Snow Blankets the Drakensberg: How KZN’s Big Freeze Is Drawing Visitors and Boosting Local Tourism
Snow began falling across the Southern Drakensberg on the night of Sunday, 9 August 2026, blanketing Sani Pass, Underberg, Bushman’s Nek, Castleburn, Mount Fletcher and Kokstad in a genuine, multi-day cold-front snowfall that continued into a “day two” on Tuesday, 11 August.
Photo: GrantsJ1 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) aerial view of the snow-capped Drakensberg.
It’s the kind of scene KwaZulu-Natal doesn’t see often white-capped peaks, frosted grasslands and locals out taking photos in the cold and this week it played out across some of the same mountains that draw hikers, 4×4 adventurers and day-trippers for most of the year. Rietspruit farm near Swartberg and St Bernard’s Peak Mountain Lodge were among the spots specifically pictured in the snowfall coverage, while further south along the same cold front, Tiffindell in the Eastern Cape reportedly received up to 55cm.
A Province of Two Climates, Same Day
Part of what makes this week’s snow so striking is the contrast. In Underberg, the temperature dropped to just 2°C, with Sani Pass falling below freezing overnight. Meanwhile, on the same day, Richards Bay on the KZN coast sat at a comfortable 23°C. It’s a reminder of just how much climate range this one province holds you can be on a warm Indian Ocean beach and within a few hours’ drive of snow-capped mountains, on the very same day.
The cold snap did bring a serious side, too. Provincial Transport MEC Siboniso Duma issued a road-safety caution as the Road Traffic Inspectorate activated its Snowfall Response Plan, with routes including the N3 (Cedara to Midway), the Harrismith Van Reenen stretch, and the N11 through Amajuba Pass all monitored (the N11 stayed open in both directions throughout). Anyone heading up into the Berg this week is encouraged to check road conditions before setting out.
“Lovely Snow Lying on the Ground”
Rob Ansell of Snow Report SA, who has been tracking the cold front closely, described the scene in Underberg: “In Underberg, in KwaZulu-Natal, snow started falling at about 11pm, last night. It did go for a few hours and there’s lovely snow lying on the ground there this morning.”
The Photo That Captured the Public’s Imagination
Press photographers weren’t the only ones out with their cameras. As snow settled over the Berg, members of the public began sharing their own photos on social media, and one submission, shared via Snow Report SA’s social channels and picked up by ECR News, summed up the mood better than any official statement could. Alongside a photo from just outside Bushman’s Nek, a local resident wrote simply: “Just next door to bushmans nek, it’s so beautiful.”
That’s the thing about a Southern Drakensberg snowfall it doesn’t stay a local story for long. Photos and videos like this one travel fast, and within a day the Berg’s snow-capped peaks are showing up in feeds well beyond KwaZulu-Natal.
A Real Boost for Local Tourism
Every time snow settles over the Southern Drakensberg, it reliably pulls a fresh wave of day-trippers and weekend visitors up into Underberg, Himeville and the Sani Pass area. It’s a pattern locals and operators know well: the roads fill with cars from Pietermaritzburg, Durban and further afield, lodges see a jump in enquiries, and 4×4 tour operators who run trips up the Pass among them Lesotho On Track get a genuine, recurring spike in interest whenever the mountain turns white.
It also happens to be free marketing for the whole region. Every snow photo shared and reshared this week is doing quiet, organic promotional work for Underberg, Himeville and the Sani Pass corridor exposure that a paid campaign would struggle to buy, and that benefits every business in the area, tour operators included.
It’s worth remembering, too, just how much is riding on tourism province-wide. KZN Tourism MEC Musa Zondi has previously highlighted around 920,000 visitors expected across the province during peak winter-holiday periods, with tourism growth projected to contribute nearly R1.9 billion in economic impact and, as he’s put it, directly supporting “jobs, small businesses and local communities across the province.” A week like this one, with the Berg trending on social media, is exactly the kind of moment that keeps that momentum going.
Dreaming of the Berg?
If this week’s photos have you wanting to see the Southern Drakensberg for yourself snow or shine Profound Travel and Tours can help you plan the trip. From guided Sani Pass day tours to Drakensberg accommodation bookings, our team knows this part of KwaZulu-Natal well and can build an itinerary around exactly what you want to see. Browse our KZN travel packages or get in touch with our team to start planning.
Read More & See the Photos
The press photographs of this week’s snowfall belong to the outlets that captured them. Head over to see the full galleries and original reporting: