Mountains and hikes give a trip through southern Africa a completely different rhythm — from a short walk to a viewpoint to a full day's trek, depending on the fitness and mood of the group. The most striking mountain range is the Drakensberg, though other areas offer good hiking too, such as the rocky Cederberg in the west of the country.
The Drakensberg
In Royal Natal National Park, the view opens onto the Amphitheatre — a rock wall from which Tugela Falls drops, measured by a Czech expedition in 2016 at 983 metres (more on our Hidden Gems page). An undemanding seven-kilometre trail leads to the cascades through the Tugela Gorge, with the final stretch crossing boulders and a short ladder — manageable for an averagely fit hiker with no climbing experience. For more ambitious hikers, the Drakensberg also offers multi-day treks with mountain overnight stays.
The Cederberg
Roughly 250 km north of Cape Town lies the Cederberg, an area of sandstone rock formations with typical fynbos vegetation. The best-known route is a full-day (5-7 hour) hike to the natural rock arch of Wolfberg Arch through the narrow rock fissures of Wolfberg Cracks, or a shorter walk to the Stadsaal Caves rock overhangs. The area is also one of the centres of San rock art — on the four-kilometre Sevilla Rock Art Trail near Clanwilliam alone there are ten sites with hundreds of paintings up to 8,000 years old. A CapeNature permit is required for hikes in the protected area, which Zuzka arranges as part of trip planning.
The Otter Trail
The legendary five-day Otter Trail follows the Garden Route coastline from Storms River Mouth in Tsitsikamma to Nature's Valley — one of the oldest and most sought-after hikes in South Africa (more on our Hidden Gems page, under Tsitsikamma).
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