Drakensberg Amphitheatre

The Amphitheatre is the curved escarpment wall at the northern end of the Drakensberg: about five kilometres from end to end and rising roughly 1,200 metres from the valley to the plateau rim, which puts it among the largest continuous cliff faces anywhere in the world. The Tugela drops off its lip in five stages. It is flanked by the Sentinel at one end and the Eastern Buttress at the other, with Devil's Tooth, a detached pinnacle, between them - a serious climbing objective first ascended in the 1950s. Most people see it from below in Royal Natal, where the whole wall stands over the valley. The other way is from above: from the Sentinel car park a path traverses to two chain ladders bolted to the rock, and above them the plateau runs flat to the edge, where you can look down the full height. Weather on top changes without warning and has killed hikers.

What you actually see

• The five-kilometre wall - a continuous cliff face rising about 1,200 metres.
• Devil's Tooth - a detached pinnacle between the buttresses, a serious climb.
• The chain ladders - bolted ladders giving access to the plateau from the Sentinel side.
• The top edge - flat plateau running to a drop with the falls going over it.

When to go

March to May and September to November. A day either way; start early for the ladder route.

Honest expectations

The chain ladders are exposed and frightening for many; there is an alternative gully but it is also serious. Storms build fast on the plateau and people have died of exposure up there. Mist hides the wall from below for days at a time. The Sentinel road is rough gravel.

Nearby

Royal Natal National Park is below; Tugela Falls drops off the rim.