Corner Pass / Judge Pass, Mafadi, Leslie's Pass Loop

We completed the Mafadi loop last week (Centenery Hut - Judges - UIC - Mafadi - Leslies - Marble baths and back to Injitsuthi), thanks for all the info posted on this Forum - it really helped make the hike a success. This was not intended as a trip report - just a few pieces of info others may find useful. I already posted about the snow / ice in the Upper Injisuthi Cave under that topic, but will repeat here as well.

[1] We found Centenary Hut to be in a pretty good condition (at least compared to our expectations fueled by descriptions I found online which were probably a couple years old). It was clean inside, no missing roof tiles, no broken windows apart from one missing but was covered in plastic. There is even a "rubber mat" covering on 2 of the bunk beds which makes them more comfortable than the bare springs of others. Clearly a lot of effort has been put into the hut and we were very grateful. The wind was very strong and gusty while we were there (probably magnified in this location due to wind directions and being on one of the "shoulders" of the mountain), I doubt our tents would have survived.

[2] We were planning to do NHA and corner pass, but the high WSW winds persuaded us to go to bottom on corner pass via the contour path instead of up the ridge. We we were knocked over by the gusting wind a couple times (probably not aided by the over- heavy packs). When we got to Corner pass it was clear this was not a good idea for us, it was a snow filled chute and even at the relatively low altitude of the contour path the stream coming down from corner pass was surrounded by ice, so we abandoned that plan. It turned out just as well we had not used NHA as then our options would have been limited to Corner pass or "around the corner pass" (without significant altitude loss that is). We did consider doing "around the corner pass" and it may well have been fine but looking from the bottom it is not clear to us where the route goes and there was quite a bit of snow and ice higher up (and us being relative Drakensberg Novices). Instead we ascended Judges which was fine, just a few patches of snow to navigate aided by the path following the "sunnier" Southern side of the ravine where much of the snow had already melted. The wind greatly diminished as we exited the top of the pass, it seems the WSW wind we experienced really funnels down the passes. 

[3] As posted under that topic the floor of Upper Injisuthi Cave was about 80% covered in a thick layer of snow when we were there. Luckily for us we were only a group of 3 and could squease into the back and left hand corners (3 just fit) so we didnt have to sleep on the snow, larger groups may not be as fortunate (although the snow is covered in a solid crust of ice, so this would be possible, but is not a level surface). We did try to move the snow away from where we were sleeping (with a v small trowel) but had no success due to the icy crust. Needless to say it will be progressively melting but I expect this snow was driven into the cave during the significant cold front (cut off low) of ~11/12 June so had stuck around 2 weeks before our visit (no snow falling between that and out visit). There was no obvious melting at the edges of the snow we cooked and slept next to (did not wet our sleeping bags etc.). We did have tents but the cave was still preferable due to the wind. 

 

[4] The decent down Leslies was fine, just a short snow slope or 2 to navigate near the top of the pass, but similarly to Judges the route follows the sunnier Southern side of the ravine so most snow had already melted. Of course the steep, slippery, loose section down into the stream bed is what it is in any conditions. We managed to follow the "terraces" route from the top campsite below leslies to marble baths through the bushes fairly successfully (along the left side of the valley heading down), aided no doubt by it being easier to follow a faint path downhill, the winter grass being a bit more "down-trodden" and referencing a wikiloc GPX trail when the stone cairns closer to the stream invited us to depart from this route.

[5] We got visited by a spotted gennet while sitting around in marble bath cave, I was very surprised how closely it approached us (withing 3 meters) and then stared at us from the bushes until well after dark (think 2 big glowing eyes). That night it chewed a small hole in a backpack pocket that contained an opened bag of biltong, and had to be chased away, the backpack lying between 2 of us. The behaviour made no sense to me until it was suggested that it had been fed by previous visitors to the cave. Needless to say this situation is not good for the animal or hikers. Just be aware to seal up any meat / biltong before going to sleep in marble baths cave.

[6] Just to add something about hiking boots used (not to start a debate I promise), my son and I are fans of low top non-waterproof hiking shoes (I did the hike in Merrel Moabs), while my son's friend who did the hike with us followed the more conventional and recommended route of getting high top goretex waterproof hiking boots for the hike. I brought along plastic bags for use in evening to put over our "sleeping socks" to prevent the inevitably wet inside of the non waterproof hiking shoes from wetting our sleeping socks, but despite hiking through a fair amount of snow (but admittedly not slushy snow as temperatures remained low) we did not need them as the shoes remained dry. The goretex boot user on the other hand used the bags every night as the inside of his boots was always wet at of each day with build up perspiration. I can only imagine that in summer rainy / muddy conditions the experience would have been different, not recommending our approach, but just throwing it in there. To me traction is a more important issue, deeper tread obviously better in snow. Having trekking poles along was invaluble on steep snowy slopes and stream crossings. My son didnt have any (his dislike of trekking poles born out of our typical hikes being through thick fynbos in the western cape) but grabbed one of mine on day 2 and didn't give it back until we reached Injisuthi!

All in all a great experience. Winter is a great time to do it if you are prepared (and avoid any significant cold fronts!).
 

Hi all!

This is a hike report of a 4 day hike I did in December 2025 with a mate and a guide, covering the following route:

Day 1: Injisuthi Camp to Centenery Hut
Day 2: Centenery Hut to Upper Injisuthi Cave (via Corner Pass)
Day 3: Upper Injisuthi Cave to Campsite at the bottom of Leslie’s Pass
Day 4: Campsite to Injisuthi Camp

I’ve been a long time reader of VE and it’s helped me multi fold with planning hikes across the Drakensberg, so wanted to give back to the community with my first hike report for anyone interested in doing this route in future. Hope this is useful!

