What is the highest point of the Drakensberg range?

The highest point of the Drakensberg range is Thabana Ntlenyana. Rising to about 3,482 metres (11,424 feet), it is also the highest mountain in southern Africa and Lesotho’s highest point.

Thabana Ntlenyana lies in Lesotho’s Maloti Mountains, within the broader Drakensberg system, near the border with South Africa and north of Sani Pass. Its name is commonly translated from Sesotho as “Beautiful Little Mountain,” although the peak itself is anything but little by elevation.

A common mix-up is Mafadi, which is the highest point in South Africa but not the highest point of the entire Drakensberg range. Mont-aux-Sources is another prominent Drakensberg summit and the source area of several rivers, while Champagne Castle is one of the range’s best-known peaks.

The summit is often reached during the challenging Grand Traverse, a long-distance route across the Maloti-Drakensberg highlands. The high plateau, severe weather and steep escarpments make even this non-technical summit a serious mountain objective.