General ideas for Berg hikes

Hello Guys,

I am looking at getting engaged on a hike in the drakensberg, therefore I am looking for an awesome setting. I also would like to stay one night in a cave, any routes or suggestions?

I got engaged in Sleeping Beauty Cave...worked quite well for me

There was a guy who did something similar a few years back, and after 3 days of hiking in the rain, he eventually proposed at the car park, so be careful what you set out to do.

As Smurf says - it really depends on her fitness levels (and yours, of course). I guess Rolands/Ledgers/Upper Injisuthi would top most people's lists, provided you are both fit and strong enough to get to one of those. In general, though, the Berg has so many awesome caves - just avoid something wet (cough, cough, Sandleni Cave). Easy to reach caves like Sleeping Beauty, Pillar, Bushman's, Tarn, Lower Injisuthi, Waterfall etc are easy to get to and have great views.

Perhaps consider a cave that is likely to have phone signal as well, so she can whatsapp photos etc. Offhand I actually can't tell you which of the caves above have signal, not usually a priority for me when it comes to selecting caves. My hiking phone usually stays off for the majority of the hike.

@Macc: any reason you didn't go the extra 300m to Engagement Cave

ghaznavid wrote: @Macc: any reason you didn't go the extra 300m to Engagement Cave

It was a surprise, so Engagement Cave could have given the game away...

Hi hallo all.

This is my first post here and I am so excited to find this page.

I would like to hear... I've done Sterkhorn a few times.Nice day hike. What other routes can you recommend that one can hike to a peak or the top in a day. And then... I would like to do a hike in the snow. when would be the best time with the highest probabilities to get snow on the mountain. I usually go April and September ... but thats not snow times

keep an eye on snowreport.co.za they will let you know where and when snow is expected.

What can be done in a day - that depends greatly on your fitness.

Similar difficulty to Sterkhorn in a day:
- Cathedral Peak (Didima)
- Rhino (Garden Castle)
- Sur the Thumb (Giants Castle)
- Anything on top of the Amphitheatre via Sentinel Car Park
- Anything close to Sani Top if you start at the top of the pass

I posted the non-technical khulus by difficulty to do in a day on a thread a while ago - see www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/10-drakensberg-peaks/56171-1-day-khulus.html

Welcome PieterPieke

You can definitely find proper snow during the winter months, I've had lots of fun in the snow during Aug - Sep.
Just watch the weather reports and see the links provided on this website. Don't know where you live but up here in Gauteng, whenever it feels like someone left the freezer door open you can be sure that there is snow on the Berg

I have minimal experience in snow, but if you're looking to reach the top, bear in mind that snow can be deep and difficult to move through in narrow gullies. It can also ice up and get very slippery a few days after the fall, which can be treacherous on steep slopes.