- KwaZulu-Natal
- uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park
- Giant's Castle Nature Reserve
Giant's Castle Nature Reserve, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, KwaZulu-Natal
Craggy mountains, deep valleys, grassy plateaus and views for Africa!
Giant's Castle Nature Reserve is one of the 12 protected areas that make up the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park that is in turn the one half of the Maloti Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. The other half of Maloti Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site is situated in Lesotho over the South African border. Giants Castle Reserve is situated in the central part of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park and is 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg and 3 hours from Durban. The reserve is situated on a grassy plateau and consists of 34 638 hectares of unspoiled land.
Animals
- Caracal
- Chacma Baboons
- Eland Antelope
- Mountain Reedbuck
Birds
- Bearded Vulture
- Black Eagle
- Cape vulture
- Jackal Buzzard
- Lanner Falcon.
Activities
- Bird Watching
- Camping - only in the Injisuthi section of the park
- Hiking - with overnight hiking trails
- Ice Climbing
- Mountain Biking
- Museum – half an hour’s hike and includes guided tour of the caves.
- Swimming - in rock pools
- Trout fishing - Several kilometres of trout fishing waters are available. Permits are available at reception office an only official fly fishing tackle may be use.
Accommodation
- The Vulture Hide caters for 6 people at a time - advanced booking is essential.
- Self Catering chalets - all with DSTV (limited bouquet) with a wide variety of sizes
- Mountain hut
- Honeymoon suite
- Giant’s Rock Lodge - sleeps 6 people, has conference facilities for 20 people and can be used as a 50 person wedding venue
Facilities
- Izimbali Resaturant and bar - fully catered meals available
- Basic groceries are available at the reception office or in Estcourt 60 km from the park
- Petrol – at main gate but is restricted and no card payments
- Picnic area with beautiful views
Mountain Rescue Register
People going on hikes need to fill in this register when they leave for the hike and again when they return in case of an emergency or if they get lost and don’t return to camp.This avoids wasted time in search and rescue if the officials know where to start looking.
Hours
Gates:
- Summer, 1 October - 31 March, 05h00 - 22h00
- Winter, 1 April - 30 September, 06h00 - 22h00
Contact details
For Vulture Hide:
Private Bag X7055
3310,Escourt
Tel: +27 36 353 3718
Fax: +27 36 353 3775
Emergency Cell: +27 76 545 4520
For Reservations:
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife ReservationP O Box 13069
3202,Cascades
Tel: +27 33 845 1000
Fax: +27 33 845 1001
Email Website