The Drakensberg Region, KwaZulu Natal
The accommodation in the Drakensberg region is extraordinary, thanks to the dramatically beautiful setting. This region is home to the awe-inspiring mountain range of the same name and can predominantly be found in the KwaZulu Natal Province. The range is more than 200 kilometres long and combines rugged peaks with verdant valleys and spectacular backdrops. It creates a natural border between the kingdom of Lesotho and the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Its name, Drakensberg, roughly translate to “dragon mountains” or “the mountains of dragons”. And, it's no wonder that it has earned this name because some of the peaks are mammoth in size and stature. The average height of the range is 2 900 metres. However, it is home to some of the country's highest peaks, which surge up to 3 482 metres above sea level. Between and amongst these peaks are plateaus, valleys, slopes, and incredible mountain passes that make for some of the best hiking, walking and cycling adventures in South Africa.
Did you know? The Drakensberg Mountain Range is one of South Africa's most spectacular natural wonders, showcasing a selection of the most breath-taking vistas imaginable. It is the highest mountain range in the country, reaching an impressive 3 482 metres above sea level.
The Drakensberg has a few famous peaks that are favourites to photograph and summit. These include Giant's Castle, Cathedral Peak, and Mont-Aux-Sources. But, more than these, it is also home to a number of smaller foothills, stunning waterfalls, inviting rock pools, fresh mountain streams, and mysterious caves. The crisp mountain air and the clear sunshine of KwaZulu-Natal also play their part in creating a very special space for visitors to South Africa and locals alike.
Within the Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal lies the 243 000 hectare mountain region that is also a world heritage site, known as Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park Park. Not only does it boast some of the most incredible scenic beauty, but it also has over 600 examples of San rock paintings in caves around the park.
Staying in the shadow of these mountains brings immediate breathing space and a chance to unwind. Aside from hiking - and there are innumerable hikes that range in skill and fitness requirements throughout the entire Drakensberg - there are also horse trails, canopy tours, white water rafting, abseiling, local arts and crafts or simply ‘taking the air' for those with little other than repose in mind.
You can visit and explore the Drakensberg as a day visitor; but, to fully appreciate all that the region has to offer, we recommend a stay of a few nights. SA-Venues.com proudly features a range of accommodation options in the 'berg to suit all travel needs and budgets.
Our Drakensberg Accommodation search facility is easy to use and you make your bookings directly with the venues. Options include hotels, self-catering, Bed & Breakfast and fully catered, luxury lodges. Special offers are highlighted, and reviews will help you make your choices.
Find accommodation in Drakensberg
South Africa Accommodation / KwaZulu Natal Accommodation / Drakensberg Accommodation
Cleopatra Homestead
Nestled in the heart of the Kamberg Valley in KwaZulu-Natal's Drakensberg, Cleopatra Mountain offers self-catering accommodation on a private far...
Penwarn Manor
Penwarn Manor is rustic yet modern, offering accommodation in Underberg on Penwarn Farm Lodge just 25km from the quaint town. As you drive down t...
Inkungu Homestead
Welcome to our charming Inkungu Homestead nestled in the breathtaking Central Drakensberg mountains of South Africa! Situated amidst the awe-insp...
Montusi Mountain Lodge
Montusi Mountain Lodge is a lovely lodge in the Northern KwaZulu Natal Drakensberg mountains (near the Royal Natal Nature Reserve), offering supe...
Haycroft Lodge
The spacious Haycroft Lodge is located on Stoneyhall Farm and is set on the banks of a tranquil lake that reflects the panoramic views of the Dra...
Penwarn Mthini Lodge
Penwarn Mthini Lodge offers Underberg accommodation and is the shining star of Penwarn Farm Lodge. The lodge is perched on a hill overlooking a m...
Thokomala Cottage
Thokomala Cottage offers Northern Drakensberg accommodation in a spacious family cottage with world class mountain views from the cottage. We inv...
Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse
Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse is a world renowned gourmet getaway, idyllically situated on the edge of a trout filled dam and surrounded by the Gi...
Thamela Cottage
Thamela Cottage offers Northern Drakensberg accommodation with spectacular Drakensberg mountain views. With its ideal location halfway between Jo...
Destinations in the Drakensberg Region
Bergville
Overnight? Bergville accommodation
Equidistant from Johannesburg and Durban, the pretty little town of Bergville, also known as the gateway to the Northern Drakensberg, lies on Route 74 - the more scenic alternative to the Toll Road.
