Tucked away in the mountains. Unobstructed views. And absolutely incredible hiking trails. Tested me but it was too lovely. Fresh air, a good drink to end off the day too. Highly highly recommend!

I have been traveling Sauth Africa for three weeks now, and this is the best accommodation so far. Very strong wifi. The backpacker part is very basic, but the bungalow is very nice. The kitchen is very good, the crew is extremely friendly. I love this place. Im coming back.

I havent stayed in their accommodation, I always use Witsieshoek as a safe spot to park my car when hiking this area.Witsieshoek offer a shuttle service to the Sentinel Car park which is the official starting point For the Tugela Falls/ Chain Ladders hike.

Wonderful stay. Friendly hospitable staff and amazing views. Lovely place to be spoilt for your anniversary. Accomodation was awesome. Will be back. Good recovery spot after hiking amphitheater.

We spent the weekend at Witsieshoek Mountain lodge. It was an absolutely incredible experience. Everything down to even the staff were incredible. The accommodation was impeccable. Definitely worth its weight in gold. I would recommend this to everyone, Especially in the snow. I will definitely be back for a second visit in spring time. Thank you Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge for making it a weekend worth remembering.

Wonderful stay. Thought the room price was a little high for the basics but the staff and restaurant waitrons are absolutely phenomenal. The best person to person experience Ive had in a long time.

Awesome place if you like mountains.Cozy and nice rooms, great restaurant and lovely staff.Bonus its community own and well managed

What a disappointment. We had to pay an entrance fee of R60 per person. A so-called conservation levy. What surprised me was the conservation levy is not used to remove graffiti on the rocks. The only wildlife seen was cattle from the local people. Just another example on how money is misappropriated in South Africa. So, if its drinks or lunch, add R60 per person.

Brilliant place to stay if you’re in the area for hiking. The main attraction is the hike to the sentinel peak.The road to the sentinel peak is horrible and you need a proper 4x4 vehicle to get there. Witsieshoek offers a shuttle from the hotel to the start of the hike but can be a bit pricey.We were a big group of hikers with some unique catering requirements but Witsieshoek were extremely accommodating. Jan and his team put in a lot of effort to ensure that we were comfortable.

We stayed in both the Sentinal and rondaval rooms. Sentinal is lovely spacious rooms with amazing views. The rondavals are obviously not as spacious, but more then adequate. Clean and well maintained. The restaurant is only open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (not all through the day). Food is delicious, but if its a busy weekend. A little slow.Lovely packed lunches for hiking days @ R120 each. Many beautiful hikes from the Lodge. Highly recommended the Crack and Sentinal Peak!! The Manager was super friendly and very helpful with any and all questions we had. This is definitely a must for anyone who wants to get into those beautiful mountains, and still have a really comfy bed and warm yummy meals at the end of the day....

Exactly the accommodation you need if youre in a group and keen to hike or climb in the area. The restaurant is handy if you dont want to self cater.

We made our original booking pre- covid and then had to postpone. They were incredibly accommodating and helpful with the re-scheduling. The staff are professional, friendly and efficient - they treated us like locals.Its definitely the best accommodation option for hiking in the area. If you can, book a guide to accompany you.The Sentinel rooms have the most spectacular view of the mountains, and are very comfortable. Somehow I expected a fireplace, but even without one the room was always cozy. There is a fireplace in the bar/ recreation area.The restaurant serves good, reasonably priced food.If I could, Id stay there!

Amazing view. The backpackers left a lot to be desired. Especially maintenance of the male bathroom.

The view is nice. Prices is exorbitant. Service is okay. Facilities really needs attention. Having a monopoly on location is really bad for customers here. I would recommend to stay a bit further and drive in, or do over night hikes and avoid staying here.

Such an incredible stay at Witsies. The rooms are great, staff and food are exceptional. You couldnt get a better view in SA, love this place.

Stopped over for a coffee & to start out hike up the Drakensberg.The staff were super friendly & well informed.

Breathtaking views in the Drakensberg. Witnessed snow 15 August 2021.

Rooms, food and service was great. Nice place to stay.

Nestled at the food of mount aux sources mountain range. With lash greenery and water falls surrounding it, Mountain lodge us the mecca of tourism in the Eastern Free State. Its splendor and reputation extwntgyo fer countries such as Germany and Spain. It is a must for a discerning tourist.

