The Rainbow Gorge Trail is another hike that showcases the Drakensberg Mountain Range and Cathedral Peak. CATHEDRAL PEAK 3005m GUIDED OVERNIGHT HIKE Fit hikers will enjoy this guided Drakensberg hike. Snacks, personal medicine and water purifying tablets Up in the mountains, there are several caves to sleep in, but not much flat ground for pitching a tent. The peak can be climbed in a day from the hotel by following the lower section of the Bell Traverse to a little gully between Cathedral Peak and a gendarme, and then branching off the traverse route to ascend a few slopes and rock bands to the summit of the peak itself. The hike starts in the beautiful Mhlambonja wildernesss area climbing over 1500m to the summit. May 31, 2019 | Hiking. It is part of the Cathedral Ridge which is at right angles to the main range. Hike Distance: 7 miles (11.2 km) round trip to Upper or Lower Cathedral Lakes; 8 miles (12.8 km) round trip to see both Hiking Time: 3 - 5 hours Trailhead Elevation: 8,500 feet (2,590 meters) Lower Cathedral Lake Elevation: 9,290 feet (2,830 meters) Standing at the end of the Cathedral Range, which runs perpendicular to the main escarpment, it can be climbed as a day hike. Hiking ideas for a list of hikes by region in the Drakensberg. The view from the peak is absolutely fantastic, and also atypical in that one can look across at the escarpment from a relatively high altitude. What an awesome hike. Surrounded by wilderness areas, Cathedral Peak is the ideal place for unwinding in superb nature. Follow this road through Bethlehem to Harrismith. Cathedral Peak is a free standing summit that soars 3005 metres above sea level. For example, the An Adventure not to be missed! The hike felt harder than it really was. 36 guests. Kliktrak, Hobbit and I will be doing Cathedral Peak as a day hike tomorrow. Our tours begin and end in Johannesburg (self-drive options also available), After breakfast, we set off for a pretty challenging and long day to the summit of. All Drakensberg National Park gate fees, camping fees and climbing permits. The mountain is also known as Mponjwana (Little Horn) by the local Amangwane people. Peaks in the Cathedral Peak area. Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. --Albert Schweitzer, Routes There are different opinions as to what is the best climbing season. Cathedral Peak Hike An extreme 6 to 7 hrs hike - 10km. After about an hour of climbing, we reach the summit!!! WALKS & HIKES. Usually, we camp at Didima the night before so we can get an early start hiking up the mountain. Cathedral Peak is an area of the Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal to the northeast of Lesotho. The views on this hike are some of the best I have ever seen. We finish at the Cathedral Peak hotel and that is the end of the memorable Sentinel to Cathedral Northern Drakensberg traverse hike. Personal hiking/trekking gear – you can rent some of the gear from us once in South Africa Continue through Bergville, and about 2km out of the town take the secondary road to the right, to Cathedral Peak. It is one point where one can get a bird’s eye-view of the Mnweni area. Also known as the Mini Traverse the hike starts at the Amphitheatre and finishes at Cathedral Peak. 3 days/2 nights. The most accessible route to the summit involves some rock scrambling and is a little bit exposed in places. My favourite hike of all time? At Sentinel there is cheap accommodation, R15 per person per night. It really challenged us and I speak for both my sisters and myself when I say that we all conquered things that we never imagined ourselves doing! Cathedral Peak Hotel, Winterton Picture: Cathedral Peak Hotel guided hike - Check out Tripadvisor members' 5,660 candid photos and videos of Cathedral Peak Hotel We aim to be back by 17H30. Due to the rise of over 2000m into a flat plateau of the escarpment. I persevered. A special thanks to our awesome guide Darren for keeping us entertained and motivated the whole time! From here you will get a panoramic view of the entire Northern and Central Drakensberg. Short and steep best describes the 2km hike to Mushroom Rock from the Cathedral Peak Hotel, while the two six-hour hikes – Ganabu Ridge to Baboon Rock and Mlambonja Pass to Twins Cave – require a lot more stamina. How fit do must I be to Hike with Drakensberg Hiker, and how long are your hikes? Thanks Darren. This peak is set high up between Ntonjelana Pass and Mlambonja Pass. Hi Am interested in joining you for the upcoming 3days hike on the 28 April please provide me with all the registration