Giants Castle Slackpacking Trail

Giants Castle Slackpacking Trail

A 3 night luxury trail through the foothills of the Giants Castle Valley and Zulu Waters Private Game Reserve. Accommodation is in lodges, your luggage is transported and its fully catered.

Day 1:Antbear Lodge is about sustainability. Here you will even find homemade cheese from their own milk. Hiking starts heading up to the top of the mountain with spectacular views looking out over the Drakensberg Mountains towards Giants Castle.

Day 2: Leopards Lair is full of family atmosphere offering a real agri-tourism experience. Your walk from here starts off easy and then drops back down into the Mbogta Valley after which you enter the Zulu Waters Game Reserve

Day 3 Shaka Lodge offers the lapse of luxury including your own private chef. Almost your whole day will be hiking inside the reserve where you might see rhino, buffalo and so much more.

Other addon activities include the Giants Castle vulture hide, a star gazing hammock camp, horse trails, abseiling and game drives

Qambathi Mountain Lodge

Nadia and Stephen are excited to welcome you to Qambathi

We are a owner run adult only boutique lodge and nature reserve nestled in the heart of Kamberg Valley, part of the beautiful Midlands Meander.

Qambathi has a magical atmosphere and it is a truly romantic setting surrounded by Drakensberg mountains and valleys.  Excellent service supports the superb cuisine and is sure to turn any day into a fairytale experience. Great care has been taken to create unique and inspiring luxury accommodation, where you can sink into total comfort of meticulously designed rooms defined by a blend of nature’s colours and contemporary use of natural materials with luscious textures.

Enjoy the Qambathi forest trail taking you deep into one of the last remaining indigenous forests in the Kamberg valley or a casual walk on the existing game trails to enjoy the beautiful views where zebra and  blesbok keep you company.

Qambathi can accommodate up to 10 guests, and is perfect for a small groups such as family reunions, company retreats, or just  friends getting together. Please contact us to book Qambathi exclusively.

Cathedral Peak Hotel

Cathedral Peak Hotel

Nestled in a tranquil and secluded valley in the heart of the Drakensberg lies Cathedral Peak Hotel, providing premier accommodation and entertainment surrounded by the magnificent peaks of some of the World Heritage Site’s most impressive and iconic mountains.

When Albert van der Riet first laid eyes on this valley in the early 1900s, he had a vision of a secluded hotel that would be closer to the mountains than any other hotel at the time. For the past 80 years, the van der Riet family have been offering the ultimate Drakensberg experience and it’s a privilege to look back on this unbroken history.

Guests are accommodated in 104 spacious and well-appointed rooms, ranging from standard, family and superior rooms to Executive/ Honeymoon Suites and the private Presidential Suite, providing the ultimate in luxury for up to 254 guests.

With a staggering array of facilities, activities and adventures on your doorstep, you’ll never want for entertainment at Cathedral Peak Hotel. Unrivalled access to the Drakensberg mountains sees 18 stunning walks and hikes leaving from the hotel, ranging from gentle riverside strolls to scaling the summit of the Cathedral Peak itself. Those looking for more speed will revel in mountain bike trails, jogging routes, horse rides, quad biking and a helicopter for nearby sightseeing flights.

The whole family can enjoy sport in the sun on the hotel grounds, with on-site facilities including tennis, beach volleyball and badminton courts, bowling green, children’s playground, mini golf course, a climbing tower and both heated and cool swimming pools.

The crowning jewel is the hotel’s very own 9-hole golf course, with alternate tees for an 18-hole game, ranging a glorious 5542m through the valley and ending at a beautiful clubhouse with panoramic mountain views.

For those looking for indoor entertainment one will not be disappointed. Wet weather days are taken care of with a games room, table tennis, squash, a fully-equipped gym, and if you’re seeking inner peace, look no further than a pamper session from professional therapists at the hotel’s Wellness Centre.

A team of top-class chefs ensure a delicious array of culinary delights, with extensive buffets at breakfast, lunch and dinner. And once the day is done, guests can relax and reminisce at Albert’s Cocktail Bar, or keep the party going long into the night in Harry’s Bar with pool table, dart board and big screen TV’s.

For idyllic mountain weddings, our charming 120-seater stone-and-thatch chapel is set in beautiful natural gardens, and has an expansive window behind the pulpit boasting breath-taking views of some of the Drakensberg’s most magnificent mountains. Revel in stunning views as you say your vows and begin your new life together with an unforgettable wedding.

Year-end functions, team-building adventures and professional conferences are all catered to with comprehensive equipment, unforgettable experiences and a stunning environment that will leave your attendees feeling energised and excited.

Whether you’re looking for a family get-away, a romantic wedding or honeymoon, or a motivating conference, our dedicated team look forward to welcoming you to the ultimate Drakensberg experience.

Qambathi Mountain Lodge

Qambathi Mountain Lodge

Luxury Accommodation

3 Superior Suites have private covered decks with hanging chairs from where you can enjoy the surroundings and views of the mountain
2 Luxury Suites are situated in the main building and are equally equipped and offer easy access to the dining and entertainment areas.

