The Southern Drakensberg

The southern Drakensberg lies a bit off the beaten tourist track and is not very well known. Here the nature lover finds alpine landscapes of dramatic beauty.

Trout anglers consider the "Southern Drakensberg" to be a favorite, since the region has an abundance of crystal clear lakes and rivers. There are several nature reserves, of which particularly the Kamberg and the Loteni are worth a visit. In both reserves live the almost extinct reedbuck, blessbuck, eland, bushbuck und oribi. A wonderful circular trail leads through the Loteni Reserve.

The tourist highlight of the southern Drakensberg is the Sani Pass. It's the highest pass-road in South Africa and leads all along the upper Mkomazana River up to the border with Lesotho (2874 metres above sea-level).One frequently comes across people from Lesotho on their donkeys. At the river one can find many an idyllic picnic spot. Particularly the last part of the untarred stretch (behind the South African border post) is extremely steep and rocky and can only be managed with a four-wheel drive vehicle. But the breathtaking view of the rugged alpine landscape is a memorable reward. It is highly recommended to cross the border, because on the Lesotho side there is a little restaurant and a Basotho village. The border is open daily between 8.00 am and 4.00 pm.

Trout Dam in the Southern Drakensberg Provision centres for the southern part of the Drakensberg are the towns of Underberg, Himeville and Bulwer, where there is accommodation in different price ranges available. Himeville has an excellent museum which gives mainly information about the first white settlers who came here in the 1890s already. One gets to the Southern Drakesberg either by travelling the R103 (Midlands Meander) via Nottingham Road (from there the Sani Pass is sign-posted) or over the southern access via Bulwer (easier drive, but less scenic).