South Africa and Lesotho: the Drakensberg and the Sani Pass

1. Day 1: Durban to the Midlands

   King Shaka International Airport to Howick, then Nottingham Road on the Midlands Meander

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Nottingham Road (Midlands)
   Day 1 details

   Fly into King Shaka International Airport (DUR), north of Durban, by about 1 pm, where your guide and driver are planned to meet you in arrivals (the latest arrival time is set in the written quote; every drive is planned for daylight, as the Government of Canada advises against driving after dark). We leave the city and the coastal heat behind and climb inland on the N3, past sugar cane and Pietermaritzburg, into the green hills of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. At Howick we stop above the gorge where the Umgeni River drops about 95 m over Howick Falls. A few minutes north is the Nelson Mandela Capture Site, where police stopped his car on 5 August 1962; he spent the next 27 years in prison. A short path leads to a sculpture of 50 steel columns that line up into his face from one point on the walk. Then it is half an hour to Nottingham Road, on the Midlands Meander, for a briefing on the week and a welcome dinner.

   Included

   • Pick-up at King Shaka International Airport (DUR)
   • Howick Falls viewpoint
   • The Nelson Mandela Capture Site and its sculpture
   • Welcome briefing and welcome dinner

   Activity: Plan to land by about 1 pm. Short walks only today.

2. Day 2: The Midlands Meander and San rock art at Giant's Castle

   Nottingham Road to Giant's Castle, then the Champagne Valley

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Champagne Valley (central Drakensberg)
   Day 2 details

   The Midlands Meander is a loose trail of potters, weavers, cheese makers and farm kitchens spread over the hills, and we give it the cool of the morning: a working craft studio and a farm deli, with time to buy. Then we drive about an hour and three quarters west, the escarpment growing on the horizon, into Giant's Castle, part of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, listed by UNESCO in 2000 for its mountains and its rock art. After a sit-down lunch at the camp. Subject to the caves being open, a path of about 2 km each way (to be confirmed) follows the Bushman's River to the Main Caves, sandstone overhangs whose walls hold San paintings of eland, hunters and figures in motion, some of them centuries old. Visits to the Main Caves are guided only, at the park's set times, so the day's timing follows its schedule. Eland and bearded vultures live in the park, though sightings are never guaranteed. In the late afternoon we drive about an hour and a half north to the Champagne Valley, below Cathkin Peak, our base for two nights.

   Included

   • Craft studio and farm deli on the Midlands Meander
   • Giant's Castle, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, with park fees
   • Guided visit to the Main Caves San rock art, subject to the caves being open and the park's schedule and fees (unverified; a closure after a fire was reported in March 2025)
   • Sit-down lunch at Giant's Castle

   Free time: Evening free in the Champagne Valley

   Activity: About 4 km on foot to the Main Caves and back (to be confirmed), on a path with some gentle climbs, subject to the caves being open; schedule and fees are confirmed in the written quote.

3. Day 3: The Amphitheatre and the Tugela Gorge

   Champagne Valley to Royal Natal and the Tugela Gorge, and back

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Champagne Valley (central Drakensberg)
   Day 3 details

   We leave after breakfast, around 7:30 am, for the drive of about an hour and a quarter north through Bergville to Royal Natal, at the northern end of the park. The Amphitheatre is one of the Drakensberg's best-known sights: a basalt wall more than 5 km long between the Sentinel and the Eastern Buttress, with the Tugela River leaping off its rim after rain. The way to see it from below is the Tugela Gorge walk, about 14 km there and back on a made path through forest and along the river, ending near a short chain ladder and a view of the cascades. We start by about 9 am, ahead of the day walkers and the afternoon clouds of the warmer months, with a local guide, and eat a picnic lunch by the water. Your See Sight Tours guide leads a shorter walk for anyone who prefers it. We are back in the Champagne Valley by late afternoon, with the evening free.

   Included

   • Royal Natal, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, with park fees
   • Tugela Gorge walk below the Amphitheatre with a local guide
   • Picnic lunch by the river

   Easier option: Walk the first 3 to 4 km of the gorge path to the first views of the Amphitheatre with your See Sight Tours guide, then lunch by the river and a slow afternoon.

   More active option: At the end of the gorge, climb the short chain ladder near the end for the view of the cascades, where conditions allow.

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: The longest walk of the trip: about 14 km and 5 to 6 hours with stops, with river crossings on stepping stones. Bring boots or trail shoes, a rain jacket and a hat. Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms; lightning or high water can shorten or cancel the walk.

   

4. Day 4: Round the foothills to Underberg

   Champagne Valley to Winterton, Mooi River and Howick, then Underberg

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Underberg
   Day 4 details

   No road runs along the foot of the Drakensberg, so to reach the southern Berg we swing east and round: Winterton, the N3 past Estcourt and Mooi River, then Howick, then the quiet R617 through Boston and Bulwer to Underberg, about 245 km and three and three quarter hours of driving. The morning is slow, with time for a short walk in the Champagne Valley before we leave at about 10 am. Lunch is a sit-down stop in the Midlands, which breaks the drive in two. The second half climbs back into high, open country of farmland, with the escarpment rising ahead. We reach Underberg by mid-afternoon. The rest of the day is free: walk the village, or go up the road to Himeville and its small museum in the old fort. Before dinner, which is your choice in town, your guide briefs you on the Sani Pass and helps you pack a small bag for two nights in Lesotho.

   Included

   • Sit-down lunch in the Midlands
   • Briefing on the Sani Pass and Lesotho

   Optional experiences

   • Himeville Museum (entry fee paid locally, if open)

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Underberg

   Activity: Your main bag stays locked in our vehicle in Underberg from tomorrow until day 7.