requirements, I’d love to join you on the upcoming 2days hike on the 19th April. The route follows a good path to the foot of the main peak, then ascends the final few hundred meters to the summit, via a short scramble section where clients are roped up. A popular multiday hike runs from Sentinel to Cathedral Peak. You should find signs directing you to Cathedral from either of the towns mentioned.From the Cathedral Peak hotel and campsites, you take the path marked Cathedral Peak. This hike was very special for me because it was the first one my 2 sisters and I did together and I couldn’t have chosen anything better for the 3 of us to bond over. We leave the car park below Cathedral Peak Hotel and pop in for tea at Doreen falls. added some much needed humour after a strenuous day of hiking. Our visit to the Drakensberg started with a hike to Orange Peel Gap, in the shadow of Cathedral Peak. Useful for planning your very own hike. When doing this one pays R75 for the whole route, leaving Sentinel and ending at Cathedral. The Drakensberg mountain range in South Africa is hikers paradise!! Explore the best Drakensberg on the Ribbon Falls Hike. Cathedral Peak lies in the Mlambonja and Mdodelelo Wilderness areas. After about 30 minutes on the peak, we begin our descent via the same route. The Although there’s a fairly clear path, you need a head for heights and a good level of fitness to summit this iconic Drakensberg peak, as the scramble up the final section is tricky and exposed. We either sleep in a cave or in tents high on the mountain. There is a very pleasant camp site near the Cathedral Peak hotel, which costs R45 per person per night. And it is no wonder!! We will stop en route for breakfast. Follow this for 9km then turn left onto the R74 to Bergville. We did one hiking tour in the central Drakensberg and on in Royal Natal. Snow is common in winter and can make sections of the Bell Traverse very tricky and potentially dangerous. After lunch the climb continues. In summer the days are long and hot, the sun rises very early, but thunder storms and rain regularly occur in the afternoons. I will definitely recommend this hike to any adventure seekers and I know we will definitely be planning another hike with Darren and South Africa Adventures in the near future. Cathedral Peak Hike at its best! Elev gain: 320m / 1049ft. Day hiking trails in the Central Drakensberg: Hiking trails at Cathedral Peak. The Sentinel to Cathedral Peak Northern Drakensberg Traverse hike is reported by National Geographic to be one of the top 10 hikes in the world. Thank you so much for a excellent trip, great service, food and good company. Time: 3 hours on average . By the end, I am tired and dehydrated. It's unlikely that anyone will check though.Always sign the mountain register and fill in the info requested, since this will be used for a potential rescue. The campsite is not near to the C.P. Elevation Loss: 1,967mm / 6,453 ft. Our scheduled tours leave from Johannesburg at 05H30. Aleit's Shelter is located in the Cathedral Peak area. It is also fast becoming one of the top hiking destinations in the world. The trek takes about 2 hours. There are a couple of caves near the beginning of the route from the hotel, but there's not really much point sleeping here since you're so close to the official campsites anyway. What you need to know about a 3 day Drakensberg Hike The pick-up location for the tour? Surrounded by wilderness areas, Cathedral Peak is the ideal place for unwinding in superb nature. The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in South Africa and is a vast area of rugged mountains that are a hiking paradise. Traverse across this slab to the left, then continue along the path, zig-zagging up the face and up a few similar basalt slabs. There is secure parking with security so don’t worry about your car. For the more adventurous and if you have the energy left, the guide will set up an abseiling (rappelling) section which you can indulge in. It is also fast becoming one of the top hiking destinations in the world. Cathedral Peak (3005 m) is a strenuous but popular Drakensberg hike. And maybe a dash of whisky for medicinal purposes. 18 stunning hikes and walks leave right from our doorstep, ranging from gentle strolls down the riverside to scaling the summit of Cathedral Peak itself. Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. Related objects are relevant to each other in some way, but they don't form a parent/child relationship. Lightning strike is a risk in summer. I will definitely be back to complete the hike to the peak and I will be training harder as I now know how fit I need to be. Distance: About 14km, 9 miles, End: Cathedral Peak Hotel 1450m / 4,757 ft. This 3-day hike must rank high among the best hikes in the world. Cathedral Peak is situated in the Central Drakensberg. Looking at starting then hike by 13H30. You might as well just fill up at the bottom and carry your water for the day. Cathedral Peak summit/Sherman’s Cave 3005m / 9,950 ft. Didima Camp is situated next to the upper Thukela area in the north and east, Lesotho in the west and Monk's Cowl in the south, this part of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park is 32 000 hectares in size. I went on the 3 day hike to prepare for Kilimanjaro. Cathedral Peak is part of the Cathedral Ridge which is at right angles to the main range. This is known as one of the most beautiful trails on Cathedral Peak, as it boasts stunning views and magnificent vegetation. Also, there is a good set of maps coverning the whole Drakensberg, which can usually be found at hiking/climbing/outdoor stores in this part of the country. The Blindman’s Corner hike via the Sphinx is an excellent day hike which takes 4-hours return. There is practically no water to be found on the Bell Traverse, so if you climb the peak from the escarpment you will need to fill up water at the Kwakwatsi river on the escarpment behind Mlambonja Pass, and carry this for the traverse. Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children. Distance: About 4 km, 2.5 miles. Dinner is served at about 19H00. Peaks, passes, huts, caves and bushman paintings - find a cave, peak that you may be interested in. After watching a beautiful African sunrise from the cave, we have breakfast and start our hike back down to the start of the hike. We were in the Drakensberg area " Monks Cowl" in January 2013. Once we get down we have a celebratory beer on the terrace of the hotel before making our way back to Johannesburg. This is actually about as tricky as the route gets, and if you follow the correct path the other scrambles will take you across and up sloping slabs, up a chain ladder, and then up the high slopes before a last brief scramble onto the summit. I have the MCSA RD, Dave Bristow's RD from his book as well as Dave Gay and Gavin R's RD diagrams. A long arduous hike requiring a high level of fitness. In summer there is a better chance of the scramble sections being wet, so take this into account. I had so much fun on this epic adventure! Experience the wild, crazy, beautiful odyssey of a guided trek into the Drakensberg Cathedral Peak Mountains. (3), Comments We get to watch the sun rise behind the Mnweni needles and Cathedral peak on the Drakensberg Northern Traverse Drakensberg Hiker offers a variety of different guided hikes for people of all levels of fitness and hiking ability, we grade our hikes on 5 levels: Porters ( can be hired on a daily basis for an additional fee) It was truly an amazing adventure and I loved every minute of it, even falling in the river. The Traverse starts from the top of Mlambonja Pass, a wide grassy gully which summits on the escarpment, and runs along the sides of the peaks before descending to the Cathedral Peak Hotel. The route soon heads left toward where the gendarme stands below you, ascending a short, steep little gully and then a chainladder. The Basotho are generally not a concern once you're on the Cathedral range, away from the escarpment. Water for washing up daily We. Sat Jan 16, 2021 UTC+02 at Injisuthi. Click here for the Google Maps Directions Why we can’t pick you up from you home? Items of a personal nature 133 guests. Short and steep best describes the 2km hike to Mushroom Rock from the Cathedral Peak Hotel, while the two six-hour hikes – Ganabu Ridge to Baboon Rock and Mlambonja Pass to Twins Cave – require a lot more stamina. 43 guests. By the end, I am tired and dehydrated. The mountain is also known as Mponjwana (Little Horn) by the local Amangwane people. The hike starts in the beautiful Mhlambonja wildernesss area climbing over 1500m to the summit. As one of the few free-standing peaks in the area, it’s something of an iconic symbol of the region. (24), Climber's Log Entries The slopes of the Mhlonhlo River charm with his knowledge and experience in the mountains in KwaZulu-Natal to the,... The Basotho are freindly if you started somewhere other than where you take the secondary to. Very important, so remember to sign out when you leave, if. 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