Top Activities in the Drakensberg

Top Activities in the Drakensberg

The Drakensberg Mountains are the perfect tourist destination, particularly in this era of travel during the Covid19 crisis. It’s a place where social distancing comes naturally, where there is no mass tourism or crowds, just nature, space and fresh air.

Health and safety shouldn’t have to take a back seat when it comes to having an unforgettable experience and the Drakensberg is committed to doing things right. The following Drakensberg activities should be added to your bucket list.

Drakensberg Horse Trails – The Drakensberg offers a whole range of horse trails some particularly suited to beginners. Antbear Lodge practices the gentler horse whispering methods to train their horses and go for slow outrides Zulu Waters offers a trail ride through the game reserve. Dragon Peaks offers varied trails that get right up into the little berg.

Contact 076 441 2362 reservations@antbear.co.za

Stargazing Hammock Camp – You can relax in a hammock and listen to the sounds of the night whilst a local villager tells you the folktales his grandmother told him of the night skies. I don’t think this activity is available anywhere else in South Africa and is part of an upliftment initiative where the tourism pie is being shared with the local community. Come and listen to how the sun and moon got into the sky, why the sky is so far away and other folktales.

Contact 076 441 2362 info@giants-castle.co.za

Midlands Meander offers a  treasure trove of country arts and craft shops, cheeseries, wine tasting and much more. Take your time guided by a Midlands Meander map and slowly wind your way through the country lanes to explore, idle, browse, shop and indulge.

Contact 073 612 6964 info@accommodation-drakensberg.co.za

Quad Bike Trails – If quad bike trails are one of the activities in the Drakensberg that excites you well then we probably have something especially interesting for you. There are a few providers that offer quad bike trails with great quad bike options for kids too. Let these quad bike adventures excite you.

Contact 082 406 8980 info@alloutadventures.co.za

Bushman Rock Art at Game Pass Shelter is situated just a 1,5 hour walk from the Kamberg Rock Art Centre. This site is special for so many reasons. It was one of the first sites ever to be seen by Europeans and appeared in the Scientific American in 1915 The trail to Game Pass Shelter is a two-and-a-half, to three hour guided walk, via the spiritually moving Waterfall Shelter. It is nothing short of a world-class experience in Khoisan rock art and living Zulu and San culture.

The walk is preceded by a spectacular DVD presentation at the state-of-the-art Interpretive Centre that caters for a maximum of ten people at a time. Sessions are run seven days a week and can be arranged by appointment.

Contact 073 612 6964 info@accommodation-drakensberg.co.za

Hot Air Ballooning – Experience 360 degrees of adventure and romance all year round. Fly from KwaZulu-Natal’s finest ballooning venues. From a mountainous backdrop in the central Drakensberg (Champagne Valley) to English countryside scenery in the KZN Midlands, or game viewing at Tala Private Game Reserve, the choice is yours.

Our top tip is to fly from Antbear Lodge where you get safari, midlands and Drakensberg in a single flight. Enjoy a one-hour flight which is part of a 4-hour adventure and includes hot drinks before you fly, sparkling wine when you land, a buffet breakfast after the flight and a flight certificate.


082 802 7527 info@drakensbergballooning.com

The Tugela Falls – Located in the Northern Drakensberg the Tugela falls are the world’s second highest waterfall and drop 950 meters in five cascades (also making the Tugela Falls the highest cascade of falls in the world). During the winter months, the upper Tugela Falls can freeze, forming ice pillars – a sight not often seen in sunny South Africa.

Contact 073 612 6964 info@accommodation-drakensberg.co.za

Abseiling is a popular adventure sport that is sought after by adrenaline seekers. Drakensberg Abseiling offers a safe and controlled environment near to Giants Castle. Stepping backwards over the edge and descending down the cliff unleashing an adrenaline rush and boosting your self confidence.

