What backpackers generally refer to separately as the Cathedral Peak and Monk’s Cowl wilderness areas together form what is officially know as the Mdedelelo Wilderness Area. Both areas are popular with tourists and there are several good hotels, backpacking motels and other options available for their use. There are even housing estates and cottage retreats in the Monk’s Cowl area. Sightseeing helicopters operate from the Cathedral Peak Hotel, and the Champagne Sports Resort at Monk’s Cowl.

The Cathedral Peak wilderness area can be accessed by tar road via Winterton. This route avoids the sprawling rural settlements of Loskop and Upper Tugela and a section of dirt road. The Didima Hotel is one of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s flagship hotels. It is their only hotel in the Drakensberg and is also the official entry point for backpackers intending to hike in this wilderness area. There is a well-stocked shop as well as a bar and restaurant adjoining the entrance foyer. There is a rock art appreciation centre off the driveway up to the hotel. Gone, though, is the old Ezemvelo caravan park and campsite, and even the new one is now closed. Mike’s Pass (a road pass) is closed to the general public and the game guard outpost at Solar Cliffs has quite literally disappeared – as has the Brotherton Store. Both the Thuthumi and Tseketseke mountain huts are derelict. Cambalala Hut, near the top of Mike’s Pass, is reserved for use by members of the Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA).

One of the problems with privately-owned hotels like the Cathedral Peak Hotel is right of access. If you want to access the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife wilderness area beyond the hotel you will have to park your vehicle at the hotel entrance gate and walk from there, or otherwise pay a gate entry fee and leave your vehicle in the hotel car park, but this is frowned upon over busy periods. The hotel has proven to be quite welcoming of backpackers passing through on their way to or from a hike though. If you are able to blend in without making a nuisance of yourself, you should be able to enjoy a refreshing drink at the end of your hike. Just don’t wear your welcome thin by traipsing muddy boots through the hotel!

If you head out from the entry point at the Didima Hotel in the direction of Solar Cliffs and Ndedema Gorge, you may be able to arrange paid transport to the site of the old Brotherton Store with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and save yourself a 4 km walk back along the tar road in that direction. Alternatively, you might be able to flag down one of the taxis taking staff to and from one of the hotels. Taxi prices may be negotiable and the short ride is probably no more dangerous than the one hour walking option, the only difference being where you are relative to the taxi!

The section of the escarpment that forms the backdrop to this area is quite spectacular, with many appropriately-named faces, buttresses, peaks and free-standing formations. The most prominent of these is the Cathedral Range on the northern edge consisting of Cathedral Peak itself, the Bell, Outer Horn, Inner Horn and the Chessmen. Characteristic of this area are deep, steep-sided valleys joined only by a contour path at their upper reaches. Ndedema Gorge is perhaps the best know of these valleys.

Even the Bushmen approved of this wilderness area because rock art sites are scattered throughout the foothills of the escarpment, the best example being Eland Cave. The locations of these sites are not publicised in an effort to help preserve them. You may be able to engage a qualified rock art guide to take you to some of them if you are a tourist, but you will need to be fit to reach them.

There are several mountain passes in the Cathedral Peak Wilderness Area, most of them quite well used with the exception of Xeni Pass and Cockade Pass. This area has the highest concentration of escarpment caves in the Drakensberg, the most dramatic of which is Roland’s Cave. Booking these caves, while theoretically possible, may produce some haphazard results, so you should carry a tent if you venture up onto the escarpment.

The daunting Bell Traverse of the Cathedral Range will test your mettle and nerve for heights, so don’t attempt it with inexperienced hikers in tow. The Cathedral Peak Hotel offers guided walks up Cathedral Peak if there is a demand; this is a good way to summit if you are unsure of the route which includes some piano traverses, clambering and ladders but no technical climbing. Route maps for this climb are also available at the Didima Hotel. Be aware that your chances of a successful summit are very weather dependent. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to climb the peak in stormy weather because it attracts lightning.

Dagga smuggling is still rife in this wilderness area and you may encounter smugglers on the passes. If you do not interfere with them they will leave you alone. Do not be tempted to use your cell phone to report them – it is only very occasionally that any effort is made by the authorities to apprehend them and these attempts are planned well in advance, so there will be no response to your report anyway. A casual mention of your encounter to an Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife official at your entry point when you get back will suffice.

Road access: 4/5

The route via Winterton is about the best a tar road gets in this area. Beware of livestock and pedestrians once you enter the rural settlement bordering the wilderness area.

Parking: 3/5

Vehicles can be left in the paved parking lot in front of the Didima Hotel. Alternatively, they can be left in the grassed parking area at the entrance gate to the Cathedral Peak Hotel. Both are fairly secure but are very exposed to the weather and offer no shade or protection from hail.

Toilet facilities: 5/5

There are well-maintained toilets off the open-plan foyer area.

Washing facilities: 0/5

There are no washing facilities for hikers at either of the hotels. This is why the campsite ablutions were so welcoming when they were still open.

Sales: 5/5

The shop at the Didima Hotel is the largest that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has to offer in the Drakensberg. The bar and restaurant welcome hikers because this is their entry point into the Cathedral Peak Wilderness Area.

Atmosphere: 5/5

The main building and general atmosphere at the Didima Hotel are typical of what you might expect at an Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife game reserve in the Zululand bushveld, characterised by high thatched rooves and ceilings. There is a sense of rustic tranquility without being overly sophisticated. Since it is the official entry point for backpackers in this part of the Drakensberg, you have a right to be there. This is quite different to some other hotels and resorts which do their best to prevent backpackers from mingling with their guests.

Overall rating: 22/30