Highline staff met up for another 3-day teambuilding & educational adventure in February 2024, this time in the Drakensberg.
We travelled from our various corners of South Africa, and all met up at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.
Paarl Rock Tours
We met our driver & 17-seater kitted-out Mercedes Sprinter from our long-term coach & minibus supplier partner, Paarl Rock Tours. The vehicle was very comfortable and the cool/ice box full of water was very welcome in the heat of summer. Jacques was a fantastic driver who navigated along some narrow & dirt countryside roads with ease, and he effortlessly integrated into the Highline family for the next few days.
Why Go to the Drakensberg?
As we headed from Johannesburg’s airport to the northern Drakensberg, we witnessed the landscape change gradually from busy residential & industrial areas to countryside & farmlands. We had all prepared different games to play en route, which ranged from 2 truths and a lie to riddles and number games, which were loads of fun! After a pizza stop at the petrol station complex in Harrismith, we were nearly there and started to see the view outside of the windows get more wild & mountainous as we entered the Drakensberg region. Being summer, it was hot but with bouts of rain, and the mountains & valleys were all lush & green.
The Drakensberg is the name given to part of the Great Escarpment; it is a mountain range stretching more than 1000km, part of which forms the border between South Africa and Lesotho – a landlocked mountain country entirely surrounded by South Africa. The Drakensberg is roughly broken up into the northern, central & southern ‘berg’ (as it is known by locals) and is a very popular area for hiking & other outdoor activities. The highest peak is Thabana Ntlenyana at 3482m, but there are many popular peaks & routes for day & multi-day hikes, some challenging and others suitable for beginners.
Many people are drawn to the Drakensberg for its rugged wilderness & for the expansive feel of the area, along with the many opportunities for birding & other animal sightings. While the area was lush with frequent rains when we visited, in winter it tends to be sunnier and a lot drier with high chances of snow – especially on the peaks.
The Cavern Resort & Spa
After around 5hrs of driving, we arrived at our home for the next 2 nights, the Cavern Resort & Spa. Located in the northern Drakensberg, it is a sprawling estate nestled at the foothills of the surrounding mountains in the Amphitheatre World Heritage Site region.
The Cavern has a long history stretching back to 1941, and management of the resort is still by descendants of the same family. Boasting around 55 rooms spread out over a large space, the Cavern truly feels like a home-away-from-home with its friendly staff and personal touches. The facilities are impressive, with so many things to do for the whole family – including a kids eating & play area. Other on-site activities include lawn bowling, tennis courts, a swimming pool and lots of hiking & mountain biking trails. There is also a calendar of guided & organised activities, including daily guided morning hikes. With pre-booking & for an extra fee, treatments at the on-site Forest Retreat Spa can be arranged, and the same goes for full-time child minders.
The Cavern has multiple living rooms for guests to enjoy a change of scenery and for the best WIFI signal, including a quiet lounge for reading, a games room area with pool table, and a meeting room – which we made use of for our late afternoon / evening strategy & brainstorming sessions.
The Cave Bar is a quirky and cosy place to grab a drink in the evening; there is also a darts board, a TV showing sports games, and lots of outdoor space around the bar to enjoy sundowners in the fresh air, surrounded by the most magnificent mountain views. There is also a wine cellar with plenty of well-known and unusual local brands available to purchase.
And possibly one of the best parts of the Cavern is the fact that all stays are inclusive of all meals – breakfast, lunch & dinner plus afternoon tea each day. Lunches consisted of hot & cold buffets, while breakfasts & dinners had breads, cheeses, salads (plus cereals & yoghurts in the case of breakfasts) available to help yourself as well as à la carte options, with dinners being 3-course affairs. All dietary requirements were catered for and the food was plentiful & fresh.
The Cavern seems to cater well to all demographics, from multi-generational family groups to couples – we met a couple at the bar who came to the Cavern once to celebrate their first anniversary and loved it so much that they decide to keep coming back every year!
We noticed that some parts of the grounds are steep, so if anyone looking to stay here has mobility issues, then please do advise at the time of booking so that the dedicated wheelchair-accessible room that is situated close to all the central facilities can be booked.
Drakensberg Hiking
On our first morning in the Drakensberg, we had breakfast at the Cavern then met our wonderful local guide who took us on an easy hike on some of the local paths. We saw some fantastic views as well as the routes that lead onwards to the more difficult climbs, including the one that leads to ‘Cannibal Cavern’, the place after which the Cavern Resort is named with a fascinating, dark history.
On our hike, we took a circular route and saw some incredible views & waterfalls, as well as popular fishing spots, before heading back to the natural pools – where the river widens and there is space to swim – and eventually heading back to the Cavern.
Drakensberg Supplier Networking Lunch
Once back at The Cavern, we bundled into the minibus & headed the short distance to Montusi Mountain Lodge, where we received a warm welcome and short tour of their facilities. Montusi is a beautiful lodge that has been built with the intention of creating a space that is quiet, calm & rejuvenating. While Montusi also offers all of the outdoor activities that the Drakensberg is so famous for, including hiking, trail running, mountain biking, tennis, fishing & swimming, it also provides luxury & tranquillity so that you do not feel pressured to ‘do’ anything at all.
Here we met up with a lot of local providers of accommodation & activities to broaden our local contacts. We learned so much & met so many lovely people from this part of the world, including from The Nest, the Cathedral Peak Hotel, Spionkop Lodge & the Drakensberg Boys Choir among many others.
After a leisurely & delicious lunch full of fresh wraps, salads, fruits, cheese, breads & meats, we eventually headed back to the Cavern to freshen up, followed by team meetings & dinner.
Drakensberg Ballooning
After meeting Ianthé at the networking lunch, the generous family team at Drakensberg Ballooning offered some of us the once-in-a-lifetime chance to go hot air ballooning the following morning.
So 4 of us in the Highline team woke up very early to head to Winterton. We were greeted with hot drinks, which were very welcome at this colder time of morning before the sunrise, then had a safety briefing and in no time we were climbing into the balloon and heading up, up and away!
The balloon ride over the farmlands with the mountains in the distance at sunrise was an absolutely amazing experience! We got to go very high up and the conditions were perfect – warm and still after the sun came up. Compared to a flight by plane, it is serene and quiet, and our expert pilot managed a landing that can only be compared to a cloud drifting downwards – soft & seamless!
After landing, we celebrated with sparkling wine & were then driven to Drakensberg Ballooning’s breakfast spot where we were treated to a delicious spread with a view.
This experience is highly recommended for anyone looking for a touch of luxury by a safe, friendly, family-run local business.
All Out Adventures
After the ballooning, the whole Highline team met up at All Out Adventures, where we had loads of fun! Many of us had to face our fears and be physically challenged as we tried out some of the many activities available here including the King Swing (for adrenaline enthusiasts!), ziplining, paintball target shooting and the innovative ‘bungee bounce’, where you are suspended by bungee cords which keep you safe and help you to bounce really high on a trampoline – some of us even attempted backflips and front flips!
All Out Adventures is great fun for the young & young-at-heart, and offers some really unusual & exciting activities not found anywhere else in this part of the world. They are also very well-placed to arrange corporate team-bonding breaks, bachelorette parties and other specialist group events.
After All Out Adventures, we went back to Johannesburg and then onwards to our respective homes all over South Africa. We learned and laughed a lot during our time together, and the trip helped to strengthen our relationships and find new and better ways to work together.