Contact 082 679 4244 drakhike@gmail.com

Fossilised Forest Boardwalk – The petrified wood lies all over the place here. And this boardwalk through an indigenous forest is the perfect place to discover something of the last 100 million years. Enjoy a slow wander to the fossilized forest and areal boardwalk.

The boardwalk is a 150 metre long walkway partially built above the indigenous forest floor, which allows visitors to view flora, fauna and avifauna at treetop level. It includes a 20 metre high tower, offering dramatic views of both the forest canopy and surrounding countryside .

Contact 073 612 6964 info@accommodation-drakensberg.co.za

Giants Castle Slack Packing Trail – Explore the Drakensberg foothills without the burden of a backpack walking from lodge to lodge, having your luggage transported for you and looking forward to excellent 3 course meals. The Drakensberg Slack packing trail is a luxury hike offering comfortable and varied accommodation experiences each night, luggage transfers and delectable catering.

The Drakensberg slack packing hiking trail includes some of the most scenic and bio diverse parts of KwaZulu Natal. This hiking trail provides access to private land, a game reserve and locally forged conservancies. Special places where people would not normally have access. All you need to do is organise a group of friends or join one of our prearranged trips, and look forward to a gentle stroll carrying nothing more than a packed picnic, some binoculars and a good birding book.

Contact 073 612 6964 info@giants-castle.co.za

These are our Top Ten bucket list activities in the Drakensberg. Download a complete eGuide of activities available in the Drakensberg https://guide.accommodation-drakensberg.co.za/

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About us

Actually, Home Food and Travel offers a lot more than just reviews of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities.  We also visit great destinations, receive advice from interior designers and stop to smell the roses and taste the coffee.

Our team of journalists are seasoned travels and love visiting the myriad of exciting places around South Africa.  Whether it is off the beaten track or in the heart of the top attractions of the country, we’ll be there,

Home Food and Travel advice on finding the right accommodation

So what is the right accommodation?  Well more often than not, it’s your travel budget that dictates the type of accommodation that you choose. 

Expensive is not always better.  Our team at Home Food and Travel will tell you that they have camped in areas with limited ablutions and had a wonderful holiday.  They have also spent a night in a five star hotel only to be disappointed because their expectations exceeded the experience.

The reason for your travels will also affect your choice.  A business trip requires different amenities to a beach holiday. 

Our articles, reviews and experiences can certainly help you make your decision.

Restaurants with a good mix of service, food and ambiance

To my mind a great restaurant offers three things – excellent service, great food and a wonderful ambiance.  Of these, service is the most important. 

No matter that the food is delicious and the setting delightful, poor service can ruin the occasion.  However, great service combined with mediocre meal and a plane jane restaurant can still be a pleasant night out.

We’ve eaten in restaurants that are really dirty but with incredible food and couldn’t help but give a rave review.  We’ve also hardly noticed what we ate because the setting was just amazing.

However, the best restaurants come with the best of service, food and ambiance.

Spas are the ultimate relaxation aid

How do you know when you have had a great spa experience?  The answer, of course, is when you doze off on the treatment table. 

Well that’s our theory anyway.  It also doesn’t take a grand location with enormous facilities for a spa to be really good

A small, personal spa that is owner run can result in the best massage you have ever experienced.  However, the grand spas in five star hotels offer unsurpassed facilities in an environment that just makes the stress in your shoulders and neck melt away before you even finish checking in.

Adventure!

You don’t have to be an adrenaline junky to enjoy an exciting experience.  In fact, what are commonly termed adventure activities usually have incredibly high safety standards and unblemished safety records.

Ziplining, bungy jumping and shark cage diving are all very safe.  It’s just that our mind tells us we are craaazzzzyyyy to be doing this.

On the road to great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities

If you’re driving, be safe and make use of all the wonderful farm stalls that populate South Africa’s open roads.

If you overhear somebody asking a lot of questions or see someone taking photos of empty bedrooms chances are it’s one of our Home Food and Travel team members.

We’re out looking or those great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities.

See you on the road!

 

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