Private Drakensberg Hikes
Our private Drakensberg hikes are perfect for people who want to choose their own dates, bring their own crew and know exactly who to blame when the snoring starts.
We schedule our public hikes a year in advance but we understand that organising your friends sometimes requires six WhatsApp polls and a minor diplomatic intervention. Tell us your preferred dates and we’ll help you plan an adventure, whether it’s a couples’ escape, a family outing or a group of friends who probably shouldn’t be left unsupervised.
Most of our private hikes have a minimum charge equivalent to four people. Whether you’re booking for one, two, three or four hikers, the total price is the same. From the fifth person onwards, each additional hiker pays the normal per-person rate for that hike. Bringing a few friends therefore helps spread the cost and gives you more people to blame for suggesting the uphill bits.
Browse our private Drakensberg hikes below for routes, prices, minimum charges and what’s included. You bring the company. We’ll bring the mountain experience, the logistics and a collection of dad jokes that no amount of altitude will improve.
Tugela Falls is one of our most popular private Drakensberg hikes, this overnight adventure combines spectacular Amphitheatre scenery, the famous chain ladders and a night camping on top of the escarpment. Think big mountain views, hot drinks at camp and a sunrise worth temporarily forgiving us for waking you up.
Bring your own crew and enjoy two days in the mountains, a considerably better weekend plan than finally sorting out the garage.
Duration: 2 days / 1 night
Private hike price: R12,400 total for a group of 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R3,100 per person from the fifth person onwards
What’s included:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinner, lunch, breakfast and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of hiking equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Safety equipment for the chain ladders.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
- Return 4×4 shuttle between Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge and Sentinel Car Park because your hatchback deserves to survive the weekend too.
If one night in the mountains feels like leaving a good party before the food arrives, our Tugela Falls 3-Day Hike gives you a little longer to enjoy the Amphitheatre.
With two nights camping on the escarpment, there’s more time to explore, take in the scenery and develop an unreasonable attachment to your morning coffee spot. It’s one of our private Drakensberg hikes for those who want to make a proper mountain escape of it. Your inbox can survive another day without you. Probably.
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Private hike price: R18,400 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R4,600 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Safety equipment for the chain ladders.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
- Return 4×4 shuttle between Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge and Sentinel Car Park.
Mountain passes, deep valleys, rivers and caves, the Mnweni Circuit is a hiker’s dream. It packs a remarkable variety of scenery into three days, along with a few uphill sections your legs may wish to discuss with management.
This is one of our private Drakensberg hikes for people who enjoy getting properly immersed in the mountains. Bring your favourite hiking companions, a healthy sense of adventure and enough space on your phone for approximately 600 photographs of the same magnificent valley.
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Private hike price: R15,400 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R3,850 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
- Shuttle from Mnweni Cultural Centre to the trailhead.
All the spectacular passes, valleys, rivers and caves of our three-day Mnweni Circuit, with an extra day and slightly more considerate treatment of your legs.
We tackle the circuit in reverse and spread the adventure over four days, making it an easier-paced option with more time to explore around camp. There’s room to appreciate the scenery, enjoy another coffee and briefly consider whether living in a mountain cave would solve most of your problems.
This is one of our private Drakensberg hikes for those who want a proper mountain adventure with more time to enjoy the places they’ve worked hard to reach.
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Private hike price: R20,000 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R5,000 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
- Shuttle from Mnweni Cultural Centre to the trailhead.
For those who enjoy looking at a mountain and saying, “Right, let’s stand on that,” Cathedral Peak offers the chance to reach a spectacular Drakensberg summit.
This is one of our more demanding private Drakensberg hikes, packing a challenging mountain adventure into two days. Good fitness and a head for heights are essential, with steep hiking and exposed scrambling on the summit route. Expect impressive views, a proper sense of achievement and a slightly complicated relationship with stairs on Monday morning.
Duration: 2 days / 1 night
Private hike price: R11,600 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R2,900 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinner, lunch, breakfast and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Safety equipment for the scrambling sections.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
Cathedral Peak, with a little more breathing room in the itinerary. Our three-day option offers a more relaxed version of the two-day hike, giving you extra time to enjoy the mountains and take photographs that will eventually become your entire personality.
This is one of our private Drakensberg hikes for those who want a summit adventure at a more manageable overall pace. The second day is still a substantial summit day, so good fitness and a head for heights remain essential. You’ll tackle the same scrambling sections, with more time across the trip to appreciate the scenery you’ve worked hard to reach.
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Private hike price: R15,400 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R3,850 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Safety equipment for the scrambling sections.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
One of our favourite hikes to guide, the Northern Traverse covers approximately 70km over six days, taking you across the spectacular northern Drakensberg. In our admittedly biased opinion, it’s one of the most scenic mountain journeys you could choose.
This is one of our private Drakensberg hikes for those who want to properly switch off and settle into mountain life. Expect vast landscapes, memorable campsites and a daily debate about whether today’s view has somehow beaten yesterday’s. By day three, your biggest administrative responsibility will be remembering where you put your mug.
Duration: 6 days / 5 nights
Distance: Approximately 70km
Private hike price: R50,000 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R12,500 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Return transfers from Johannesburg.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Safety equipment for the chain ladders.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
- 4×4 shuttle from Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge to Sentinel Car Park.
