes, trails and scenic settings in Africa. It is located close to the foot of the massive and iconic Amphitheatre flanked by the Sentinel and the Eastern Buttress. The ribbon-like Tugela Falls, headwaters of KwaZulu-Natal’s biggest river, is the 2nd highest waterfall in the world, and is a stunning backdrop to any picnic.

Montusi Mountain Lodge offers genuine hospitality in the tranquility of one of the most beautiful settings in Southern Africa.

Come discover space, luxury and tranquility when you visit Montusi. Witness the natural splendour and romantic ambience of this Northern Drakensberg haven.

Situated midway between Johannesburg and Durban, Montusi Mountain Lodge is one of the few destinations with a panoramic vista of the Drakensberg’s most famous feature, the Amphitheatre escarpment.

Join us and enjoy the beautiful Drakensberg mountains from a luxury setting where you can be as active or relaxed as you choose.

Tucked into the side of a rocky hill, overlooking the Mfazimnyama valley of the Spioenkop Game Reserve, and surrounded by the site of a famous Anglo Boer War battle, lies Three Tree Hill.

Situated in the foothills of the Kwazulu Natal Drakensberg range, where rolling green hills are dotted with flat-crowned Acacia trees, giving it the quintessential “Out of Africa” feeling.

This Fair Trade certified lodge, places great emphasis on Responsible Tourism and offers spectacular scenery, locally grown farm-style country food with superb hospitality. It is the ideal environment in which to unwind and be rejuvenated. This intimate, luxury 24 bedded lodge is owned by Simon & Cheryl Blackburn whose passion and enthusiasm for Africa’s wildlife, history and culture is immediately evident when you visit. You are welcomed into their home, and invited to experience the warm hospitality, and relaxed atmosphere in their four star family-run lodge.

Close to the base of Van Reenens pass, the lodge is also the ideal half-way stop between Johannesburg & Durban, only 27km from the N3 highway. This lodge is the perfect location to base yourself for exploring the major Anglo-Boer War Battlefields in KwaZulu Natal (Battles of Spioenkop and Colenso), the Northern Drakensberg Mountains (world heritage site), and within easy (2hrs) reach of the Anglo-Zulu War Battlefields (Battles of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift).

A myriad of other activities are available at the lodge, which include horse trails, game walks, hiking, mountain biking and birding. The lodge has three two-bedroomed family cottages, which offer spectacular views of the surrounding hills and six double cottages suitable for couples & single travellers.

Nestled in a tranquil and secluded valley in the heart of the Drakensberg lies Cathedral Peak Hotel, providing premier accommodation and entertainment surrounded by the magnificent peaks of some of the World Heritage Site’s most impressive and iconic mountains.

When Albert van der Riet first laid eyes on this valley in the early 1900s, he had a vision of a secluded hotel that would be closer to the mountains than any other hotel at the time. For the past 80 years, the van der Riet family have been offering the ultimate Drakensberg experience and it’s a privilege to look back on this unbroken history.

Guests are accommodated in 104 spacious and well-appointed rooms, ranging from standard, family and superior rooms to Executive/ Honeymoon Suites and the private Presidential Suite, providing the ultimate in luxury for up to 254 guests.

Kukummi Lodge is located in Rood Nature Reserve, one of the most beautiful parts of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountain Range, in the Central Drakensberg.  The lodge is located below this unique mountain range. Each 18 square-metre thatched-roof rondawel contains a comfy queen-size bed and a private bathroom with a shower and basin, and a separate toilet and basin. Each fully carpeted unit contains a TV, tea/coffee, a wardrobe, a table and 2 chairs. Due to the incredible diversity of bird, plant and insect life, and a vast collection of San Rock Art paintings, the area has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.