Giant's Castle
A mountain in the central Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal, with a grassy plateau set among deep valleys. The shape of its peaks and escarpment resembles a sleeping giant, and the reserve around it holds many San rock paintings.
- Where
- Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- -29.3461, 29.4836
Get the Giant's Castle stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Giant's Castle. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your KwaZulu-Natal volume with your photos and a note.
Near Giant's Castle
uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park 16 km
A World Heritage mountain park along the border with Lesotho, with basalt cliffs, deep valleys and high peaks. Its caves and rock shelters hold some of the largest collections of San rock paintings in Africa, painted over thousands of years.
Mafadi 20 km
The highest point in South Africa at 3,450 metres, a rounded peak on the border with Lesotho in the Drakensberg. It has no marked tourist path, and reaching it takes a multi day hike through the wilderness area of the Giant's Castle region.
Sani Pass 33 km
A steep gravel road that climbs from KwaZulu-Natal into Lesotho over the Drakensberg, rising about 1,000 metres in 8 kilometres to nearly 2,900 metres. Only four wheel drive vehicles can use it, and at the top is a pub that claims to be the highest in Africa.
Howick Falls 80 km
A waterfall about 95 metres high, dropping on the Umgeni River beside the town of Howick in KwaZulu-Natal. The Zulu name KwaNogqaza means Place of the Tall One, and a viewing point looks across the gorge.
Tugela Falls 87 km
A multi stage waterfall dropping about 948 metres from the Amphitheatre cliff in the Royal Natal National Park, among the tallest in the world. It is best seen from the valley below, or from the top of the escarpment after a long hike from Sentinel Peak car park.
Royal Natal National Park 90 km
An 81 square kilometre park in KwaZulu-Natal, part of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Its famous Amphitheatre is a wall of rock about five kilometres wide, and the Tugela Falls drop from its rim.
Golden Gate Highlands National Park 124 km
A 340 square kilometre park in the Free State near the Lesotho border. Its main feature is a set of deeply eroded sandstone cliffs and outcrops in golden, ochre and orange tones.
Sibudu Cave 156 km
A rock shelter in a sandstone cliff above the Tongati River in KwaZulu-Natal, where layers of occupation stretch back about 77,000 years. Excavations found grass bedding, bone tools and early arrowheads, and the shelter is also a bat roost.
More hidden gems in KwaZulu-Natal
Questions
Where is Giant's Castle?
Giant's Castle is in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park (16 km), Mafadi (20 km), Sani Pass (33 km).
How do I get the Giant's Castle stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Giant's Castle and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your KwaZulu-Natal volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Giant's Castle before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your KwaZulu-Natal volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 40 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.