Parking off to escape at Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort
KwaZulu-Natal - South Africa
Northern Drakensberg – Amphitheatre
Maloti Drakensberg Park
uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site
Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort
Updated April 2021
Updated blog post about Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort with photos.
Included are maps and information about hiking at Royal Natal National Park.
Maloti Drakensberg Amphitheatre
XCape Camping Chronicles at Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort
Hlalanathi or Mahai?
I’ve mentioned our new acquisition, an adored, previously owned Jurgens Safari XCape off roader caravan.
We used our XCape in September earlier in 2019 for the first time and loved it even though we had howling winds for most of the weekend. Since then we’ve been dying to use it again and because we are supposed to be on semi-retirement, we thought we might get opportunities more often, but that hadn’t been the case.
The first opportunity available was end of November/beginning of December and we chose to take a short trip to the northern part of the Maloti Drakensberg which wasn’t too far away from Johannesburg and as yet shouldn’t be inundated with campers for their December holidays.
Heading to the Drakensberg
We found two places that appealed to us but were planning to park off at one. Mahai Campsite was in the Royal Natal National Park and at the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains, ideal for hiking. Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort was about ten kilometres away on the outer edges of the foothills and looked like a great place to relax.
Decisions, decisions!
After contemplating for a while we said why not try both places. We would be away for five nights so we could spend three nights at one and two at the other. It would also give us more practice in setting up the caravan.
Great idea but then we had to choose which place to go to first. The natural choice would have been Mahai because it is in the Drakensberg. Hlalanathi had a swimming pool and was more resort style but not close to any walking trails except for one – Trilby Hill, behind the resort. Mahai has no swimming pool but with a kilometre walk to get to a rock pool where we could cool off.
We would have enjoyed walking some of the trails in the Drakensberg but knew it was going to be extremely hot the first few days and cold as well as rainy the last two days, going from one extreme to another – 34 degree Celsius heat to 14 degree Celsius, cold with rain.
In the end the weather forecast was the deciding factor. We chose to spend the first few days at Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort purely because of the swimming pool. We knew it would be too hot to go for walks, unless one got up at dawn and went for a quick walk, but even then it would be unpleasantly hot for physical exertion, at least at our age.
On that basis we felt it wouldn’t be worth going to Mahai first as we wouldn’t appreciate walking the trails in the scorching sun. Although it would rain while we were there and may not always be ideal for walking, at least it would be cooler.
The trek from Johannesburg was easy going, with the caravan towing well. The roads weren’t overly busy, but there were some road works in places. The South African schools hadn’t closed yet for their December summer holidays which meant there wasn’t the usual rush down to the KwaZulu-Natal coast yet. It took us approximately four hours.
Section of our view from the first site
Parking off to escape with our XCape
At Hlalanathi we parked the caravan and set up the awnings. Although it was relatively quick and easy, it was a struggle in the heat. The air was hot and dusty and sweat dripped off our faces. Fortunately I had filled some insulated cups with ice and water to keep ourselves well hydrated. It was a life saver.
We were thrilled to have a campsite with a glimpse of a view of the amphitheatre through some bushes. We thought we would be allocated a site in the centre under the big trees with good shade, which would have been lovely but with no view.
The other part of our view from our first site - not too bad!
After setting up camp, we lazed around like the rest of the campers, spread eagled on our chairs, too hot to lift a finger, watching the birds. Even the bird’s beaks were hanging open. We moved our chairs to follow the shade throughout the day, which helped although there were times that much of the site was in the sun. It didn’t take us long to head for the swimming pool to cool off.
Parking off
There can be worse places for a campfire
The campsite was busy but not overly full. That evening, sitting at our campfire we peered through the trees at our lovely view, quite satisfied. We even had a mongoose walk the perimeter of our site.
The following day, Sunday, many of the campers left, apart from about three other caravans who were staying longer. We eyed one of the prime sites, two sites away from us, that was vacant. We considered whether it would be worth the effort to move. I mean, are we greedy or what? Not that we had anything against our existing view, but it could improve. Paul was keen, both for the better view as well as the shade. He didn’t have to twist my arm too much.
We asked at reception if we could change sites. They checked their bookings and weren’t expecting any other campers to arrive so gave us permission to move.
Two sites down, our first site was in full sun
That view!
It was the right thing to do, although we still broke out in a sweat, setting up camp for the second time, two days in a row. The view alone made it worthwhile, but having extra shade was also great. The site even had a little lower terrace almost like a Mezzanine level with an area to make a fire. We thoroughly enjoyed our ‘upgrade’.
Our ‘Mezzanine floor’
If you live in South Africa you should have heard of Leon Schuster, a movie director and actor, and his impersonations of Naas Botha, a rugby player. A dassie (also known as a rock hyrax) that we nicknamed Naas, scuttled around our site occasionally with two protruding teeth chomping at the flowers that had fallen from some of the trees.
