Cape Town to Drakensberg

It's ebtter to fly to Durban or JHB and drive. Although, if you have the time, driving from Cape Town to Durban is absolutely spectacular (garden route). You can access most of Drakensberg's sights with a regular car. I certainly ddi not have a 4x4 when I went. Lesotho is just a few hours from the Drakensberg and I only visited the Semonkong region but it is absolutely stunning and a photographers dream. Weather in October is pleasant, although it will get colder at night so a light jacket is warranted.

Thanks Johnny! So technically I can drop off the car in Durban and pick it up in CT. How long will it take to see the garden route, 2-3 days?

Aside from the usual precautions, what recommendations can you make to stay and drive safe in Durban, the Berg and possibly Lesotho? Not drive at night, have the windows rolled up in the city, not have any valuables in the car on plain sight.....

I think the usual precautions are enough. Many people think South Africa is like the wild wild west where anything goes but you'll see that it's nothing close to that. It all depends onw here you're looking to go too. If you're specifically seeking out the poor townships, then flashing cash around and coming off as an American might not be the best of ideas. If you're in the north in Umhlanga, you'll see it's actually very rich and nice. It's just like if someone was vsitiing NYC, you'd probably tell them to roll up their windows if they're driving through Brownsville :)

As for Lesotho, I've never felt more safe at night than when driving through the mountain towns there. Most people live the old ways in those parts when you get out of the big cities.

I see that you have been to Lesotho. What places would you recommend seeing to a landscape photographer? I'm interested in local villages, people, typical housing, high mountains, etc. I read that the people there like to be photographed? How safe is it to pull out an expensive DSLR and take people pictures in the villages?

I think you're maybe being a tad ambitious if you've only got 4-5days. The drive from CT to the berg in Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) would take the best part of two full days driving without stopping (1600km). Buses available (greyhound amongst others) as example leave CT 18h45 arriving Durban next day 21h25 so is pretty long trip, then still at least 3 hours from Durban to the Berg. Similarly from the berg in KZN (sentinel, mnweni, garden castle etc) to the Blyde river canyon in Mpumulanga is another full days driving (600-700km). If you're focused on seeing the berg Then flying is a better option with your time frame. Even seeing just the parts of the KZN berg that you've mentioned in the timeframe would be tough. Garden Castle is in the Southern KZN Berg and the Sentinel is in the far North, driving between the two would probably take most of a day. If you're after mountain scenery head to the North, say from Cathedral Peak and everything North of that is the best scenery. Generally access is via 2wd into the foothills of the mountains to various reserves (KZN wildlife, ezemvelo) and several hotels. Access to the higher mountains very limited by vehicle so some walking required. Easiest by far to get into the high mountains is via the chain ladder from the sentinel which is accessed via phuthaditjhaba in the free state. Can walk from there to the top of the amphitheatre in a few hours and very doable as a day walk if you've got a head for heights. Spectacular mountain scenery too, one of the finest vistas in Africa from the top of the amphitheatre. Otherwise abundant walking in the foothills which will give great views of the mountains from below - invest in David Bristows book Drakensberg walks, or there is a cicerone guide I think (kindle?). People a little trickier, Mnweni is the obvious choice as the only part of the berg not in a reserve, you'd need to head for the Mnweni cultural and hiking centre (Google mnweni, follow your nose). Most spectacular part of the entire mountain range by a mile and it's a very traditional Zulu area but getting the most out of Mnweni does really need a multi-day hike. If you enjoy hiking and you're up for spending that 4-5 days doing one of the worlds great hikes let me know and I can point you in the best direction. They do have guides and porters at the centre if needed so no huge mountaineering skill required. Can't really comment on Lesotho as although have been numerous times only ever approached on foot over the top of the Drakensberg escarpment.

Hope this helps,

Have fun.

J

Hello.
Yes, South Africa is big.
With a limited time, too long to do CT to Jburg or Durban.
Sure, you can rent a car in one place and do the drop off in another, paying an extra fee. Renting a normal car in South Africa it´s cheap, we paid only 12 €/day with rentalcars.com with differents towns.
Sedan car is OK for main places in Drakensberg. Great Royal Natal! Drakensberg is wonderful! Lesotho is very traditionnal and beautiful, great photo opportunities.
We didn´t like so much the Garden Route, it´s more an tourist and activity route.
Blyde canyon is not in Drakensberg, it´s west of Kruger, in the far northest.
You can check our blog, we stayed 2 months travelling around South Africa last year. Usefull infos.
Viajes con mochila
Good luck.

Gracias! I have decided not to rent from CPT. I had to shorten the trip, so, will only visit Blyde Canyon from JNB for a few days. Any recommended places to stay with good internet for less than $35? How much will I need to hike to the Blyde Canyon viewpoint?