Sinclair's Cave Hike

Things To Do in UnderbergSinclair's Cave Hike

Hiking Trails Drakensberg

Start: Mkhomazi Wilderness Area, southern central Drakensberg or Kamberg Nature Reserve
Finish: where you started, this is a there-and-back hike
Duration: 22 km from Mkhomazi (overnight in the cave)
Fitness: moderate to difficult
Our tip: the cave only sleeps about 6 hikers, so take tents (take the tents anyway for if it rains things can get a little wet) as most of the floor space is strewn with boulders and does not make a pleasant sleeping space

There are two routes to reach Sinclair's Cave – either from Mkhomazi or from the Kamberg Game Reserve's hutted camp.

Taking the Kamberg Route can include Game Pass Shelter, famous for its rock art paintings, but to see them you need a guided tour and will have to time your visit to coincide with the tour schedule (well worth doing).

Either way, reserve Sinclair's Cave for an overnight stay, although it is merely a small sandstone overhang. Some hikers overnight instead at the Cyprus Cave.

Be aware the hiking in the Kamberg can often end up misty. Most of the paths are game tracks and not available on maps, so it is a good idea to take a guide with you on this one.

Sinclair's Cave is regarded as a hike for the more experienced walker as some parts of the hike are steep.

The overhang is deep and its placement on the side of a hill near open grassland means that it does not suffer the ill effects of wind, as so many other caves do.

To get to the views over Mkhomazi and up to the escarpment, head up to the top of the hill behind the cave.

The cave is named after one of the early owners of Anondale farm at the foot of Settler's Pass. You can still see fence posts and the remains of a kraal that he built for his herdsmen close to the cave – the intention was to drive his horses up to higher ground out of reach of a horse sickness that had gripped the area. But a vaccine solved the problem.