Information on Drakensberg Region, KwaZulu-Natal Province providing conference facilities

The Drakensberg region of the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa consists of the Drakensberg mountains which are the highest in South Africa. The geological formation of the Drakensberg mountain range make them distinctive and unique amongst the mountain ranges of the world. It runs for about 1,000 km generally southwest to northeast, with a northwesterly bend forming the northeastern border of Lesotho with South Africa. The Drakensberg mountains are drained on the west by the Orange and Vaal rivers, and on the east and south by a number of smaller rivers, the Tugela being the largest of these.

The KwaZulu Natal's Drakensberg region is a remnant of the original African plateau. The Drakensberg mountains are capped by a layer of basalt up to 1,500 m thick, with sandstone lower down, resulting in a combination of steep-sided blocks and pinnacles. The Drakensberg is one of only two mountain ranges in the world to have been formed in this geological way, which accounts for its extraordinarily distinctive formations and colours. The landscape of the Drakensberg region in KwaZulu Natal is dominated by extremely steep cliffs, some of them amongst the most impressive cliff faces on earth, incised buttresses and soaring ramparts.

The Caves of the Drakensberg region features a wealth of Bushman rock paintings. The Drakensberg has, collectively, at least 40 000 works of bushman art and as such is the largest collection of such work in the world. Snow falls regularly in the Drakensberg region over winter, while rains and mist can occur year-round. In Summer the valleys of the mountains often see temperatures in the mid to high 30 degrees celsius, whilst in winters temperatures on top of the mountains may plunge to below -20 Celsius. In the southern Drakensberg there is a ski resort called Tiffindell which is open from late May to Early September.

The Drakensberg region offers numerous hikes ranging from day-trails to overnight hikes. Other popular outdoor activities include mountain biking, rock climbing, fly fishing and horse riding. Large portions of the Drakensberg region form the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park with its abundance of flora and fauna. The park features a wealth of wildlife including the black eagle, bearded vulture, eland, baboons, blesbuck, oribi, mountain reedbuck and duiker.

The Drakensberg region of KwaZulu Natal is generally divide into three regions namely the Northern Drakensberg, the Central Drakensberg and the South Drakensberg regions. Some of the bigger towns in the region are Bergville, Bulwer, Cedarville, Highflats, Himeville, Kokstad, Swartberg, Underberg and Winterton.