What's on in Drakensberg (Ukhahlamba), South Africa through the year

Peak crowds — December school holidays, Term 4–1 (summer, year-end) break in South Africa

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Afternoon thunderstorms (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), December school holidays (10 Dec – 10 Jan (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Afternoon thunderstorms (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — Term 1–2 (autumn) break in South Africa, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Easter long weekend

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  Good Friday and Family Day on Easter Monday make a four-day weekend that often runs into the school holidays. South Africans head for the coast, the mountains and the bush, so accommodation books out, national roads are busy and many shops close on Good Friday. Source ↗

• Festival

  Splashy Fen

  2–6 AprMusic festivalCrowdedBook early

  South Africa's longest-running music festival, on a farm outside Underberg over the Easter weekend. Four days of camping in a river valley, and the whole southern Berg books out around it. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Easter long weekend, Splashy Fen

• Festival

  Music in the Mountains

  22–29 Apr · usuallyMusic festivalBook early

  A choral-music festival and bursary fundraiser at the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School in Cathkin Park, separate from the school's better-known December carol concert. Source ↗

Still on: Easter long weekend (3–6 Apr), Splashy Fen (2–6 Apr)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Season

  Clear winter air

  1 May – 31 Aug · usuallyDry season

  Winter here is dry and the air goes glass-clear, which is why the escarpment photographs best in June and July. The grass is burnt off, the nights are well below freezing and the days are still walkable.

Peak crowds — July school holidays, Term 2–3 (winter) break in South Africa

• Closure

  Sani Pass closes for snow

  1 Jun – 31 Aug · usuallyRisk

  Snow shuts the pass and the Lesotho border post at the top of it for days at a time most winters, usually at short notice. Check the road before committing to a 4x4 day trip out of Underberg. Source ↗

• Holiday

  July school holidays

  20 Jun – 20 Jul · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  The mid-year school break is when inland families come up for the cold, and the resorts sell it as a snow chance. Self-catering chalets and the hutted camps go months ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Clear winter air (1 May – 31 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — July school holidays, Term 2–3 (winter) break in South Africa

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Clear winter air (1 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Sani Pass closes for snow (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)), July school holidays (20 Jun – 20 Jul (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Clear winter air (1 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Sani Pass closes for snow (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Term 3–4 (spring) break in South Africa

Nothing new starts in September.

Busy — Term 3–4 (spring) break in South Africa, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Afternoon thunderstorms

  1 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyStorm season

  Storms build over the escarpment most summer afternoons, with lightning on the tops, hail and water coming down the gullies within minutes. Walkers start at first light and are off the high ground by lunchtime. Source ↗

Peak crowds — December school holidays, Term 4–1 (summer, year-end) break in South Africa

• Holiday

  December school holidays

  10 Dec – 10 Jan · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  The fullest and dearest fortnight of the Berg's year, and the one where the afternoon storms are at their most reliable. Trails near the resorts are busy; anything above the contour path is not. Source ↗

Still on: Afternoon thunderstorms (1 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))