5. Day 5: Up the Sani Pass into Lesotho

   Underberg to Himeville and the Sani Pass, then Sani Top in Lesotho

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Sani Top (Lesotho)
   Day 5 details

   After breakfast we swap our vehicle for a local 4x4 with an experienced driver for the pass. Past Himeville the road climbs a narrowing valley to the South African border post, where you get your exit stamp. Beyond it the Sani Pass climbs in tight hairpins up the face of the escarpment, rough and steep enough that only 4x4 vehicles may use it, with stops for photographs and for your driver to point out the peaks. At the top, about 2,876 m, is the Lesotho border post and a different world: treeless highland, stone huts, herders, often in blankets. Lunch is at the pub on the rim, which has long called itself the highest in Africa, with the pass below the window where the weather allows. Border posts keep set hours and the pass can close in snow or storms, so the day is timed to cross well inside daylight and can change. In the afternoon we walk out along the edge of the escarpment, then settle into a simple mountain lodge for two nights, with dinner together.

   Included

   • Sani Pass by 4x4 with a local driver
   • Border formalities at both posts
   • Lunch at the pub at the top of the pass
   • Afternoon walk on the escarpment edge
   • Dinner at the lodge

   Free time: Late afternoon free at the lodge

   Activity: Carry your passport (Lesotho asks Canadians for six months' validity beyond departure). Sani Top is about 2,870 m: walk slowly the first afternoon, drink water, and expect a cold night.

   

6. Day 6: Basotho villages and ponies

   Sani Top, with a village walk and a drive towards Black Mountain Pass

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Sani Top (Lesotho)
   Day 6 details

   Lesotho is a mountain kingdom, and up here people live by herding sheep, goats and cattle on grassland that is snow-covered in winter. After breakfast a local guide walks us to a nearby village of stone and thatch rondavels. You meet the families who live there, see how the Basotho blanket and the conical mokorotlo hat suit this climate. Then local handlers lead a Basotho pony ride of about an hour across the plateau at a walk, arranged with the village and confirmed in the written quote. After lunch at the lodge the 4x4s take us west on the road towards Mokhotlong and over Black Mountain Pass, above 3,200 m, for a long view across the Maloti highlands, weather permitting. Thabana Ntlenyana, at 3,482 m the highest peak in southern Africa, rises in the same Maloti range. The evening is at the lodge, with a sky full of stars when it is clear.

   Included

   • Basotho village visit with a local guide
   • Pony ride of about an hour with local handlers
   • Afternoon 4x4 drive over Black Mountain Pass
   • All meals at the lodge

   Easier option: Walk beside the ponies instead of riding, or stay at the lodge for the morning after the village visit.

   More active option: A longer guided walk along the escarpment edge, length to be confirmed at quoting.

   Free time: Evening free at the lodge

   Activity: Village walk 3 to 4 km at about 2,870 m. Riding rules and any weight limits are set by the handlers and confirmed in the written quote; Lesotho has no marked trails, so every walk is guided. Summer thunderstorms can end an outing early.

   

7. Day 7: Down the pass to the southern Berg

   Sani Top down the Sani Pass to Himeville and Underberg, then Bushman's Nek

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Bushman's Nek (southern Drakensberg)
   Day 7 details

   After breakfast we drive back down the Sani Pass, which looks quite different going down: the hairpins open up below you and the valley floor opens out below. Passports are stamped out of Lesotho at the top and back into South Africa at the bottom. In Himeville we say goodbye to the 4x4 drivers, find our own vehicle and bags, and sit down to lunch. Then it is about 40 km south past Underberg to Bushman's Nek, a quiet valley at the southern end of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park where the cliffs of the escarpment close in. On the far side of these cliffs lies Sehlabathebe National Park in Lesotho, added to the same World Heritage site in 2013; this trip does not go in. In the late afternoon a local guide walks us up the valley along the river. Dinner is together at the lodge.

   Included

   • Sani Pass descent by 4x4, timed for the border posts' hours
   • Sit-down lunch in Himeville
   • Guided late-afternoon walk in the Bushman's Nek valley, with park fees
   • Dinner at the lodge

   Easier option: Stay at the lodge and walk the riverbank at your own pace.

   Activity: Valley walk about 4 to 6 km on a footpath, with some uneven ground.

8. Day 8: Back to the coast

   Bushman's Nek to Underberg and the Midlands, then King Shaka International Airport

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   Day 8 details

   The early morning is yours: walk out along the river as the first sun hits the cliffs, or take a slow breakfast with the mountains in view. We leave at about 9:30 am for the longest road day, about 295 km and four hours of driving back to the coast: through Underberg and the farmland of the southern foothills on the R617, down to Howick, then the N3 past Pietermaritzburg and round Durban to King Shaka International Airport. A sit-down lunch in the Midlands breaks the drive in two, so neither half is more than about two and a half hours. We reach the airport around 3 to 3:30 pm, and your guide sees you to the terminal. If you are joining our Kruger to the KwaZulu-Natal coast trip, or staying on in Durban, we drop you in the city instead.

   Included

   • Sit-down lunch in the Midlands
   • Drop-off at King Shaka International Airport (DUR) or a Durban hotel

   Free time: Early morning free at Bushman's Nek

   Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 5:30 pm.

Wildlife and weather: March to May and September to November are the planned months, with cooler nights. Snow can close the pass in any month, though winter closures are most common. In June to August snow and ice can close the Sani Pass; December to February brings afternoon thunderstorms and mist on the escarpment, so walks start early and can be cut short. Weather is never guaranteed.

• Nottingham Road (Midlands)1 night
• Champagne Valley (central Drakensberg)2 nights
• Underberg1 night
• Sani Top (Lesotho)2 nights
• Bushman's Nek (southern Drakensberg)1 night