The European summer holidays are an ideal time of year to enjoy the beautiful Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, with plenty of space for children to run free and wild in the great outdoors and glorious winter sunshine, with a wide variety of supervised and free-range activities to choose from,  rather than being booked into overpriced “kids camps” while parent work.

With good Wi-Fi and plenty of space to find a quiet spot, you could even work remotely when needed, without any guilt (although the FOMO might be hectic!), whilst your kids have the time of their lives. For parents with young toddlers and children, there’s a playroom staffed with nannies, safe and exciting playgrounds and a range of educational games and fun activities. Nannies watch the little ones during adult mealtimes, but can also be hired for up to 8 hours per day at an additional cost, if you want to work, go out for a horse ride or just relax in the Forest Spa.

Situated in the heart of the new Northern Drakensberg Nature Reserve, The Cavern offers a fabulous Winter Special which coincides with the UK summer holidays. Their five-night Winter Offer is just R8,050 (around £340) per adult sharing which works out to around £70 per night including three meals daily, decadent teas on the lawn – and most activities.  Children 4 to 6 years pay 40% of the rate, whilst older children and teens aged 7 to 17 years pay 70% (around £50/day).

Activities for Mini Cavern Crusaders include:

• Hiking Passports with many shorter walks ideal for families to fun places including The Grotto, Fan Falls, Natural Pool, May’s Falls and Top Dams. Guides carry along crunchies and juice and brew tea at the destination. Children can help collect firewood and enjoy playing in the streams.
• Pony Rides are available twice a day, most days.
• Croquet, a Jungle Gym, see-saw, slide, mini roundabout and trampoline are available as well as tennis courts
• Kiddies’ Nail Treatments are available at the Spa
• Picnics at the Natural Pool or Cowslip Falls Dam
• Canoeing on Darter Dam – or build you own mini raft
• Fishing at Darter Dam and Paddling your feet in Putterill Stream
• Daily kids programme in the playroom for an hour of fun! Your children will be kept amused by creating their own pet rock, building Jelly-tot structures or racing around about on the scavenger hunt or nature challenge. Kiddies 4 & younger may need an adult on some activities which venture further afield.
• Swimming Pool & Slippery Slide – and a separate kiddies’ pool for tiny tots.
• The Nature Trail with information boards which explain many interesting facts about the birds and plants found at The Cavern.
• Face Painting on Wednesdays & Sundays
• TV Lounge with SABC & M-Net

Tweens, Teens and Adults will ditch the screens and enjoy:

• Hiking, trekking and trails
• Fishing at Darter Dam for Tilapia & Bass on a catch and release basis. Trout fishing is available in the cooler months in 3 dams situated in the hills behind the resort.
• The extensive network of MTB and running trails.
• The swimming pool is the perfect place to relax with a book, a tray of tea or a cold beer. For those up for a challenge, there’s tennis, table tennis, lawn bowls and board games including scrabble, chess and backgammon.  A drink in the Cave bar in the evenings is also not to be missed.
• Horse riders of all abilities will find an ideal mount in our stable of more than 20 horses, with experienced grooms that lead rides through splendid scenery.
• All Out Adventures,  located just 6km from The Cavern, offers affordable activities for adrenaline junkies.  Their Adventure Centre provides limitless scope for self-discovery and fun, including
  • South Africa’s Fastest Cable Tour @ over 60kmph
  • 20m Free Fall Bridge Swing
  • Forested Paint Ball
  • Bungee Bounce
  • The Zip Line and Flying Trapeze
  • Inspiring Adventure Courses
  • Quad Bike Tours
  • Mountain Bike Trails

The Cavern’s family friendly suites:

1. Standard Family Rooms – 8 triple rooms (1 room with double bed plus a spare single bed for one child)
2. Standard Family Interleading Units – 11 units (Master double leading into a kids’ bedroom with 2 single beds or bunk beds. A couple of these rooms sleep 5 and one sleeps 6.
3. Superior Family Unit – 1 unit only. Two bedrooms off a common passage. The master bedroom has a king size bed with shower en-suite and the kids’ bedroom has two single beds with bathroom en-suite.
4. Superior Family Suites – 3 suites. Two bedrooms and a lounge. The master bedroom has a king size bed, and the kids’ bedroom has a set of bunk beds / twin beds for children.

Getting to The Cavern Drakensberg Resort & Spa:

The Cavern is a scenic , easy self drive which is either 3.5-hours from Johannesburg or 3-hours from Durban.

Their Winter Family Special is valid from 20 June – 31 August 2025 excluding the public holiday long weekend ie  8 – 11 August 2025.

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