Sustainability Block

Sustainability

Caring for the stunning natural environment around us

Set within the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, Cathedral Peak Hotel is surrounded by rivers, grasslands, indigenous vegetation and wildlife that give the resort its unmistakable sense of place. 

Guests experience this setting in the mountain air, walking routes, river systems and natural spaces woven through every stay. 

That same setting guides practical work across the resort, including indigenous planting, grassland and erosion rehabilitation, wildlife initiatives, water treatment, renewable energy and energy efficiency. 

Supporting Indigenous Vegetation and Grassland Health

The grasslands and indigenous vegetation around Cathedral Peak Hotel are central to the beauty and character of the resort. 

The hotel sources firewood from a managed wattle plantation and works with local teams to remove invasive alien plants and rehabilitate grassland areas. 

Indigenous planting also helps the gardens and natural areas remain suited to the surrounding Drakensberg environment. 

Erosion rehabilitation, including work on damaged gullies or dongas, and ongoing path maintenance help protect areas affected by foot traffic and water flow. 

Key Flora Initiatives

Key initiatives include managed firewood sourcing, invasive-plant removal, grassland rehabilitation, indigenous planting, erosion management and path maintenance

Protecting Wildlife and Supporting Conservation

The Drakensberg supports a remarkable variety of wildlife and species of conservation importance. The hotel’s initiatives include awareness and support relating to Bearded Vultures, Cape Vultures and African honeybees. 

Cathedral Peak Hotel also supports conservation work associated with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, linking on-site initiatives with wider efforts in the region. 

On the property, two owl boxes and a bat-roosting station have been installed to provide additional habitat for local species. 

In a landscape where guests come to walk, watch, listen and experience the mountains, caring for wildlife is part of caring for the place itself.

Managing Water from Local Natural Sources

Water has always been part of the Cathedral Peak landscape. Rivers, streams and springs move through the mountain setting, shaping the land and supporting life around the resort.

The hotel draws water from the Mhlonhlo River, where it is filtered and treated with ultraviolet light before use. 

An on-site treatment system also treats wastewater before it is returned to the river system. 

Water from a natural spring on the property is piped to the bottling shed, filtered, treated with ultraviolet light and bottled for sale at the resort. 

The removal of invasive alien plants along watercourses also supports the surrounding river systems. 

Key Water Initiatives

Key initiatives include river-water filtration, ultraviolet treatment, wastewater treatment, bottled spring water and invasive-plant removal along watercourses.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Hydroelectric power, solar energy and battery storage support the resort’s electricity needs and help reduce reliance on conventional energy sources. 

Water from the Umlambonja and Mhlonhlo Rivers passes through the resort’s hydroelectric plant. In summer, the turbine can generate up to 350 kW of peak power during early mornings and evenings. 

A 275kW solar photovoltaic plant generates electricity during daylight hours. Cathedral Peak Hotel is also licensed by NERSA to export surplus electricity to the national grid. 

The energy system includes a 645 kVA battery converter and a 1 MWh lithium iron phosphate battery, helping maintain power continuity during outages. Hydroelectric and solar energy can be used to charge the battery. 

Energy-efficient lighting, timer switches, day-night sensors and heat pumps further reduce electricity use across the resort. 

A Resort Experience Connected to Its Environment

The environment Cathedral Peak Hotel works to protect is also the setting guests come to experience: mountain trails, rivers, grasslands, wildlife and wide-open views. 

Indigenous landscaping, erosion management, water treatment, renewable energy and conservation initiatives all contribute to the way the resort operates within this protected landscape. 

For Cathedral Peak Hotel, caring for the landscape is part of caring for the guest experience – and an ongoing responsibility to the Drakensberg setting that has shaped the resort since 1939.

Learn More About Cathedral Peak Hotel

Caring for the Drakensberg is part of Cathedral Peak Hotel’s story, but it is not the whole story. The resort’s connection to this landscape also lives in its history, its family legacy, its surrounding communities and the generations of guests who have come here to experience the mountains.

Continue to the About and Social Responsibility pages to further explore this story.

About Cathedral Peak Hotel

Discover the story of a family-run resort shaped by mountain scenery, a World Heritage setting and a legacy that began in 1939. 

Social Responsibility

Discover how Cathedral Peak Hotel’s connection to the Drakensberg extends to the people around it, from local schools and suppliers to staff, families and communities who form part of the resort’s ongoing story.