Three Tree Hill — first-paint frame

Three Tree Hill

A grassland lodge in the Spioenkop valley.

Walk Spioenkop's grasslands at the farm's pace.

Three Tree Hill sits on a working cattle farm in the Drakensberg foothills, looking across the Mfazimnyama valley to Spioenkop Game Reserve.

  • Established 1999Family-run since 2007
  • Spioenkop, Drakensberg foothillsKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
  • “Fair Trade in Tourism”Certified responsible tourism

About Three Tree Hill

Three Tree Hill sits on a working cattle farm in the Drakensberg foothills, looking across the Mfazimnyama valley to Spioenkop Game Reserve. The lodge was built in 1999 by historian David Rattray and his business partner Andrew Ardington, below the hill where the Battle of Spioenkop was fought in January 1900. Nine wood-and-iron cottages follow the colonial kit houses of that period. Simon and Cheryl Blackburn, both qualified guides, have run the lodge since 2007.

The rate is full board: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and a set three-course dinner, with ingredients grown on site or sourced nearby. There are no game drives. The neighbouring reserve is explored on foot, on pre-booked walks among white rhino, giraffe, and eland, while marked farm and birding trails leave from the cottages. The lodge is Fair Trade Tourism certified, employs its staff from Hambrook village, and supports the Sakhile Centre of Learning through its foundation.

What’s included

  • A dining table set with wine glasses and plates on a wooden deck, overlooking green Drakensberg foothills under a cloud-scattered sky.

    All meals

    Full board covers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and a set three-course dinner, plated farm-style with ingredients grown on site or sourced locally.

  • A three-tier stand of scones, biscuits and oat clusters with edible flowers, beside bowls of cream and jam on a wooden table.

    Teas and coffees

    Teas and coffees through the day, with afternoon tea and sweet treats; other drinks are billed separately.

  • Three brahman cattle, two pale grey and one red-brown, stand in green pasture with a low hill and cloudy sky behind them.

    Farm walking trails

    Marked grassland routes of 2 to 9 km on the working cattle farm, with a guide available free of charge on request.

  • A male widowbird with a red shoulder patch and a long black tail flies low over soft golden grassland.

    Birding trails

    25 km of marked birding trails, with 280 bird species recorded within walking distance of the cottages.

  • Looking down on a blue swimming pool on a raised timber deck, ringed by dense bush with green-roofed cottages on the slope beyond.

    Pool, library, and decks

    A sheltered pool, croquet lawn, viewing decks, and the 3,000-book Molly Blackburn library.

Plan your stay

Enquire

We will reply personally within four hours.

Where you stay

Nine wood-and-iron cottages and 24 beds in the grassland facing Spioenkop.

  • A cottage bed faces three windows framing green rolling hills, with striped armchairs, a woven pendant light and an en-suite visible at right.
  • A green wood-and-iron cottage raised on a timber deck, with a bistro table on the veranda, aloes and a flowering orange shrub, under a partly clouded sky.
  • A cottage bathroom with a white built-in tub below a large window that frames aloes and a distant mountain range, set against green panelling.
  • A cottage bedroom with a wide grey-linen bed, two armchairs and tall windows looking across veld to a distant hill.

Double cottage

Sleeps 2

Six free-standing wood-and-iron cottages with private decks facing Spioenkop, sash windows, and a king or twin bed.

  • A twin bedroom with white linen and a sliding door opening onto a deck above a green valley.
  • A bedroom with a vaulted white ceiling, an embroidered cream duvet, a wooden desk with mirror and sliding doors to a green view.
  • A cottage veranda at sunset with two armchairs, coffee set on the ledge and a cat walking past the bushveld view.

Family cottage

Sleeps 4

Three two-bedroom cottages — Kiplings, Churchills, and Burchells — each with a second twin room for children.

Gallery

Showing photo 1of 8

Show all photos

Experiences

Battlefield days and farm trails below Spioenkop.

A white iron cross marks where Major General Woodgate fell in 1900, with a stone-walled grave and a Celtic cross on the grass ridge behind.

Climb Spioenkop with a guide and a picnic where the 1900 battle was fought.

Extra
A lone hiker in a hat stands small at the foot of towering weathered sandstone cliffs in green veld.

Walk the farm’s grassland trails reading plants, insects, and tracks.

Included
Two giraffes stand among green trees, one facing the camera and one turned to the side.

Walk into Spioenkop reserve on foot among white rhino, two by two with a guide.

Extra
Five riders on horseback cross golden grassland with scattered aloes below layered hills in warm evening light.

Ride the working cattle farm on guided trails, novice to experienced.

Extra
A grey bird with a rust-red face perches on a green aloe stem, an orange aloe flower and soft green light behind it.

Follow 25 kilometres of birding trails with binoculars and books from the lodge.

Included

Journeys

Every journey below includes Three Tree Hill and books as one stay.

Map

Spioenkop, KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg foothills, South Africa

The lodge stands on a private farm beside Spioenkop Nature Reserve, in the foothills below the uKhahlamba Drakensberg. The battle hill of Spioenkop rises about 3 kilometres to the north-east. The Tugela River runs through the reserve into Spioenkop Dam.

The Battle of Spioenkop was fought on the summit on 23 and 24 January 1900. The reserve below carries white rhino, giraffe, zebra, and eland, with 270 bird species recorded. Winston Churchill and Mohandas Gandhi both served at Spioenkop in support roles.

Things to know

Cancellation policy

  • The deposit returns in full more than 60 days before arrival.
  • The deposit is 50% of the booking value.
  • The balance is due 30 days before arrival.
Read the full policy

Lodge rules

  • Check-in from 14:00
  • Checkout by 10:00
  • A standard car makes the drive
See all rules

Rates and inclusions

  • Rates are quoted per person per night in South African Rand, on a full-board basis; guided activities and drinks are billed separately.
  • All meals
  • Teas and coffees
See what the rate covers

Common questions

Plan your stay at Three Tree Hill

Other lodges

Makakatana Bay Lodge — first frame

Makakatana Bay Lodge

A private camp on Lake St Lucia, the only lodge inside iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Sungulwane Private Game Lodge — first frame

Sungulwane Private Game Lodge

A family-run hilltop lodge overlooking Zuka Private Game Reserve in northern Zululand.

Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge — first frame

Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge

A clifftop lodge above the Msunduze River in Manyoni Private Game Reserve.

Fugitives' Drift Lodge — first frame

Fugitives' Drift Lodge

A heritage lodge above the Buffalo River, overlooking Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.

Thonga Beach Lodge — first frame

Thonga Beach Lodge

A barefoot beach lodge in the Mabibi dune forest on the Maputaland coast.

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge — first frame

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

A ridge-top lodge inside Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park on Mpembeni community land.

Three Tree Hill

We will reply personally within four hours.

Enquire