What to do in Drakensberg with kids? In early May, we were in South Africa with our family. We took a round trip and started this round trip at the beautiful Drakensberg Mountains. The Drakensberg Mountains is a chain of mountains on the eastern side of South Africa. This beautiful area is characterized by the beautiful mountains and the accompanying stunning landscapes and insane views. We drove there from Johannesburg by car in about four hours. We enjoyed our time in this area and list the best children’s activities in Drakensberg.
Best travel time Drakensberg with kids
The best travel time to visit the Drakensberg Mountains with kids is March through May and September through November. The weather is then excellent and you have little trouble with rain. You then also do not visit the Drakensberg Mountains with the family during the high season which is mainly in the months of December and January. As a result, the prices of accommodations, for example, are also a lot lower.
We visited the Drakensberg Mountains with our kids in early May, and we had fine sunshine and a pleasant temperature of 20 to 25 degrees. Totally fine! Sun strength in this month is not as strong as in the summer months, but we still recommend sunscreen.
Transportation to the Drakensberg Mountains
Most families who visit South Africa and go on a tour rent a car. We rented a car at the Johannesburg airport and from Johannesburg it was a 4-hour drive to the Drakensberg Mountains. Pay attention, though, because in South Africa they drive on the left, so the steering wheel of the car is on the right. So that takes some getting used to when you drive off the airport grounds, but you get used to it quickly.
You can rent a car at the Johannesburg airport through the organization Sunny Cars. Sunny Cars has the all inclusive principle which means that most insurances and often the excess are included in the price. This also eliminates the need for additional car insurance in South Africa. To rent a car at the Johannesburg airport, take a look here.
Incidentally, the Drakensberg Mountains are a whopping 1,000 kilometers long and forms the border between South Africa and Lesotho. So it’s quite a large area to explore here.
Children’s activities Dragon Mountains
#1 Royal Natal NP
Our first destination in the Drakensberg Mountains was the Royal Natal National Park. This park is located in the northern Drakensberg Mountains. The Royal National Park is also known as the Amphitheater. It is a beautiful area full of rocks near the border with Lesotho.
We stayed here at The Ledges Retreat and this accommodation is about 40 kilometers away from the town of Bergville. At the Ledges Retreat you have a number of cottages surrounded by grass where you have a beautiful view of the mountains. These houses were ground floor and fully equipped.
For the kids, there was a small pool and a trampoline. Our daughters also enjoyed the small river within walking distance of our cottage.
The Royal Natal NP attracts many hikers. That doesn’t sound immediately appealing if you want to explore this area with (young) kids. Still, there are a lot of hiking trails only a few kilometers long and not at all steep. We received these itineraries through the manager of The Ledges Retreat. At the start of the hike, you pay a small fee to benefit the national park.
Our kids had a cheap little camera with them while hiking, which they used to take pictures of everything they encountered on the trail, such as butterflies, birds and lizards. During our walk, we walked along a river that emptied into a small waterfall. The water there is cold, but just doable with your feet.
#2 Horseback riding at Bushman’s Neck
Our second destination near the Drakensberg Mountains was Bushman’s Nek. This is a hotel located on the other side of the Drakensberg Mountains near Underberg. The hotel is large by African standards and fully equipped. Kids have also been thought of here. For example, there is a beautiful, partially heated swimming pool where you can enjoy swimming with the family.
You can also book a lot of activities here at the reception and you can play a game of miniature golf with kids. All this with, again, a beautiful view of the surrounding area.
Very close to Bushman’s Nek, there is an opportunity for horseback riding. You can do this at Pig & Pony. This is sort of a combination of an equestrian center and a petting zoo. There is also a catering facility here for lunch or when you just want a drink. Independent horseback riding is only possible for kids 12 and older, but our daughters, ages 4 and 9, were allowed to ride around about a mile under supervision.
They loved that. After touring the horses, they played in the playground and cuddled with all the animals there.
#3 Ziplining
You can do much more at the Drakensberg Mountains than just hiking and horseback riding in this area. In fact, it is also possible to go ziplining with kids at Drakensbergen. The minimum age for kids to do this is 6. You can do this in the forests in the central part of the Drakensberg Mountains.
In doing so, you fly over the trees at a height of 60 meters and, of course, have a fantastic view of the surroundings. In this you will first receive instruction from a guide and after this instruction you will set off with two experienced guides to zipline from one platform between the trees to another.
A tour takes about 3 hours total. For more information on this zipline activity, visit the Drakensberg Canopy Tour website. This is definitely a spectacular activity you can do with the kids in Drakensberg.
#4 White Water Rafting
Another spectacular activity you can do in the middle of Drakensberg with kids is rafting. What the minimum age for this rafting is that is not entirely clear on the website, so check with the organizer of these rafting trips beforehand when you book: Four Rivers Adventure. This activity is from 9 am to 3 pm. So you spend almost an entire day with this.
By the way, you can also go tubing in this area. Here you go up the river in a large inflatable tire. This is an activity for slightly older kids, though. In fact, your kids must be at least 10 years old for this, and in some months of the year when the water level is high, the minimum age is even 12 for kids.
Of course, check this well in advance so you can be sure the kids can tub along. For more information on tubing in Drakensberg with kids, take a look here.
#5 Sani Pass
We have now covered activities in the north and central Drakensberg Mountains, but you can still do something with the family in the south of the Drakensberg as well. Indeed, here lies the beautiful Sani Pass and this is one of the most beautiful passes in the world. This route is quite spectacular and you can book a tour here with Sani Pass Tours to explore this part of the Drakensberg Mountains.
You will then set out in a 4×4 jeep with a guide and travel from Underberg to 2874 meters above sea level within one day to have lunch at the highest restaurant in Africa. This tour is a full day and with any luck you will also encounter all kinds of animals during this ride. For more information on this organized tour, take a look here.
Family-friendly restaurant Drakensbergen
You don’t really have many restaurants located in this area, and the best places to eat is often at the accommodations where you sleep. This is where we ourselves ate.
The Ledges Retreat has self catering, which means you can cook for yourself in your own cottage. But they also offer a buffet in their small restaurant. However, this must be reserved in advance. We found the buffet absolutely fine and suitable for kids. Also, because of the small number of houses, it is never super crowded at the buffet, so that is always very nice with kids too.
At our accommodation in Bushman’s Nek there was a fine restaurant where you can eat a la carte. The menu includes a number of children’s dishes such as chicken nuggets, pasta and fries. Nice detail was that a coloring sheet with coloring was immediately put down when we sat down in this restaurant. Our girls had a great meal at this restaurant and so did we.
Family-friendly Drakensberg hotel
As we described above, we slept at the Drakensberg Mountains with our family in 2 different places. The first accommodation was The Ledges Retreat and the second accommodation was Bushman’s Nek. Both of these accommodations pleased us.
Of course, there are plenty of other family-friendly accommodations in Drakensberg that you can book. We list below the top rated accommodations in Drakensbergen. Click on the blue link for more information.
Budget accommodation: Elk Valley Resort
Mid-range accommodations: Dragon Peaks Mountain Resort
Luxury Accommodation: First Group Bushman’s Nek
For a list of all family-friendly accommodations in Drakensbergen, take a look here.
About the Author: Michelle loves adventure travel off the beaten path and has seen quite a bit of the world with her family. This ranges from camping in Africa to scuba diving in Indonesia, and there is still a lot left on their list!
