08/05/2026
The passes in the Giants castle are definitely more forgiving than other parts of the Drakensberg, but don’t underestimate them. You still need to put in the hard yards to get to the top.
I would recommend heading out from Giants Castle camp along Giants Castle ridge, and then climbing giants Castle pass for most scenic views. We were supposed to camp at Lotheni cave, but unfortunately, never got that far, because the weather was absolutely horrific, and we ended up camping at nursery slopes, which is undeniably one of the most windy places in the Drakensberg. We were treated to a spectacular sunrise the next morning, which made it all worth it.
The Drakensberg was still surprisingly green, and I felt that this was the last weekend we’d be able to enjoy the mountains before the snow came. From Giants castle we headed over long wall, trying to locate the crash site of a SAAF Dakota, which crashed in the giants castle area in 2012. I had crossed over that area so many times, and always had it on my to do list to go and find the crash site, so I was really happy when we found it.
From there, we went over Mount Durnford checking out all the passes down to the lower berg along the way, and stopped to chat to a few herders. Once in Langilebele valley searched for the carboneers grave from the langaliebele rebellion of 1873 which adding a nice historical touch to the trip. We camped at the top of Langelelel Pass, which is undeniably the easiest pass in the Drakensberg. I would rate it a two out of 10 at the most, and a very easy way to access this area as well as descend. If you are not great with technical passes.
