A beautiful scenic drive brought us to the Kamberg Rock Art Centre and Kamberg Nature Reserve, tucked into the foothills of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park in South Africa. The area is home to the famous Game Pass Shelter, often described as the “Rosetta Stone” of southern African rock art because it helps archaeologists understand the deep spiritual and religious meaning behind San rock paintings.
The shelter contains remarkable polychrome paintings created thousands of years ago, depicting eland, hunters, shamans and fascinating therianthropic figures — beings combining human and animal characteristics. These images offer a rare glimpse into the spiritual world of the San hunter-gatherers who once lived in these mountains.
Our visit began at the Kamberg Rock Art Centre, where an introductory video explains the mythology, beliefs and symbolism of San rock art. From there, we set off on the trail towards Game Pass Shelter. The hike is roughly 7 km round trip and took us about 2.5 hours, or around 3 hours including the visit to the shelter.
The trail crosses several streams, passes the smaller Waterfall Shelter and then climbs steadily along a zigzagging path, gaining approximately 338 metres in elevation. The final section leads to the main rock art shelter, located behind a locked gate and accessible only with a mandatory community guide (160 ZAR/pax).
It is a beautiful combination of mountain scenery, archaeology and living cultural heritage — and one of the most fascinating places we have visited in the Drakensberg so far.
Parking location – Kamberg: 29.3875607S 29.6680862E (🚻,💦,🅿️120 ZAR/pax)