KZN CAMPING TRIP 2026 : MAHAI CAMPSITE, ROYAL NATAL NP

Saturday 16 May and Sunday 17 May

We spent the last 2 nights of our trip at Mahai Campsite in the Northern Drakensberg. A great, well maintained campsite with stunning views.

The only thing to put me off- the very cold nights!

Thanks to Hanlie and Andrew, also Tommy and Mandy for a great month on the road. 

Feeling a bit nostalgic packing the caravan up for another year.

KZN CAMPING 2026 : UP AND DOWN SANI PASS

Thursday 14 May

Neil and I have done this before but it's a first for Hanlie and Andrew.

From Himeville, the tarred road up to the SA border is a pleasure.

Clearing immigration is easy. Sani Pass is 8kms of treacherous and dangerously narrow rocky 4x4 track in no-man's land switchbacking up to the Lesotho border at the top of the Berg.

The views are breathtaking; the drive is nerve-wracking.

At the top is Sani Mountain Lodge; the highest pub in Africa at 2874m.

A tip -  New owners now require you to book online in advance and pay R200 pp, which you offset with lunch and drinks. Probably too many entitled, freeloading tourists in the past!

We had amarula coffee and tasty chicken bunnychow in homemade bread!

Then back down the mountain again. Another tip - allow an hour for the pass each way. On the downward trip you have to pull over and wait for any upcoming vehicles to pass where it's wide enough.

Yay! We made it!

KZN CAMPING TRIP 2026 : COBHAM NATURE RESERVE, SOUTHERN DRAKENSBERG

Wednesday 13th to Friday 15th May

An easy drive from Pmb to Underberg and a quick stop to shop. Good coffee and toasted sandwich take-aways too. We have the whole campsite at Cobham ( KZN Ezemvelo again) to ourselves; what a pleasure is that?

We do have to share with a few horses and a zebra that thinks he's a horse.

Sadly the ablutions are not that well maintained but we can cope. The Drakensberg is cold and it's my own fault for not packing enough warm clothes. I find winter layers so uncomfortable! I'm just not a cold weather person. The Drakensberg is also amazingly beautiful- even to me who is not a mountain person.

Sitting around the fire under cold, starry skies has it's moments but having heating in the caravan is a bonus. There's no power hook up here but we can use our solar inverter. Doing the prep for dinner before dark helps but that means eating early.

Even after lots of drinks and card games in the caravan, bedtime is 8pm!

I'm not liking spending 12 hours in bed waiting for the sun in the morning but the others don't seem to mind.

We spent a bit of time in Himeville on Friday for a museum visit and connectivity.

KZN CAMPING TRIP 2026 : CUMBERLAND NATURE RESERVE

Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th May

Cumberland is a wild camping spot not far from Pietermaritzburg. It was to be our 2 days downtime.

Oh, I have so much admin and planning to do...Connectivity was dodgy but I did manage to get some work done.. and it's a beautiful place to relax.

I did cook a bit - prepping for a few meals down the line...night tempretures are dropping- not sure how I'll cope in the Drakensburg...I am NOT a winter wonder; not at all!!