Weather

We started the hike bright and early, considering afternoon thunderstorms were forecast for every day of the hike (this was a December hike). This route is a popular winter hike, but there are sufficient spots for shelter along the route that make it safe for peak summer hiking as well, even with thunderstorms forecasted (but please be vigilant if poor weather is forecasted, it’s only safe if you’re well prepared and know where to seek emergency shelter).

Day 1

The route from Injisuthi Camp to Centenery Hut is very well maintained and a nice warm up for the days to come. River crossings were very tough however (especially the main crossing of the Injisuthi River) given all the summer rain in the Berg. Highly recommend bringing a rope just in case. 

Centenery Hut was actually in good condition, roof in tact and only one window was missing, which was covered with a plastic tarp. One thin cushion mattress on 2 of the beds each. I slept inside when the thunderstorm rolled in overnight, was perfectly habitable. 

Day 2

We ascended via Corner Pass for an extra challenge compared to Judges Pass. Instead of taking the Northern High Approach to get to the base of Corner Pass, we first took a left from Centenary Hut onto the contour path and then tried to find a route up to Corner Pass. I highly recommend not taking this route, and doing the Northern High Approach (straight up from Centenary Hut, rather than the left onto the contour path) instead. There was no path up to Corner Pass from the contour path, and it required a bit of grass climbing and horizontal rock scrambling (see picture below) to get to the base of Corner Pass).

Now into Corner Pass itself. In dry weather, I’d say Corner Pass would be manageable for intermediate hikers. In wet weather like we had, Corner Pass was very tricky, specifically the 2 steep sections near the top. We used our rope to pulley our hiking bags up, I’d recommend bringing a rope for this contingency. 

Once we topped out Corner Pass, we gradually sauntered up the escarpment to summit Injisuthi peak (2nd highest point in SA). Great reward after a tough day!

Spent the night in Upper Injisuthi Cave, really clean and dry despite the wet weather (minor drip from the roof in the front of the cave). We made sure to collect enough water near Injisuthi peak for the night, since while there is water near the cave, it’s a considerable walk away. 

Day 3

Sauntered along the escarpment from
the cave to reach Mafadi peak (highest point in SA). While view isn’t particularly special from there, it’s such a profound landmark and well worth the effort to summit the highest peak in SA! We brought an SA flag to mark the occasion. 

Highly recommend hiking near the escarpment edge while making your way towards the top of Leslie’s Pass, since the views are spectacular, the true highlight of the hike for me. 

Descending Leslie’s Pass is tricky. Starts with a rocky section which is tedious but navigable. About halfway down, the loose rock section (which is more of a combination with a loose soil section) is slippery but I wouldn’t say there were any exposed sections, so not dangerous. Path is really clear on the loose rock section which makes it easier. 

Our plan was to make it to Marble Baths to camp for the night, but even with starting the day at 5:30am, we only got to the campsite at the bottom of Leslie’s Pass at 3pm. We were tempted to push through to Marble Baths, it would have been impossible (and dangerous) given all the bushwhacking and river crossings to get from the bottom of Leslie’s Pass to Marble Baths. The campsite at the bottom of Leslie’s Pass is actually nice in any case, with close access to the river and a great view of the mountains above. 

Day 4

This was by far the most gruelling section of the hike. The bushwhacking and river crossings (especially with all the rain we had) are no joke! It is also really hard to find the path on this section (as mentioned extensively in this forum). Give yourself an extra 1.5 hours to do this section, it took us 4 hours to cover the 3km stretch between the Leslie’s campsite and Marble Baths. 

But, once you get to Marble Baths, it’s plain sailing (barring the 2 major river crossings, where once again, bringing a rope was extremely useful). 

This last day took us longer than expected given all the bushwhacking, we got back to Injisuthi Camp at around 4pm after starting at around 5:30am. 

Summary

All in all, a fantastic 4 days in the mountains. It’s a tough hike, but well worth the reward to summit Mafadi, spend the night in Upper Injisuthi Cave, and take in the spectacular scenery along the escarpment between Corner and Leslie’s Pass.

Photos from post above

That looks really wet!

We did it at the end of April '25 and the last scramble in Corner Pass was wet - yours looks worse.

Hi Cal,

Thanks for the trip report!

I really like Corner pass. Was my first berg pass so it holds a special place in my heart.

After the recent flooding down Leslies pass the entire river section down to Marble Baths should be much easier and faster to navigate. I have to agree with you that the bottom section's vegetation down to Marble Baths was never the highlight of the trip. If you want to cure yourself from struggeling with riverine brush, go do Ships Prow up. This has the worst scrub that I have experienced in the entire Berg, and after having done that section and up the pass, I never struggled too much with bundu bashing in the Berg again, as everything else is mild in comparrison

A quick question: Where exactly was the last photo you posted taken? I can't quite place it. Was it possibly going up Corner from the contour path? I've done this route before and can tell you that the Northern High Approach is faster and easier. 

I actually enjoyed the bush section below Leslies's to Marble Baths cave.  Though at least I know where the path was, way prefer it to boulder hopping.  But perhaps the boulders in the valley are no longer that big since the flood?

I see a hike coming up soon to go check out this section