Hiking and Walking in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park

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Hiking and Walking in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park


Hikers on the Emerald Stream / Gxalingenwa Hike

The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is a hiker's paradise. This extensive mountain wilderness is criss-crossed by a multitude of hiking paths that are mostly well defined and navigable by anyone with moderate hiking experience.

Excellent topographical hiking maps are available for purchase at the various KZN Wildlife entrance gates.

Online: the interactive Southern Drakensberg Map has detailed pop-up route descriptions of all the Southern uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park Hikes. Some, and soon all of the hikes will have images and 360° Panorama pop-ups along the route so that you can see in detail what it looks like! Just click on the hiker for hike information or the camera for images.

There are hikes / walks to suit most needs. These range from a gentle stroll to an extremely strenuous hike such as the Grand Traverse. Popular hikes include the Giant's Cup Trail at Cobham (3,4 or 5 nights - max 59.3 kms) a trail designed to give the hiker as much diversity as possible.

The Thukela Gorge hike (2-3hrs, 7kms) at Royal Natal which goes through alternative stretches of protea, grassland and forest with scenery rivalled only by the view from the top of the Thukela Falls and the thrilling Cathedral Peak trail (10kms, 6-7hrs) that affords the experienced hiker a chance to stand on one of the major free-standing peaks in the Drakensberg.