This route takes you via the Oliviershoek Pass, trad...
Bushmans Nek Valley
Overnight? Bushmans Nek Valley accommodation
Bushmans Nek can be found in the southern region of Kwazulu Natal's Drakensberg.
Reedbuk, Eland, Klipspringer, Grey Rhebok and Oribi are often spotted here as are Dassie, Porcupines and Rock Hyrax. The birdlife is also abundant and if you are lucky may...
Cathedral Peak
Overnight? Cathedral Peak accommodation
The spire-like Cathedral Peak is described by many as simply awesome and is one of the most instantly-recognisable summits in a line of free-standing peaks that have been separated from the main escarpment by erosion.
Climbing the peak itself, althoug...
Cedarville
Overnight? Cedarville accommodation
The little hamlet of Cedarville, virtually on the border of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal, lies just south east of the little village of Matatiele on the R56, north west of Mount Currie Nature Reserve, and on the very southern edge of the Drakensberg...
Central Drakensberg
Overnight? Central Drakensberg accommodation
The beautiful Drakensberg range or Dragon Mountains, also known in Zulu as uKhahlamba or barrier of spears, is a voluminous stretch of mountains that covers over 1 000 kilometres from south-west to north-east, lying mostly in KwaZulu-Natal. Collectively t...
Champagne Valley
Overnight? Champagne Valley accommodation
Lying in the central Drakensberg, the Champagne peak is one of the highest peaks in this mountain range, although the prominent peak from here is Cathkin.
But it is the enchantedness of the Champagne Valley that draws visitors away from city stressors...
Drakensberg Gardens
Overnight? Drakensberg Gardens accommodation
In the southern foothills of the Drakensberg the Gardens Area might be, but the views from here of the towering peaks of the Dragon Mountains is pretty spectacular. This is the part of the Drakensberg that benefits from all the flowing rivers that gush do...
Estcourt
Overnight? Estcourt accommodation
Lower down in the valley from Van Reenen's Pass, and in the heart of the Anglo-Boer War territory, Estcourt is a fairly large town that serves as the gateway to the central Drakensberg, together with Winterton just 40 kilometres to the north.
Initiall...
Geluksburg
Overnight? Geluksburg accommodation
It is probably closer to the truth to describe the little town of Geluksburg as tiny. It is indeed nothing larger than a hamlet. The town has roughly fifteen houses, a couple of shops, and a mountain with one tree (or at least from town it appears to have...
Giants Castle
Overnight? Giants Castle accommodation
Lying at the southern end of the central Drakensberg, Giant's Castle, which gets its name from the outline of the peaks and escarpment that combine to resemble the profile of a sleeping giant, is essentially a grassy plateau that nestles among the deep va...
Glengarry
With the Drakensberg Mountain Range as its backdrop, and about 180 kilometres from the capital city of KwaZulu-Natal Province, Durban, lies the holiday hotspot of Glengarry. This places it in some of the prettiest countryside of South Africa. Due to i...
Himeville
Overnight? Himeville accommodation
The hamlet of Himeville lies nestled at the foot of the Southern Drakensberg, its high altitude, heavy snowfalls and climatic extremes possibly the initial reason for its relative neglect.
But the breathtaking scenery, abundance of water and the Himev...
Hlatikulu Valley
The Hlatikulu Valley is a particularly beautiful and bountiful valley that lies between Giants Castle and Kamberg Nature Reserves in the central Drakensberg, roughly 30 kilometres or so from the town of Mooi River. Towering over the valley like the coloss...
Kamberg
Overnight? Kamberg accommodation
The Kamberg valley is described by its people as ‘the valley, which God created once he had practised on the rest of the world”.
It lies in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains just beyond the Nottingham Road turnoff from Durban, and there is a ...
Kokstad
Overnight? Kokstad accommodation
The little town of Kokstad sits on the boundary between KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape, nestled in the heart of East Griqualand.
Kokstad lies in the shadow of Mount Currie on the outer slopes of the Drakensberg and was, until recently, best known ...
Matatiele
Overnight? Matatiele accommodation
Situated in the lesser explored southern Drakensberg, the quaint little town of Matatiele lies 70 kilometres from Kokstad, at the junction of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and southern Lesotho.
The village is situated in the shadow of the Matatiele ...