- Porters to carry the tents.
The Grand Traverse is a serious mountain undertaking: a demanding thru-hike across rugged terrain, with challenging weather and long days that test both your fitness and determination.
One of our most demanding private Drakensberg hikes, this adventure is suited to experienced, well-prepared hikers with excellent fitness. Expect extraordinary scenery, a substantial sense of achievement and several conversations afterwards explaining that, yes, this was voluntarily booked as a holiday.
We organise the logistics, equipment, meals and support so you can concentrate on the considerable business of putting one foot in front of the other.
Private hike price: R136,000 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R34,000 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Return transfers from Johannesburg.
- Two nights’ accommodation at a four-star mountain lodge.
- All meals during the lodge stays.
- Porters to carry tents and food.
- A resupply on day six of the trip.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
An epic four-day circular route through the northern Drakensberg, the Bell Traverse delivers dramatic mountain scenery and the kind of views that make you stop mid-sentence. Conveniently, these stops also give your legs a breather. We won’t tell anyone.
One of our more adventurous private Drakensberg hikes, this route is best suited to fit hikers with a good head for heights, as it includes exposed sections and scrambling. Bring your favourite hiking companions and prepare for four days of mountain adventure that will feature in your conversations for a mildly unreasonable length of time.
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Private hike price: R20,000 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R5,000 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
A remote valley, a climbers’ hut and two days away from the usual noise. This mostly circular hike covers approximately 14km, with easy-to-moderate walking and a night spent tucked away in the mountains.
One of our shorter private Drakensberg hikes, it’s a lovely option for a weekend of fresh air, mountain scenery and good company. After a day on the trail, settle into the hut for dinner and an evening in the valley. The dress code is whatever survived the day’s hike.
Duration: 2 days / 1 night
Distance: Approximately 14km
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Private hike price: R11,600 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R2,900 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinner, lunch, breakfast and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
Five days, three major summits and a fairly thorough investigation into what your legs are made of. This challenging adventure takes on Mafadi, Injisuthi Dome and Champagne Castle—the three highest peaks in South Africa.
One of our more demanding private Drakensberg hikes, this trip is suited to fit hikers who enjoy big mountain days and a substantial challenge. Expect spectacular scenery, hard-earned summits and a sense of achievement that will last considerably longer than your willingness to walk anywhere afterwards.
Duration: 5 days / 4 nights
Difficulty: Challenging
Private hike price: R26,000 total for 1–4 people
Additional hikers: R6,500 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
This challenging four-day circular route takes you through Tseketseke Pass and Organ Pipes, with a stopover at the spectacular Roland’s Cave along the way.
One of our private Drakensberg hikes for fit hikers who enjoy a proper mountain challenge, this circuit combines demanding hiking with memorable scenery. Organ Pipes provides the dramatic backdrop; your uphill breathing provides the soundtrack. Musical ability is entirely optional.
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Difficulty: Challenging
Private hike price: R20,000 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R5,000 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
Four days in the mountains with one very satisfying goal: reaching the summit of Mafadi, South Africa’s highest peak. Expect spectacular scenery, a proper mountain challenge and a summit photograph you’ll casually bring up at every braai for the foreseeable future.
This is one of our private Drakensberg hikes for fit hikers who enjoy working towards a big objective. Bring your determination, your favourite hiking companions and a willingness to accept that the best views occasionally require some fairly strong language on the way up.
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Private hike price: R20,000 total for 1-4 people
Additional hikers: R5,000 per person from the fifth person onwards
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinners, lunches, breakfasts and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
Roland’s Cave takes “a room with a view” to a fairly ridiculous level. This challenging two-day hike is designed for advanced hikers looking to spend a night in one of the Drakensberg’s most spectacular caves. The décor is mostly rock. The view does all the heavy lifting.
One of our more demanding short private Drakensberg hikes, this adventure calls for good fitness and mountain hiking experience. The reward is an overnight spot that makes getting out of your sleeping bag surprisingly appealing.
Duration: 2 days / 1 night
Difficulty: Challenging — suitable for advanced hikers
Private hike price: R11,600 total for 1–4 people
Additional hikers: R2,900 per person from the fifth person onwards, subject to cave capacity
The price includes:
- A qualified mountain guide.
- Dinner, lunch, breakfast and hot drinks during the hike.
- Use of equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, backpacks and eating utensils.
- Access to satellite communications for emergency use.
- Hiking permits.
How to Book Your Private Hike
Booking your adventure should take less effort than climbing the first hill. Here’s how it works:
- Tell us your plans.
Complete the enquiry form below with your preferred hike, dates and group size. If you’re still deciding which route suits your crew, tell us about your hiking experience and we’ll help you choose. - We’ll check availability and confirm the price.
We’ll check guide availability for your dates and confirm the total cost, inclusions and any optional extras you’ve requested. You’ll receive the booking details and payment instructions before committing. - Secure your booking.
Pay the required deposit or full payment where applicable as outlined in your booking details. Once we’ve received the required payment, we’ll issue your written booking confirmation and send you the next steps to prepare for your adventure.
Please read our payment and cancellation terms before confirming your booking.
Complete the enquiry form below, and let’s get your mountain plans into the diary.
