Drakensberge – taken during a photography workshop in South Africa in 2023 by Thomas Fuhrmann, SnowmanStudios – see more pictures on www.snowmanstudios.de
Some mountains are more than just a pretty backdrop. They hold stories, shape belief, and root people to the land. In South Africa, a handful of peaks carry deep cultural weight — not just for their mighty beauty but for what they represent.
You’ll find them wrapped in cloud, carved with rock art, or passed quietly in conversation. To walk near them is to step into something older than a map. These are the mountains that still mean something — to communities, to history, and to the land itself.
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Table Mountain — the watcher of the south
To the Khoi, San and Xhosa people, Table Mountain was never just a flat-topped landmark. Known to some early groups as Hoerikwaggo, or “mountain in the sea,” it was seen as sacred ground — a place shaped by the divine. One Xhosa legend tells of giants created by the Earth goddess Djobela, who, after dying in battle with a sea dragon, transformed into mountains. The southernmost giant became Table Mountain, forever watching over the land.
There’s also the enduring tale of Van Hunks, a retired pirate who challenged the devil to a smoking duel on the saddle between Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak. Their pipe smoke, the story goes, still forms the thick “tablecloth” cloud that spills over the cliffs on windier days.
Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons
Devil’s Peak — smoke and story
Rising just east of Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak is tied to the Van Hunks legend, but likely got its name from early Dutch settlers who found the jagged silhouette and swirling mists suitably ominous. While the smoking duel is more folklore than history, the mountain’s presence in Cape Town’s collective imagination remains strong — often seen as the moody sibling to Table Mountain’s calm.
Andrew Massyn / Wikimedia Commons
Giant’s Castle — sleeping among the spirits
In the Drakensberg, Giant’s Castle looms over the landscape with ridges that resemble the outline of a giant lying on its back. The name might be modern, but the spiritual weight of this place is much older. These mountains are home to hundreds of San rock art sites, many linked to trance, healing and ritual. For the San, these cliffs were part of their spiritual landscape — portals between worlds, painted with symbols and scenes meant to honour ancestors and connect with the unseen.
Today, hikers walk past these ancient galleries aware that they’re following in very old footsteps.
Smurfatefrog / Wikimedia Commons
Thaba Bosiu — the mountain at night
Across the border in Lesotho, Thaba Bosiu holds deep significance for the Basotho people. It was here that King Moshoeshoe I established his stronghold in the early 1800s — a flat-topped sandstone mountain that offered natural protection from invaders. The name, which means “Mountain at Night,” comes from the belief that it would grow taller after dark, making it impossible for enemies to climb.
Thaba Bosiu is now a national monument and symbol of Basotho identity, often described as the birthplace of the nation. Its stillness remains, and for those who visit, the weight of its history is tangible.
Marduk / Wikimedia Commons
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg — the barrier of spears
The name uKhahlamba, meaning “Barrier of Spears” in Zulu, captures the jagged skyline of the Drakensberg range. For centuries, these mountains marked both geographical and spiritual boundaries. They were painted, sung about, and prayed over. Rock shelters in the range preserve some of the oldest and most spiritually charged art on the continent — depictions of animals, people, and otherworldly forms that tell stories of journeys beyond the physical world. To many, the Drakensberg isn’t just a place to hike. It’s a living archive of South Africa’s earliest spiritual traditions.
PhilippN / Wikimedia Commons
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