Royal Natal National Park

The Amphitheatre is a curved cliff about five kilometres long and 1,200 metres high, and Royal Natal sits directly beneath it - which makes this small park, only around 8,000 hectares, the postcard of the whole range. The classic walk is the Tugela Gorge trail, about fourteen kilometres return, following the river up through protea grassland into a narrowing gorge that ends in a boulder scramble and the tunnel, with the Amphitheatre and the falls above. Shorter paths go to Cascades and the Lookout. The name came from a 1947 visit by the British royal family; the park predates it by twenty years. Basotho herders cross the escarpment above, San rock art survives in shelters in the park, and the grassland holds eland and bearded vulture overhead. Weather here is fast and serious: afternoon thunderstorms in summer are the main hazard.

What you actually see

• The Amphitheatre - a five-kilometre basalt wall rising 1,200 metres above the park.
• The Tugela Gorge walk - a fourteen-kilometre return route ending in a boulder scramble.
• The San shelters - rock art sites within the park boundaries.
• The bearded vulture - a rare raptor working the escarpment thermals.

When to go

March to May and September to November. Two days. Summer afternoons bring lightning storms.

Honest expectations

Summer thunderstorms are dangerous on open grassland and arrive fast - walk early. The gorge trail ends in a rock scramble that stops many people. Mist can hide the Amphitheatre for days. Accommodation inside is limited and books ahead.

Nearby

Tugela Falls drops off the wall above; the Sentinel car park route is around the escarpment.