Great views. Breath taking!

Overpriced rooms, and food for less than exceptional quality.Friendly staff- at times unprofessional.

Definitely the best place to stay when you want to hike to the Tugela Falls. Please note that the road to the Sentinel park (off road section just before the car park) is not accessible with a normal car. 4wd is a necessity!

The most beautiful landscapes and sights. Convenient location for hiking.

Most beautiful scenery. Motel is good value for money. Excellent

We just went to the bar / restaurant for drinks. Really nice place to go after a hike. Also fantastic drive along the mountains to get there. I would definitely recommend a visit. I cant comment on the hotel / accommodation

This place and its staff is amazing 👏

Camped overnight. The facilities are not really designed for camping, but they accommodated us. Had some coffee in the restaurant. And slept well that night. Friendly and helpful staff. Had a great stay and then they took us on the shuttle to the start of the next days hike up to the Amphitheater

Great location for the sentinel peak/Tugela falls hike. Comfortable and great views. They offer a shuttle to the trailhead. Breakfast is disappointing though

Incredible setup for back packers accommodation, which really set the bar high for the category. Incredible food, amazing staff, breathtaking views. Definitely a must for someone wanting to experience the North Drakensberg.

Best and beautiful nature one could ever see. Nice experience for nature lovers.

Awesome place to visit u will enjoy it

Great views and great coffee. Friendly service!

Excellent place in northern Drakensberg.

Beautiful mountain lodge submerged in the snow!

Very beautiful and the staff is very friendly

Amazing views all around, feels like you are in the clouds looking down at the world below. Accommodation is great, very neat and modern in each room. Kitchen and dining is fantastic, great menu, friendly staff, and even better food.

Beautiful views. Service adequate. Great hiking trails

Place is very nice and adventurous.

Hiked up from Mahai for a Hamburger and chips. Relaxed for an hour then walked back down to Mahai. Burgers are Great a good reward after the hike up

The staff is so welcoming and friendly. The hiking trails are beautiful. Basically the mountain views are to die for.

Great place, views and friendly staff

I had a good time here nice view

Perfect family gateway! We loved the beautiful mountain views.. it was really breathtaking. You got to go there for yourself.. the olace is more than beautiful

Best backpackers lodge I have ever stayed at and marvelous food and friendly service

Great staff and well situated for hiking the area.

Amazing views and very fun

The accommodation was beautiful with incredible views. I wasn’t sure what to expect planning to hike up to the amphitheater. The manage Kobus was incredible in giving advice and helping us navigate the crazy wind which made hiking tricky.The main dining hall and bar is awesome and old school which gives the place a well aged feeling. The rooms were modernized and comfortable. The whole environment is just friendly, comfortable and relaxing. Everything you need before smashing a big hike!

Witsieshoek Mountain lodge offers comfortable accommodation and friendly service. The wifi at the lodge is free. Although they offer a limited menu, everything weve eaten during our stay was well prepared and tasty. If you want to go on to one of the many walking trails in the area or just stay at the lodge and look at the magnificent mountains this is a great spot.

Definitely worth 5 stars. Helpful staff. Lovely dining room. Friendly management.

Really nice restaurant with amazing cheap price. Take a hike from royal national Natal Park, through the Crack and on to the mountain lodge to have a wonderful lunch at the restaurant

Unbelievable View, Very friendly staff

Amazing centuary place

Superb mountain lodge. Incredible views and landscape. So comfortable, even more so after a trek up the chain ladders and along the escarpment. Great staff!

Good place to sleep over with options of hiking trails

One of the best lodge

Nice people, great ambiente, I was even allowed to come back up the mountain one day later without being charged for it, because I had lost my mobile phone and had not found it but another person. The lodge gave me the contact details and so I found my mobile again. Highly recommended

Stunning views all around. This lodge feels authentic and the atmosphere is something else. Just be careful on the road there.

