Climate | Ecosystem | Accommodation | Towns | Peaks

Drakensberg

World heritage Site.

Drakensberg Mountain Range: large area map

This map shows the large area where the Drakensberg range is situated. Detailed maps are available - click on an area in this map. Also see the Drakensberg ecoregion details.

Geographically the Drakensberg mountain range runs along the South African escarpment, stretching northward from the area between Dordrecht and Elliot in the Eastern Cape to the Nothern Province in the north. Popularly, when travelers go to the Drakensberg, they refer to the mountains bordering Lesotho on the Kwazulu-Natal side (east). The mountains on the Free State side (west) are usually called the Maluti Mountains.

The highest peak is the 3'482m Thabana Ntlenyana ("nice little mountain") in Lesotho near Sani (on route A14). The closest South African village is Himeville on the R617. The average height of the summit is roughly 3'200m.

The area of the Drakensberg Mountains that is a World Heritage Site stretches from the area near Bergville in the north, to the area near Underberg in the south.

An area of 243'000Ha is a World heritage because of three reasons:

San rock art: high quality and diversity of the largest and most concentrated group of of rock paintings in Africa south of the Sahara
The San people lived in the area for more than 4000 years
The majestic basaltic flat peaks have exceptional natural beauty, with golden sandstone ramparts. The rolling high altitude grasslands with valleys and gorges makes thia area very diverse in habitats. Many endemic and globally threatened species are found here.

Eland at Kamberg