Namahadi Peak

I'm actively investigating the possibility of hiking Namahadi Peak ( Free State 3275m) on Dec 27 + 28th. This will involve me driving up from Knysna the day before. In view of the issues in the area I am interested to know if anyone else on this forum would be interested in joining me ( safety in numbers etc ? ) I am open to advice but it looks like a night on the mountain will be necessary. Any comments or advice would be appreciated.

Although the maps still show the height of Namahadi to be 3275 m, a hiking party including land surveyor Herko Landgrebe determined the official height of Namahadi to be 3291 m in 2002.

It is quite puzzling that this has not been more widely publicised and that in most literature the height of the highest point in the Free State is incorrect.

So enjoy that extra 16 m ascent.

It is also noteworthy that, at 3275m, it would not be the highest point in the Free State as the Government Survey Maps show Mont-Aux-Sources (3282m) as being on the border of the Free State. The Geoseries Maps show the Free State border as being further across, and not on top of Mont-Aux-Sources. Nonetheless, the debate is irrelevant as Namahadi has subsequently been surveyed as a higher summit, as Tony said.

If Mont-Aux-Sources was higher, and the summit cairn was not defined as the border between KZN and the Free State, as it is on the survey maps, the highest point in the Free State would possibly be some arbitrary point on the side of the ridge, much like it is for North West and some countries like Monaco.

Every time I have stood on top of Namahadi, my GPS has had a height between 3298m and 3305m.

It looks like we have managed to find a guide to accompany us - he mentioned the possibility of overnighting in a hut on top but I didnt get the name of this hut - would anyone have any idea which hut this might be ?

That would be this hut:


It is not even 6km from the start - it would kind of defeat the point of not doing it as a day hike. It is also straight in the middle of the "hot zone" - so I would really not suggest staying there.

I know of 2 caves near the peak, both are pretty poor - one is well sheltered with a heavily sloping floor, and the other is very narrow with a high roof - so tents would be better.

Thanks - does that hut have any name or do you have any coords so I can locate it on my maps ?

Amphitheatre Hut - it is about 1km upstream of Tugela Falls, about 500m south of where you cross the Tugela above the Chain Ladders. Distances are not exact, rough estimates.

The hut is in a really bad state and can't be booked. The cave above Eland River Falls would be a more logical overnight spot - even though I would not recommend that cave in summer due to security (it is visible from the top of the chain ladders).

Hi All

Planning a trip to bag Namahadi over the FreedomDay/Workers Day Weekend at the end of the month. I have a few questions i hope someone has some insight for:

Which peak is it exactly? I have seen different places list it as either the red circle shown earlier in this thread, or as the one i show here in green (for example, the co-ordinates for the 9 peaks rules challenge list it there). may end up just summiting both just in case though