Phuthaditjhaba

Phuthaditjhaba is a mostly Sesotho-speaking town at 1,646 m in the foothills of the Maloti and Drakensberg, close to the borders with Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal. From 1974 to 1994 it was the capital of QwaQwa, one of the apartheid homelands, and the name means meeting place of the tribes. There is not much here for a visitor in itself. What it does have is the road up to Witsieshoek and the Sentinel car park, the start of the chain ladders route onto the top of the Amphitheatre.

Getting there

Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge is reached on the R57 through Phuthaditjhaba. The lodge puts the drive at about four hours from Johannesburg or Durban and five from Bloemfontein.

When to go

Mountain weather here changes fast, and the walk on the plateau is only pleasant without cloud. The lodge suggests messaging them for current conditions before you set out. SA Hikes tells walkers heading back to the lodge to start down from the top by 3 pm.

What to do

The Sentinel route is the reason to come. From the Sentinel car park the path zigzags up below Sentinel Peak to the foot of Beacon Buttress, where two chain ladders, each with roughly 50 rungs, get you onto the escarpment. On top, the plateau leads to the edge of the Tugela Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the world. Published figures vary: SA Hikes gives 8 km return with about 616 m of ascent, while Hiking Project logs 11.5 km and 650 m. Most walkers reach the ladders in 60 to 90 minutes. Nervous of heights? The gully between Beacon Buttress and Sentinel Peak is the other way up.

Witsieshoek, at 2,200 m, is the only lodge at the base of Sentinel Peak. It also offers a via ferrata, gentler walks to Mahai Falls and access to longer routes, including the Drakensberg Grand Traverse. The old QwaQwa National Park nearby is now part of Golden Gate Highlands National Park.

Good to know

An ordinary car will struggle on the final kilometres of road to the Sentinel car park, which is rough enough to need a 4x4. The lodge runs a 4x4 shuttle, and most people without their own high clearance vehicle use it. Do not leave the ladders and the 3 pm turnaround to chance on a day of low cloud.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge, SA Hikes, Hiking Project.