The historic town of Matatiele is situated in the lesser explored southern Drakensberg, roughly seventy kilometers from Kokstad, where the Eastern Cape, southern Lesotho and KwaZulu Natal share borders. The small village of Matatiele lies overshadowed by the Matatiele Mountain, in what used to be called "no mans land",which was a haven for horse thieves, gunrunners and smugglers in the 19th Century. The town's name gains its origin from the Sotho words, "matata" meaning wild ducks, and "ile" meaning gone, or to have left. The roughly translated English version of the name means, the ducks have flown, which is a fitting name because many years ago the region was once a place where an abundance of waterfowl, not to mention lions and elephant, used to reside in numerous pools, marshes, wetlands and pans.

An interesting variety of between forty and sixty bird species can still be found in the Matatiele area, however most of these are found on the Matatiele Mountain. Matatiele Mountain is considered amongst birdwatching enthusiasts to be the most accessible and reliable site in KwaZulu-natal for a variety of high altitude birds including some highly sought after special species which include Rudd's Lark, Yellow-breasted Pipit, Short-tailed Pipit, African Rock Pipit, Mountain Pipit, Cape Eagle-Owl, Buff-streaked Chat, Drakensberg Rock-jumper and Gurney's Sugarbird.

Today Matatiele exists mainly as a farming community, however there are a number of attractions available to visitors, such as the museum located in what was originally a garage, an auction room, a Dutch Reformed Church and lastly a telephone exchange, before being proclaimed a national monument. In an initiative to develop tourism as a source of income, visitors are accommodate by local communities, in traditional African guest houses, and cultural village tours and hiking trails are include as part of the package. Two nature reserves in the area include the Wilfred Bauer Nature Reserve where the Zedonk (a mix between a donkey and zebra) lives, and the Mountain Lake Reserve where a pristine lake stretches over an area of thirty hectares.