Montusi Mountain Lodge

The ten Garden Suites are all spaced apart to allow for maximum privacy and are set within the lodge’s manicured gardens. From here, guests can enjoy sweeping views of Drakensburg’s awe-inspiring Amphitheatre and mountains. The spacious suites feature comfortable bedrooms, furnished with a king-size bed or two single beds, a small dressing table and wardrobe space. Each room includes large windows, providing constant panoramic views of the mountains.

The bedroom also has a private en-suite bathroom with modern decor, a large vanity, bath and walk-in shower. Both the bedroom and bathroom include underfloor heating. Guests can relax in their own lounge area and cuddle up in front of the TV with a DVD player, beside a roaring fire to keep you warm. By the suite’s entrance, you will find a tea and coffee station with a kettle and french press, and refreshments can be enjoyed on your private terrace with outdoor seating and impeccable scenery.

Montusi’s recently built Mountain Suites are more spacious and provide guests with closer views of the stunning Drakensburg mountains and the looming Amphitheatre escarpment. Each suite consists of a comfortable bedroom, furnished with a king-size bed, a small dressing table and an open wardrobe with plentiful shelving space. The suites feature lots of large windows throughout, offering constant mountain views. These can also be enjoyed from the comfort of your outdoor covered terrace which includes a comfy seating area and coffee table, with a low wall of plants for privacy.

The bedroom leads to a private en-suite bathroom with modern decor, a large vanity, bath and walk-in shower. Both the bedroom and bathroom include underfloor heating. Guests can relax in their extended lounge area and cuddle up in front of the TV with a DVD player, beside a roaring fire to keep you warm. The mountain suites also include a small kitchenette area with a fridge and a tea and coffee station with a french press.

The Family Suites are ideal for small groups and families, with two double bedrooms, the larger of which features a comfy king-size bed and en-suite bathroom which a shower and toilet. The second bedroom has a double bed and an en-suite bathroom with a bathtub and toilet. Both bedrooms and their bathrooms feature underfloor heating, keeping guests warm throughout the cooler dry season. Your living room will also feature a cosy gas fire, so guests can keep warm while snuggling up on one of the sofas and watching a movie with the TV and DVD player. The family suites also include a small kitchenette area with a small dining table, fridge and a tea and coffee station with a french press.

Enjoy sitting out on your private elevated terrace with plenty of seating and 270-degree views of the rolling green hills and stunning rocky mountains that reach up into the clouds. The suites are all generously spaced apart, meaning that guests can enjoy a private and tranquil stay.

Guests at Montusi Mountian Lodge can look forward to a delicious breakfast each morning, and enjoy amazing gourmet meals either in the lodge’s restaurant or outside with incredible views of the Amphitheatre.

Breakfast consists of a selection of cereals, muesli, yoghurt, fresh fruits, cheeses, meats, tea, coffee and juice, with hot food available to order. Lunch can be enjoyed from 12.30 until 2 pm, and usually consist of toasted sandwiches, burgers, deli boards or salads. Dinner consists of a three-course meal, offering a selection of options including vegetarian dishes. The restaurant can cater for any dietary needs if given prior warning.

Montusi Lodge is just 10 minutes away from the exciting Adventure Centre, where guests can participate in a variety of adrenaline-inducing activities including the Free Fall King Swing, Flying Trapeze, Bungee Bounce Trampoline, Zip Line, Quad Biking tours to the river, and Forest Paintball. This collection of fun and energetic activities allow guests to let loose and connect with friends and family through teambuilding and stress-relieving pastimes.

All of the adventures have safety precautions in place and are suitable for a range of fitness levels and age groups. There is also a tea garden with a trampoline zone and two small zip lines for younger children to enjoy. The Adventure Centre is not open on Mondays.

Enjoy a pleasant hike up to the top of Montusi Mountain, Waterfall Cave, or Bushman Cave and explore the amazing scenery of Northern Drakensburg. Waterfall Cave offers beautiful streams and rock pools where guests can rest their feet with a quick dip/swim in the summer, and the Bushman Cave features historic San Bushman rock paintings. A guide will accompany you to teach you about the amazing natural area and provide complimentary refreshments such as tea, coffee and cookies.

During a full moon, guests can also embark on an evening walk across the dam, where coffee can be enjoyed around a roaring campfire under the silver moonlight.

Enjoy exploring the beautiful horse trails with an intelligent and gentle companion. The Northern Horse has stables within a short walking distance of the lodge, where riders of all experience levels can be matched to a suitable horse. Trails can be customised depending on ability, and riders can enjoy a gentle trot across the sweeping grasslands, or a breathtaking ride into the difficult river valleys and up the escarpments. Enjoy this exciting experience as you and your equine friend discover amazing spots to view the stunning mountain scenery.

Cast your line at one of the two dams located within the estate, and reel in the plentiful trout while enjoying the astounding natural beauty of the sweeping landscape, jagged mountains and vast escarpment. The remote location allows for a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, allowing guests to relax and lure in the trout with an assortment of flies. Fishing is done on a catch-and-release basis to protect the aquatic populations, and is exclusive for Montusi guests.

Montusi Mountain Lodge enjoys a perfect location within Northern Drakensberg’s 100km network of mountain bike trails. Riders of all skill levels can enjoy feeling the wind in their hair while racing along the different bike trails, and building their skills as a cyclist. Admire the incredible views while speeding along the landscape and exploring the furthest reaches of the estate. Guests can choose to either bring their own bikes or hire a mountain bike from the nearby Adventure Centre.

Montusi Mountain Lodge is home to an incredible array of birdlife, including kingfishers, bald ibis and lapwings, which can be viewed on a short walk to the nearby dam and stables. Lucky bird watchers may also catch sight of the endangered ground hornbill. To attract as much endemic birdlife as possible, the lodge has been introducing indigenous plant life, which has attracted sunbirds, sugarbirds, widows and wydahs to Montusi’s gardens, where guests can admire these beautiful creatures from the comfort of their own terraces.

Enjoy a fun tennis match at Montusi’s courts, and participate in a range of friendly and competitive matches against the lodge’s other guests. The outdoor courts offer fresh air and amazing scenery, which you might be able to use to distract your opponent. Tennis equipment is available to use at no extra charge.

Montusi has been removing the invasive wattle trees and replacing them with indigenous trees, in order to provide a healthy natural habitat for the endemic wildlife to South Africa.

‘Montusi believes that preservation is an integral part of conservation in the Northern Drakensberg. With this in mind, over the last ten years invasive wattle trees have been eradicated from Montusi and the area rehabilitated by planting indigenous trees.’

This initiative has promoted indigenous birdlife and seen an increase in the native bird populations, as well as the return of a variety of mammals such as Mountain Reedbuck, Vaal Rhebuck, Bushbuck and Elands.

All of the suites at Montusi Mountain Lodge have thatched roofs which act as a natural insulator, keeping suite temperatures cooler during the summer and warmer throughout winter. This negates the need for high energy-consuming air conditioning units, and reduces the amount of heating needed during the colder months. As a result, this limits the amount of energy used and carbon emission released.