The magnificent Drakensberg mountain range towers over Lesotho and much of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. This is the highest altitude that you’ll find south of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro.

Drakensberg Mountains

While South Africa has many mountains, KwaZulu-Natal’s 200km long uKhahlamba-Drakensberg escarpment is by far the most impressive.

From its northeastern termination in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, the drankensberg range extends through Lesotho to Eastern Cape province. They separate Mpumalanga and Free State provinces and Lesotho on the plateau from lower-lying Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal province near the coast.

The Drakensberg rises to more than 11,400 feet (3,482 meters) and extends roughly northeast to southwest for 700 miles (1,125 km) parallel to the southeastern coast of South Africa.

The Drakensberg forms the eastern section of the Great Escarpment which borders the Central Plateau of Southern Africa.

The rivers that run from the Drakensberg are an essential resource for South Africa’s economy, providing water for the industrial provinces of Mpumalanga and Gauteng, which contains the city of Johannesburg.

Drakensberg Mountain Holiday Packages

Drakensberg Range is a popular tourist looking for drakensberg mountain holiday packages. The are is dotted with resorts, hotels, and hiking trails on the slope.

Between and amongst these peaks are plateaus, valleys, slopes, and incredible mountain passes that make for some of the best hiking, walking, fishing, swimming, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, birdwatching and cycling adventures in South Africa.

Check out some of our Drakensberg safari packages:-

8 Day Kruger to Drakensberg Safari – This 8 day safari package takes you to Kruger National park and then to the drakensberg for a climb of Mafadi Summit. South Africa’s highest point.

Four Valleys And A National Park

The area falls into four valleys, beginning with the Champagne Valley in the Central part, through the Cathedral Peak and Didima Valley, then the Royal Natal National Park and Amphitheater Valley, and finally the Middledale Pass and “Lost” Valley in the Northern Berg.

The Amphitheater is a rock wall approximately five kilometers long and 500 meters high.

It contains the source of the Tugela River and includes Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall on earth.

Parks and National Reserves

Below the east and south scarps are sandstone terraces consisting of several scenic national parks and game reserves.

The best-known national park in the Drakensberg is Royal Natal National Park.

Because of the different climate zones, great differences in altitude and a copious supply of water, one finds in the Royal Natal National Park an extreme diversity of plants, most of which are perennials. So far, more than 2000 species were registered, most of them blossom-bearing.

The Barrier Of Spears

Drakensberg, also known as ‘the dragon mountain’, is sometimes referred to by the Zulu’s as ‘the Barrier of Spears’, is where the sheer magnificent natural beauty of the area gives the human being a feeling of inner peace and tranquillity, Which stretches over 200 kilometres and forms a natural border between Kwazulu-Natal and Lesotho.

Many people consider the Drakensberg their favourite place in South Africa because it often seems as if they have the entire place to themselves.