The Drakensberg (Mountain of the Dragon) is an area of breath-taking beauty with its high peaks, grassy valleys and crystal clear streams. The Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg National Park was declared a World Heritage Site in 2001 and consists of almost the whole range of the Drakensberg Mountains, an area of 243 000 ha. It is located in the green midlands of Kwazulu-Natal, at the eastern border of Lesotho with South Africa. It comprises of a number of conservation areas such as the Royal Natal National Park, Cathedral Peak State Forest, Monks Cowl State Forest and Giant's Castle Nature Reserve.

The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park is one of South Africa's prime ecotourist destinations because it is of natural and cultural importance. Peaks are often covered with snow in winter and some are over 3000m high. Some of the highest peaks are Champagne Castle (3376m) and Giant's Castle (3313m). The Sani Pass, a 4x4 track, is the only road in this region to cross the escarpment and gives entrance to the kingdom of Lesotho. The conservation of wetlands is one of the important aims of this park and therefore the park was also declared a Ramsar site.

The San people (Bushmen) are considered as the indigenous inhabitants of Southern Africa and their art is the only remembrance of the people who no longer live in this region. More than 600 caves and shelters containing San art are preserved in the park. The rock paintings are outstanding in quality and contain scenes depicting hunting, dancing, fighting and food gathering. The Main Caves Museum at Giant's Castle, the Battle Cave at Injisuthi, the rock art centre at Kamberg and the San rock art centre at Cathedral Peak are the best areas to view some of the precious heritages.

The area receives orographic and convectional rain, often in the form of thunderstorms, during the summer months. Summer days are warm, but summer nights can be cool. Sudden snowstorms are possible in winter and winter nights can be very cold. Fog often occurs in the mountainous areas.

In this region with a large diversity in habitats, endemic and globally threatened bird and plant species enjoy protection. The black eagle, bearded vulture and herds of eland and mountain reedbuck as well as many other indigenous fauna and flora can be found in the park.

Activities such as hiking, fly fishing, rock climbing, mountain biking and bird watching are recommended. Accommodation varies from luxurious to comfortable at places such as Giant's Castle, Royal Natal's Thendele, Didima, Injisuthi, Kamberg and Lotheni.