Renowned for having some of the most spectacular scenery in South Africa, Royal Natal National Park is probably the most visited part of the Drakensberg. The Park is easily accessible comparing to other remoted reserves of the mountain range. Royal Natal National Park is crowned by the famous Amphitheater, a 500m high rock wall expanding on 5 km. On its top stands the Mont-aux-Sources Peak. Here, the Tugela Falls (the world's second tallest falls) plunge over 948 metres from the Amphitheatre's cliff tops. With its magnificent network of trails covering various distances and fitting all fitness levels, hiking is definitly the most popular activity in Royal Natal. The duration of the trails goes from one hour to one or two days. However, it is possible for serious hickers to enjoy a several days hike, going from Royal Natal National Park to Cathedral Peak.

Fairy Glen : 2 km, 45 min

Otto's Walk : 3 km, 45 min

Cascades and McKinley's Pool : 5 km, 1 hour

Devil"s Hoek Valley : 3 km, 2 hours

Sunday's Falls : 6 km, 2 hours

Camel's Hump : 9 km, 2 hours

Tiger Falls : 6 km, 3 hours

Thendele : 6 km, 3 hours

Policeman Helmet : 5 km, 3 hours

Vemvaan Valley : 6 km, 3 hours

Lion Buttress : 9 km, 3 hours

The Grotto : 10 km, 3 hours

The Crack : 9 km, 4 hours

Castle Rocks : 13 km, 4 hours

Gudu Falls : 9 km, 4h30

Rugged Glen : 12.3 km, 5 hours

The Gorge : 14 km, 5h30

Mahai Falls & Basuto Gate : 14 km, 6 hours
Surprise Ridge & Cannibal Cave : 15 km, 8 hours
Mont-aux-Sources : 45 km, 17 hours
 

The park offers also many activities, such as fishing, swimming, climbing or horse riding. For our afternoon in Royal Natal National Park, we decided to experiment a 2 hours horse riding and then to have a short walk in the park. We did the horse riding with "Rugged Glen Stables", a small horse farm just outside the entrance gate of Royal Natal. The activity doesn't take place inside the national park, as you can think by riding flyers and leaflets. However, it doesn't make this walk on horseback less beautiful. The path snakes through the yellow hills and the landscape is stunning. After this horse ride we went to have a walk in the park. We didn't follow any marked trails because we didn't have enough time after the horse ride to strat a few hours trails (it gets dark early in july). However, we made our own trail following the river and found a magical spot to chill  with a perfect view on the Amphitheater.