Overnight Berg hikes with kids

Hi all,

I used to go to the berg often before I had children and then moved to CPT for 13 years and have now moved back to JHB with my family. I am keen to introduce my kids to the Drakensberg by taking them on a 1 night camping (tents) trip. I want them to experience the grandeur of the berg but not scare them silly first time. I could go and sleep at the top via Sentinel and chain ladders but was wondering if anyone had any other good ideas to do the following - Park, walk in for between 3-6 hours, camp in tents and return. Any advice or ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hi Digz,
I might be the first to reply, so welcome to VE forum.

I'd be tempted to go for a route in the Little Berg first as its warmer, more fun in the rivers and still has grandeur. I'd also be tempted to stay in a cave rather than a tent because caves give you so much of a homely feel in which you can spread out and be comfortable. If it rains, a cave is just great whereas a tent is a bit more of a lie-down and pass the hours kind of thing.

I'd consider Marble Baths, Xeni, Lower Injisuthi or one of the caves in the Monk's Cowl area. I'd stay away from the top of the Amphitheatre first time round because of the theft issue. Its unlikely to happen, but if it did, it would be a real downer for the children on their first trip.

Hear Hear about caves !!
Less weight carried by leaving out the tent means place for more 'luxury' items.

Injisuthi is my recommendation.

I suggest WonderValley cave. Grand views of the Escarpment. Lovely pool to swim in further on.

or Grindstone cave via Cataract Valley. After arrival can take a small walk up path between the 2 caves to awesome view. Short return walk down means a late sleep in and a relaxed breakfast. Should be a regular drip now at 2nd cave with a lower roof for water supply.

Navigation to both caves are pretty easy.

aged 11 and 10 in Grindstone caves a few weeks ago......

and the view outside.....

Thanks guys, the advice is appreciated. @ mnt_tiska, the photo is there when I click reply. Looks cool, did you sleep in this cave?

Digz wrote:

Looks cool, did you sleep in this cave?

Didn't sleep in grindstone - though it looked really comfortable and inviting and the water drip Magan mentioned was a steady flow. Took about 2 hours up and 1 hour down. Its a lovely setting and an easy trip, although quite sustained uphill if you take the direct path in.

We did sleep over at Lower Injisuthi for a couple of nights. That was a 3 hr walk in, but with a bit of time spent crossing full rivers. That too is a lovely setting.

The advantage of this part of Injisuthi is that there are no readily walkable passes through to Lesotho which feed into the valleys of Lower Inj and Grindstone caves, so one can be much more relaxed about smugglers and security. In other places I would imagine that kids would pick up the sense of vigilence evident in the adults.

If you are able to get down to the southern berg, there are a plethora of caves. The easiest would be from Garden Castle station where in a distance of 3km, over very gentle ground, you can access Pillar and Annex cave as well as in the next valley you can access Sleeping Beauty Cave. Out of all these, I would go with the Annex as it is off the beaten track about 500m past Pillar Cave and has the most amazing pool just above a 2m w/f. This pool when there is a good flow is like a small jacuzzi and can't be beaten.

There should be no smuggler activity in either of these valleys which makes it very safe.

The other options as mentioned would be Grindstone Caves, though it is quite far from the river and also a bit of climb to backwards and forwards from the river. But if you go down to the river and stick around there for the day it is a huge amount of fun in the rock water slides.

Hey Digz

Welcome. I would agree with all on the caves option. ST's post re: The Annex, beyond pillar cave is a brilliant option for an easy walk in. Lower Injasuti cave is also awesome, but a bit of a tricky to access the river reqularly.
There are some fantastic caves in the Cobham reserve area as well, and the rivers and tarns are brilliant.
It is probably better to stay in the lower berg for now, as there is more fun to be had, and little hardship to be endured.
Once the bug has bit, they are going to be dragging you to the top.
Well done on limiting the virtual reality PS2 action, and giving them a taste of the real thing.

I would have attached a thumbs up smiley {here} but they appear to have all knocked off at 22h30.