Cathedral Peak

Cathedral Peak stands at 3,004 metres on a spur running out from the main Drakensberg escarpment, which is why it looks like a tower rather than part of a wall - the range of jagged summits around it, the Bell, the Horns, the Mitre and the Chessmen, form one of the most photographed skylines in the country. The summit walk is about eighteen kilometres return with 1,500 metres of ascent, done in a single long day starting before dawn, and the final section is a scramble on exposed rock where a rope is sometimes used and where inexperienced parties turn back. Shorter walks in the valley go to Doreen Falls, Rainbow Gorge and the Mushroom Rock. There are rock art shelters nearby with well-preserved San paintings. The area is also where long-term catchment research on grassland burning has run since the 1930s.

What you actually see

• The detached spire - a 3,004 metre peak standing out from the escarpment wall.
• The skyline - the Bell, the Horns and the Mitre in one ridge line.
• The summit scramble - exposed rock at the top that turns many parties back.
• The valley walks - Doreen Falls and Rainbow Gorge for a shorter day.

When to go

March to May and September to November. A full day for the summit; register at the office first.

Honest expectations

The summit day is long and the last section is genuine scrambling with exposure - people have died on it. Storms build fast in summer afternoons. Mist makes route-finding hard. Register and sign out, because rescue depends on it.

Nearby

Didima rock art centre is in the same valley; Champagne Valley is south.