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The Drakensberg (Afrikaans for "Dragon Mountains") mountains are the highest in South Africa, rising up at Thabana Ntlenyana to 3,482 m (11,422 ft) in height. In isiulu, they are referred to as uKhahlamba ("barrier of spears"), and in Sesotho as Maloti (commonly misspelt Maluti).

They are located in the eastern part of South Africa, running for some 1,000 km (600 mi) generally southwest to northeast, with a northwesterly bend forming the northeastern border of Lesotho with South Africa. They are drained on the west by the Orange and Vaal rivers, and on the east and south by a number of smaller rivers, the Tugela being the largest. The range thus separates KwaZulu-Natal Province from Free State Province, looming over the nearby coast of Natal.

The highest peak is Thabana Ntlenyana at 3,482 m (11,422 ft). Other notable peaks include Mafadi at 3,450 m, Makoaneng at 3,416 m, Champagne Castle at 3,377 m, Giant's Castle at 3,315 m, and Ben Macdhui at 3,001 m. All of these are in the area bordering on Lesotho ; north of Lesotho the range gradually becomes lower and less rugged until entering Mpumalanga where the quartzite mountains of the Transvaal Drakensberg are probably more broken and challenging to both climber and hiker.

Geologically, the Drakensberg is a remnant of the original African plateau. The mountains are capped by a layer of basalt up to 1,500 m thick, with sandstone lower down, resulting in a combination of steep-sided blocks and pinnacles. Caves are frequent in the sandstone, and many have rock paintings by the San peoples.

Snow falls regularly in the winter, while rains and mists can occur year-round.

Many of the Drakensberg peaks offer challenging mountainingeering. While the major summits have all been conquered, a number of minor pinnacles have yet to be ascended. Hiking is also a popular activity. Navigation on long hikes is often aided by GPS receivers, and current maps distributed by KZN (KwaAulu-Natal) Wildlife uses the Capte datum as the geodesic reference. GPS users should be careful to use the correct datum as WGS 84 is not always the default.

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