Which mountain is the highest in the Drakensberg range?

The highest mountain in the Drakensberg range is Thabana Ntlenyana. Rising to 3,482 metres, it stands in Lesotho’s Maloti Mountains, which form part of the broader Drakensberg highlands of southern Africa.

Its Sesotho name means “beautiful little mountain,” an understated name for the highest summit in southern Africa. The mountain lies on the Mohlesi ridge, north of Sani Pass, and its highland slopes help feed the headwaters of the Orange River.

A common mix-up is Mafadi, which reaches about 3,450 metres and is the highest mountain in South Africa. Thabana Ntlenyana is higher because it lies across the border in Lesotho. Cathedral Peak and Giant’s Castle are prominent Drakensberg landmarks, but neither is the range’s highest summit.

The mountain is commonly climbed as part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Grand Traverse. Its rock is largely amygdaloidal flood basalt formed during the Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic periods, giving the summit a deep geological history as well as a geographic distinction.