Ben Macdhui, Mountain summit in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Ben Macdhui is a 3,001-metre basalt mountain in the southern Drakensberg of South Africa's Eastern Cape, near the Lesotho border. Older maps show the border running exactly over the summit. It is the second-highest peak in the Eastern Cape after KwaDuma, and the Telle River rises on its slopes.

The peak was named in the 1800s by European settlers who borrowed the name from a famous Scottish mountain, a common practice in the colonial era across southern Africa. In recent decades, the southern slope was developed into the Tiffindell Ski Resort, opening the mountain to winter visitors.

The mountain takes its name from Ben Macdui in Scotland, the highest peak in the Cairngorms, reflecting the strong Scottish presence in the Cape region during the 1800s. Visitors who come here today are mostly hikers and winter sports enthusiasts drawn to a landscape that sits far from South Africa's main tourist routes.

The Tiffindell Ski Resort on the southern slope offers lodging and facilities in winter, making it the easiest base for reaching the summit during the snow season. Outside winter, the peak can be reached on foot, but weather conditions change fast at this elevation, so solid gear is worth bringing.

Ben Macdhui is the southernmost 3,000-metre peak in Africa, and older maps put the South Africa–Lesotho border directly over its summit. The Telle River rises on its slopes, and snow can fall in any season at this altitude.