Between munchies it scrutinised us like a hawk in case we brought out any other snacks for it to nibble on. It even came right up to my feet to see if I had anything to offer. I shooed it away gently, not wanting it to nibble on my toes with those goofy teeth or hop up the step into our caravan and cuddle up in our bed.
Even the birds were sometimes cheeky, flying like stunt pilots to get opportunistic scraps. Later we’d noticed there was a little baby hyrax as well and their den was at the base of the thorny succulent on the slope at our campsite.
Road curving around the hill looks deceptively gentle
Something that was noticeable was the traffic noise just outside the park. It could be disturbing and would put some people off. We thought it might annoy us but in fact, we found it quite amusing.
Some vehicles, not quite roadworthy, revving like crazy, chugged up the hill sounding like a Cessna coming to land, would miss a gear change and sometimes even come to a complete halt. Once the gear change was mastered, it would again splutter uphill slowly, gaining momentum until it disappeared over the top of the hill. The road isn’t a main thoroughfare, so it is mainly residents with overloaded vehicles, probably with their monthly supply of groceries plus a goat as well as a mother in law squashed into a lopsided car.
View away from the Drakensberg amphitheatre
We opted to relax most of the time because of the heat and regularly had a dip in the pool to cool down. It was just too hot to do any walking or adrenalin adventures. Besides, with a view like we had, it was very difficult to move (or leave).
We watched the mood of the mountain and sky change over the few days we were there. It was a great retreat and just what we needed. A lovely place to relax for a few days.
Facts about Hlalanathi:
The resort has been in the van Rensburg family for five generations since 1932 when Jacobus Van Rensburg lived there.
It is a great place for families to spend time outdoors with an 18 tee 9-hole golf course.There is a swimming pool as well as an artificial rock pool with a slide for children as well as a tennis court, a volleyball court and a place for table tennis.
Accommodation consists of 20 fully equipped self-catering thatched chalets and 56 electrified caravan or tent sites, some with their own scullery or bathroom.
Hlalanathi is approximately ten kilometres from the Royal Natal National Park or Rugged Glen where most of the walking trails and hiking areas are.
There is a convenience shop with selected items but no fresh produce.
All amenities at the resort is only allowed to be used by the residents.
There is a restaurant and pub called The Oak & Ale on the premises. The Tower of Pizza is a short drive from the resort.
Updated April 2021:
Our March 2021 road trip through some of the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal had come to an end. We left Zinkwazi Beach feeling a bit blue because our trip was reaching the end. Our spirits lifted slightly though, knowing our next destination. We were camping for a couple of nights before returning home at Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort. A great place to end our road trip.
Once a farm and owned by the van Rensburg family since 1932, Hlalanathi was used as an overflow camp for the Royal Natal National Park. The present resort has run since 1983.
The drive from Zinkwazi around the Durban area was rather hair raising at times with the number of trucks on the road. Durban with its hills and some reckless truck drivers at unrealistic speeds is synonymous with accidents, bad driving and hair’s breadth evasions. Thankfully we got through unharmed and with only a few scares but nothing serious.
Our next issue was whether we would have enough fuel. We found a delightful pit stop at Midway Family Stop just outside Estcourt.
When we left the N3 towards Winterton and Bergville and ultimately the Drakensberg, we were on alert for potholes as there were a few.
As the mountains emerged we were captivated by their clarity. The air was clean and the rain during summer had transformed the area into beautiful shades of green.
Arriving at Hlalanathi was no disappointment either. Although the camp was busy with many other campers, once again we were given a campsite with a fantastic view. All we wanted to do was take out our chairs and enjoy the scenic landscape.
Fortunately it did not take long to set up camp and we could enjoy our lunch and ultimately tea and sundowners.
We had visits from the dassies (rock hyrax) that came to chomp on some acorns. Later we were most surprised to find it resting on a cactus almost like a Hindu Yogi.
That view though is a magnet. One is very loath to leave it and most of the time we relaxed. We also chatted to a few other campers.
Of course if you feel energetic, you can go for walks around the area. However to hike in Royal Natal National Park, you would have to drive the extra 15 kilometres (half an hour’s drive) and pay an entrance fee to enter the park.
We toyed with the idea of eating dinner at the restaurant at Hlalanathi, but then changed our mind and cooked some meat on an open fire - braai.
The following evening we ordered a take-away pizza for dinner for our last night from Tower of Pizza which is a few kilometres away. We collected it and brought it back to enjoy while soaking up the view like a sponge for the last time.
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Where is Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort
Things to do near Hlalanathi /Royal Natal
Apart from hiking around Royal Natal, there is horse riding, quad biking, zip lining and fishing.
Quick Links:
Hlalanathi Drakensberg Resort
Royal Natal National Park
All out Adventures
The Northern Horse
Related Post:
Escape to rustic campsite in a nature reserve weekend breakaway
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About the Author
ALMA VAN AS | ROAMING FOX
Alma is a South African travel blogger and writer. She hopes to inspire you with facts and fables about her adventures, road trips and international travel.
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