The Amphitheatre Hike

The Amphitheatre Hike is famous for its awe-inspiring views, regarded as amongst the most spectacular in the world. The Amphitheatre consists of an 8 km long escarpment wall flanked by two magnificent peaks - the Sentinel and Eastern Buttress. The Tugela waterfall cascades down its basalt face and into the Royal Natal National Park below. These falls are the 2nd highest in the world, and the highest in Africa. The highest point on the escarpment is the Mont-Aux-Sources at 3283.4m.

Usually it takes 2 to 3 days to access the summit of the Amphitheatre and back. We condense the trip into one day - the hike begins an altitude of 2500m. The summit is reached via a gully filled with wild flowers and other indigenous flora. Lunch is enjoyed with the breath-taking view where the Tugela Waterfall spills over the 1 km drop. We descend using two sets of chain ladders.

The top of the Amphitheatre is over 3000m high and the weather can be treacherous. One minute the group can be swimming in the Tugela River and the next, blanketed in thick fog. Paths are not clearly marked and the ladders slippery when wet, so this hike requires a registered guide carrying first aid kit and safety ropes.