Very beautiful and clean lodge. The food was delicious. Beautiful scenery 👌

I loved the drive going up the mountain

I give 2 stars. 1 for the bungalow and 1 for staff for they were hospitable. On our first HIKE, We were caught in a dire situation and no one came to look for us. The morning we left we notified STAFF where we were going. 18h45 and we WERE still hiking with injuries, still in the dark. 12km, 9.5 hours later. No cell signal at all, Anywhere. We were by ourselfs and struggling. My wife gave up as there were no one coming for us. So we struggled limping forward.Lets talk wifi. You lucky if you get close to 50kb/sec consistently, in the reception area let alone the bungalows. Constant disconnect. Only food available is restaurant food. No tuck shop nothing.Lets be clear. Witsieshoek has absolutely no interest in your safety, even from looking all their signboard on the property. Dont give them a positive rating as they dont deserve it!!!!. Their only interest is the highly over priced accommodation and that is it. The trails have none to very limited signage and directions. Witsieshoek dont own the mountains and they dont care about signage and indicators. Do your homework first, if you consider asking for directions or map, as it is safer that way. Dont kid yourself and dont risk your life. ITS NOT A HIKE. Its fing MOUNTAIN CLIMBING. ITS DANGEROUS AND YOU NEED SAFETY GEAR. Dont bring your kids along, as it cost too much and you wont be able to do anything serious and safe with them. I will never ever put me and my wife in this situation, as we relie on Witsieshoeks info. Friendly Hikers we met felt the same. The only positive things from this experience , none relating to witsieshoek Mountain lodge, were the view and that we survived as a family when we were literally alone in the dark. Im sorry but I dont feel its fair to smoothtalk like some other people here on Google, when this place has allot of thinking to do about their focus which is currenly money and fame but not your safety. This is the truth. You want to see tugela falls, and your not a survivelist mountaineer, then download Google photos rather. Or go to a lodge that guides you through this experience with safety and safety gear in mind.

Lovely accommodation. Stayed here to do the Amphitheatre hike. Fully stocked bar and restaurant on site. Would definitely stay here again.

Magnificent views of Drakensberg, easy access to trails

Great views, great service, great staff, amazing atmosphere

Trip to sentinel peak over priced. Food over priced. Staff are very friendly. Great hiking trails

The restort is in a beautiful location.Not many activities besides for hikers. Self-catering only or backpackers.No reception (understandable), but there is WiFi in the reception area. No TV in the rooms. The restaurant menu is very (very) limited.Overall a the place is over priced for what you get.

QwaQwa is great destination to experience adventurous

We stayed here for 3 nights, 12-15 February 2021. We drove through Phutaditjhana, the previously name QuaQua and climbed the steep paved road in the rain. The spectacular views clouded in mist. On arrival we were warmly greeted by Gugu and directed to our rooms. Our group of four met for dinner in the main lounge and dining area where there were two firewood heater - none of which were lit. When we requested one be lit to warm the area we were told the firewood was wet due to rain. Our bar was able to serve our order of G&T the first and second night but on the third evening the tonic had run out. The a la carte menu was satisfactory and it was good value for money. Breakfast was included in the tariff and was also good. They did however say that they’d run out of grilled tomato which is normally served. Simon our waiter must be commended for his good cheerful service.With regard to the bedroom - Maluti..... the shower was great. Lovely hot water and white fluffy towels. The bed was very comfortable, an electric blanket and plenty of multi plugs nearby. On the downside.... The en-suite bedrooms are situated in circles of six under one roof. Ours had a dry wall type of division with the one next door. Our afternoon rest was disturbed by staff who occupied the bedroom next door over lunch period. Loud chatter and laughter precluded sleep. We decided to move to the lounge in the main block and watched Tv. Fortunately some dry wood was found and we had a fire to cheer up the room. Dor the first two nights were were the only guests in the dining room.Waking to a sunny day and magnificent scenery on 14th we took the shuttle for R150 per person to the Royal Natal National Park parking, from which we walked up a paved path to view the Amphitheatre of the berg. We had a picnic with devils tooth and the sentinel in in the background, whirling mist and a blanket of cloud below - much like being in an aeroplane above the clouds. Do not be tempted to use your own transport up to the start of the hiking trails. The road has completely collapsed and it appears to be a long way from any attempt to repair it. It’s a mystery how a world heritage site can be served with such appalling access roads.On our last afternoon we walked from the lodge to view the Mahai falls. We saw grey reedbuck and eland and heard baboons and jackal. This walk on a narrow path was muddy and more difficult than we’d expected it to be. It took about an hour to complete.Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge is worth a visit. In good weather make the mist of the beautiful scenery and walking trails. Be prepared however for cloudy wet days by taking things to do indoors. They have plenty of books on hand for guests.