Monks Cowl
Overnight? Monks Cowl accommodation
Monk's Cowl is named after the distinctive mountain in the shape of a monk's hood that lies between Champagne Castle and Cathedral Peak in the central Drakensberg. The peak marks the access point to the Mlambonja and Mdedeleo Mountain wilderness areas - s...
Mont-aux-Sources
Overnight? Mont-aux-Sources accommodation
Mont-aux-Sources is regarded as the one of the very highest portions of the Drakensberg Mountain range, and it lies on the north eastern edge of the Drakensberg, practically on the border with Lesotho.
Mont-aux-Sources is regularly described as a moun...
Mweni Valley
Beyond the Amphitheatre, lying between Cathedral Peak and the Royal Natal National Park, is a rugged mountainous area not part of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg World Heritage Site. It belongs instead to the Amangwane people. It is a wilderness chartered ...
Northern Drakensberg
Overnight? Northern Drakensberg accommodation
People are divided when it comes to delineating the Northern Drakensberg. There are those who speak of its borders as the Natal Drakensberg National Park in the north, down to Cathedral Peak in the south, whilst others extend its upper western reaches to ...
Putterill Valley
You won't find much information about the Putterill Valley. This derth of description has little to do with the attractiveness of the area - if anything it is one of the most beautiful parts of the ‘berg - but rather it is the valley's remoteness and loca...
Sani Pass
Overnight? Sani Pass accommodation
The tight zig-zagging curves of Sani Pass, one of the most magnificent mountain passes in South Africa, ascend through the sheer cliffs of the Drakensberg, linking KwaZulu Natal to the independent country of Lesotho.
The route is also known as the ‘ro...
Southern Drakensberg
Overnight? Southern Drakensberg accommodation
Broadly speaking, the southern parts of the Drakensberg lie between Bushman's Nek to the south-east and Kamberg to the north-west, including the Bulwer Mountain and what are often described as the 'country' towns of Underberg and Himeville.
This part o...
Sterkfontein
Overnight? Sterkfontein accommodation
Rugged, steep krantzes silhouetted against the skyline, mountain slopes snugly covered with a grass blanket, deep lushly vegetated kloofs and a crystal-clear lake are facets of the beauty of the Sterkfontein Dam Reserve which covers 18000 Ha.
Oribi, Mo...
Swartberg
Overnight? Swartberg accommodation
Although it appears to be little more than a railway siding in the southern reaches of the Drakensberg when seen on a map, the little village of Swartberg, north of Mount Currie Nature Reserve on Route 617, is actually the centre of agricultural activity ...
Underberg
Overnight? Underberg accommodation
Right at the foot of the majestic mountains of the southern Drakensberg, Underberg is a little town that exudes a lot of charm. In fact, it has the kind of ethereal beauty that can only come from looming mountains, lush greenery, and the endless blue of A...
Van Reenen
Overnight? Van Reenen accommodation
Van Reenen's Pass, a sweeping pass renowned for its slippery and precarious roads (particularly as a result of the frequent misty conditions), and some of the most gorgeous views, is the main route through the Drakensberg Mountains connecting Jo-burg and ...
White Mountain
The area known simply as White Mountain lies in the midst of the central Drakensberg foothills not far southwest of Estcourt. The more than pretty valley is obviously named after the White Mountain at whose feet it lies, a virtually solitary mountain ...
Winterton
Overnight? Winterton accommodation
Ranging from budget-friendly chalets to luxury Drakensberg hotels, the variety available to Winterton visitors is typical of the abundance of tourist facilities in South Africa. The pretty town of Winterton serves, quite literally, as the gateway to the c...
Witsieshoek
Overnight? Witsieshoek accommodation
The Drakensberg Mountain Range is one of South Africa's most exquisite gems, spanning some 1 600 kilometres and extending through Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal right down into the Eastern Cape. Witsieshoek is in the northern parts ...
Additional Reading
- Best Places to Stay in the Drakensberg, South Africa's Epic Dragonback Mountains
- Everything You Need to Know to See the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park Properly
- Incredible Places to Sleep Under the Stars in South Africa
- Sentinel Peak Hike in the Drakensberg
- Day Hikes of the Drakensberg
- South Africa pits itself against the world's major attractions and comes up tops
- 20 most beautiful natural places in South Africa
- 5 places to see San rock art in South Africa
- Rock Climbing in KwaZulu Natal
- I Wanna Go Camping! 10 Unique Campsites in KwaZulu-Natal