LOCAL TRAVEL
rolling in, the sky a deep grey blue with thunder muttering somewhere inside it. Spectacular and slightly threatening. I turned my head to the left. Blue. Brilliant golden hour blue, birds crossing the sky and long grass catching the last light. On one side: weather event. On the other: nature documentary. Both happening at the same time, separated only by a ridgeline and the direction you happened to look. I sat there for a few minutes, turning my head left and right like someone watching the world’ s most dramatic tennis match.
I took a picture, but it did not do justice to the scene unfolding – some moments simply refuse to be captured by technology and needs to be experienced.
The ride down was quieter. The horses headed home with the easy confidence of animals that know exactly where they are going. The storm, clearly patient and slightly theatrical, waited until the very end before making its entrance. We reached the farm just as the rain finally caught up with us.
By the time I dismounted, with considerably less grace than I had mounted, I felt the particular kind of tired that comes not from effort but from having been fully present for a while. It is a good tired. The best kind.
Khotso offers far more than sunset rides. There are multiday horseback expeditions into Lesotho, high altitude trails and adventures suited to every level of rider. But even if the sunset ride is the only thing you do, you will leave with far more than your money’ s worth. It is, quite simply, one of the finest experiences the Southern Drakensberg has to offer. And I say this as someone who is still not a horse person, and yet is already thinking about going back.
SHILOH COUNTRY COTTAGE, UNDERBERG
The question of where to sleep after a day in the mountains deserves a proper answer. Shiloh Country Cottage is one of them. The backstory is this: a farrier, someone who shoes horses for a living, and his Dutch wife, Els, have converted a set of old farm stables into a 3-bedroom self-catering cottage of genuinely impressive quality. They have three children, a beautiful piece of Drakensberg property, and excellent taste.
The conversion is what captures your attention first. The bones of the original stables remain, honest materials, thick walls and the quiet solidity of a building that understood its purpose. But the space has been thoughtfully transformed into something warm, comfortable and very easy to settle into.
The kitchen is properly stocked. The bedrooms are genuinely restful. The stoep looks out onto a view that may permanently recalibrate your expectations of what a mountain view should look like.
Sunrises are theatrical. Sunsets, which have already performed impressively from horseback, somehow manage to outdo themselves from here. The family strikes the perfect balance: warm and welcoming without ever hovering.
Guests tend to return to Shiloh for a simple reason – it is a wonderful place, run by wonderful people, in an extraordinary part of South Africa. Ten out of 10. IB
FOR MORE INFO:
Khotso Lodge & Horse Trails: www. khotso. co. za Shiloh Country Cottage: www. shilohcountrycottage. co. za Southern Drakensberg region: https:// drakensberg. org /
72 INBOUND SA / APRIL 2026