Receptionist bad, she insisted of giving us the linking or hiking trails and theres no network in mountain. Breakfast overpriced R120 is too much

Shuttles and hiking permits were expensive and then we were required to pay conservation fees too.The chain ladders are not maintained, so Im not quite sure where this money goes at all. 😊

Super friendly and helpfull staff, incredible!

The hiking trails and the views are out of this world! Every time I go there it feels like its my first time.

Rooms are clean, very comfortable and cosy and generally speaking super nice.The lodge is located in the mountains, with a splendid view over the Amphitheatre on the one side, the Free State and KZN valleys on the other side. The place is calm, away from any civilization.Staff is extremely friendly, always smiling and nice, as well as careful and helpful —whether it is for hikes advice or anything that is needed during your stay.The perfect place to go hiking in the Northern Drakensberg or simply take some calm time in the mountains. Completely loved it!!

Beautiful accommodation on the mountain...

Snow was amazing

The view from the top is really awesome, breathtaking.

Excellent location beside the Royal Natal national park. Room was comfy and and food was great I had lamb chops. Only a few kms till the sentinal car park and chain Ladder hike. road conditions are extreme 4x4 after the lodge before lodge they are great. The staff were friendly with Nelson being a highlight. Recommending great sunset hikes near the lodge.They also gave us a lift to the start at 6am

Hidden gem. Comfortable, clean and friendly staff. Great stay for the Sentinal hike.

Its the best place to refresh yourself ..the best place to tour.....the good looking nature is the best view..

Stunning views

Comfortable room, super-friendly staff who go out of their way to help and the best, spectacular views.

Went to see the snow ❄

Beautiful views of the Drakensberg

The management and team (Jan and Xoli) were so helpful and friendly

Amazing place in the mountains, Jan and everyone at the lodge were very friendly, dinner and breakfast is amazing and they have the coziest restaurant seating area overlooking the most gorgeous views of the Drakensberg.

Beautiful place. Staff was very kind and helpful.

What a wonderful scenery! This has got to be the perfect place to witness a world wonder! All I could say as I looked over the mountain was; “Look at God!” 😍This place is amazing! Do yourself a favour... take a drive there. Whether alone or with a group. You’ll get the opportunity to be one with nature.Take a hike and take a refreshing shower by the waterfall or relax over the mountain over a picnic or read or meditation while taking in the marvelous view! Next time I’m definitely sleeping over. What a refreshing experience! Go there!

Awesome5 star treatmentParadise on earth

Horrible.... should be only marketed as pack packers only

Amazing place. Really great view of the mountain. Great place for a getaway.

Driving in you are welcomed by the most amazing sites. Folds and folds of mountains and the cleanest air. Its quiet and calm. This is just a great gem❤️💎

The view up here is very nice and it is pretty close to the Amphitheatre Hike trail. The lodge offer a shuttle to the head of the trail for 150 rand which is very convenient. The room itself is decent. Might be a bit outdated since there is a smell as if its not ventilated enough. Also, waiters at the restaurant could be a bit more welcoming...

The best view and service from staff

Great cappuccinos before our walk

The only good thing about that lodge is the location if you want to hike from Sentinel Car Park. The rooms are full of stale air and furnished tasteless . The cigarette smoke of the other rooms comes in through the bathrooms windows (we later found out that it was the manager smoking in her room). The bathrooms window go to a small chimney in the inside of the so called bungalows.The menu of the restaurant is very small and the food disgusting. The waitress was mostly ignoring us.There was no room service. When we asked why, they said it was due to Covid19. And they had to obey these rules. On the other hand no one of the staff was wearing a mask.Communication via email was complicated as emails werent anwered.There was no electricity so the bathrooms couldnt be used after a dayhike as it was dark inside.No WiFi Connection in the rooms.The price is much too high for such a lousy service.NEVER EVER AGAIN!

Beautiful location and an excellent centre for walks. Chalets are comfortable but not particularly big. Bar and restaurant are good with free tea and coffee available.

I had an awesome time the view was supper good

Great coffee, and friendly people

Such a great place to visit, if you want a peace of mind while the wind is blowing your thoughts away. Come visit and sleep peacefully, you will thank me later

Excellent

Beautiful views.. thin cold air.. bearded vultures! Who wouldnt love it..!