All rooms are non-smoking and have under floor heating, hairdryers, lodge stationery, a room safe, separate bath and shower with bath consumables and tea/coffee making facilities.

Our Services Include

The Chill Lounge and Pool Deck area offer panoramic views of the gardens and Kamberg mountain, ideal to enjoy a late afternoon sundowner or to simply relax in the sun in one of the amazing hanging chairs or loungers.

At night a Boma fire creates the perfect setting for star gazing. A well stocked wine cellar is on offer next to the dining and library area.

Own transport is recommended although transfers from anywhere in the country can be arranged.

Self-catering unit

Our self-catering unit offer sleeping for four persons in two rooms. It is situated close to the lodge yet private. Meals can be booked at the lodge. View on gallery page.

The Kamberg Mountain Reserve & Kamberg Rock and Art Centre is only a short distance away with the Midlands Meander only a few km down the road.

Enjoy wine tasting, cheese making, candle dipping and many more sight-seeing adventure tours available to visitors in the area. Whether you are looking for a wedding/honeymoon destination, luxury retreat or adventure, Qambathi Mountain Reserve offers tourists to KwaZulu Natal a holiday to remember. Sink into total comfort of the meticulously designed rooms defined by a blend of natural colours and contemporary use of natural materials with luscious textures. Local and renowned S.A artists such as Bron Stofberg, Hillary Grant Curry, Clive Hatton  and Franco Esposito to name a few.. have been commissioned to complete this stylish getaway.

Set in a wildlife reserve against the backdrop of the majestic Drakensberg Mountains, Qambathi Mountain Lodge is not just a beautiful and unique honeymoon destination, but also offers fabulous wedding venue options. The boutique barn with its large fireplace, boma and stunning mountain views is perfect for summer and winter weddings. Another option is a forest wedding on the pretty timber deck tucked into the indigenous forest with a little river running through it, and then there is the main lodge, which has a gorgeous chill deck overlooking the gardens. Qambathi Mountain Lodge also offers you the opportunity to tailor make your wedding to include a special weekend of bush dinners, picnics, game drives in the mountains, fly fishing, hiking, horse riding and golf.

A maximum of 80 guests can be accommodated in the venue. An old sandstone church is situated less than 10 minutes from the lodge or the gardens offer many options for the ceremony. The entire lodge form part of our wedding packages, with fully catered or own caterer options.

 

Antbear Eco Lodge

Antbear Eco Lodge

The Antbear Lodge is situated in the Drakensberg Mountains and is a perfect base to explore the very best of what this region offers. The Drakensberg Mountains are renowned for their dramatic natural beauty spectacular mountain scapes, waterfalls and sunsets. And don’t forget about the bushman rock art paintings made by the San people over a period of 4000 years. Come and be inspired by their history and spirituality.

Essentially we are an accommodation provider offering 15 individually styled units as either en-suite doubles, family units or luxury suites. Our most unique accommodation is our luxury cave which blends into its environment to create an atmosphere of privacy and seclusion. Glass doors open onto a wooden deck with hammock chairs with an uninterrupted panoramic view of the Drakensberg Mountains. You could even consider a romantic private dining experience on the deck of your cave under the stars.

The natural setting is stunning and we have managed to make the accommodation fit in with ease. Each of the units are different and are separate from each other creating a feeling of generosity. The rooms are smartly appointed and individually designed for comfort. And have the features like fireplaces and jacuzzi spa baths. We have put a huge amount of effort into making our own wooden furniture which includes tables, chairs, headboards, windows, doors and light fittings. In fact you will discover unique and eccentric wooden furniture everywhere in the lodge. Artistic design is captured through wooden hinges, engraved glass and mosaics. If you feel like seeing how we make our furniture feel free to put your nose into our workshop.

We are one of those places where everyone dines together. It makes for great conversation is and is a perfect opportunity to plan your next day. We use our own organic vegetable garden. We have our own chickens for eggs, cows for milk, make own cheese, butter and yogurt and bake our own bread. Sustainability is a huge part of the ethos of our lodge.

 

We have used alternative materials like straw bales to build the place and use solar for heating water and a reed bed filter cleaning waste water.

There is plenty to do here besides relaxing. I have a pilots license and a microlight at the lodge. If the weather is good I love to take guests with me. To glide together with the vultures or fly along the Drakensberg escarpment is often considered as the highlight of a tour. We practice the softer horse whispering techniques to train our horses and offer out rides that are particularly suited to beginners and first timers.  There are hiking trails to fit every level of fitness, even guided. The vulture hides at Giants Castle are perhaps the best options available anywhere to see and photograph these birds. Or add a bit of adrenalin with a canopy tour. Visit the Nelson Mandela Capture site while you explore our local arts and craft route with cheese tastings, chocolate dipping and meeting some of the artists themselves.

So if your looking for a place where art, beauty and time away are important then Antbear Lodge is worth a second look. We invite you to came and share some of our dream, some of our alternative, sustainable and relaxed way of life. We look forward to welcoming you.