KwaZulu-Natal Province

Visiting the province of KwaZulu-Natal you will experience the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains, the open savanna of the game parks and the Wetlands coast as well as Zulu culture and the cosmopolitan city of Durban.

Durban

Durban is famous for its wide sandy beaches with superb surfing in the warm Indian Ocean. The Indian markets are fascinating places to shop, in stark contrast to the modern shopping malls which are also available. The beautiful beaches and the warm Indian Ocean attract sun worshippers and surfers from afar. There are also plenty of excellent championship golf courses in the area at inexpensive prices.

Midlands Meander

Situated in a beautiful area of rolling hills, the Midlands consists of quaint little villages, cosy pubs and lots of restaurants and coffee shops. Explore the scenic countryside and see craftspeople at work in their studios in a relaxed and informal environment. The Midlands Meander has grown from the original 6 outlets to more than 165 members along various routes of these peaceful country roads. Wander through streets where small cottage industries and shops abound, full of art, curios and hand-crafted furniture.

Drakensberg Mountains

The Drakensberg Mountains stretches for 200km through KwaZulu-Natal and is a great place to walk, ride a horse, cycle or paraglide. The "Draks" are called uKhahlamba meaning “Barrier of Spears” by the Zulu people.

In the Northern Drakensberg is the famous Amphitheatre, a 1,000m high basalt cliff in a 4km long crescent shape. Other notable landmarks are the Sentinel, the spire-like Cathedral Peak and Giant’s Castle of the Central Drakensberg.

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is now a World Heritage site. With its wild and natural beauty, visitors can enjoy some great walking amongst this spectacular scenery.

Battlefields

From the early African battles of King Shaka, the Voortrekker-Zulu War to the Anglo-Zulu War and the Anglo-Boer War there is much to learn in this colourful area. Now part of the Zulu Kingdom this region is steeped in history. Visit Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana Battlefields of the Anglo-Zulu War or Spioenkop Battlefield or the Battle of Tugela Heights from the second Anglo Boer War.

The Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve

Until recently two separate parks, the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is the oldest game reserve in Africa. Kings like Shaka and Dingiswayo would hunt in the park which covers 96,000 hectares (370 square miles) and contains an immense diversity of flora and fauna. The park is renowned for its rhino (white rhino and the more rare black rhino) as well as lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard to make up the ‘Big 5’. Larger mammals to be seen include cheetah, blue wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, impala, many species of buck, nyala, kudu, hyena and jackal. This park played a major role in bringing the white and black rhino back from the brink of extinction.

Zulus

The Zulus make up the largest tribal group in South Africa with numbers totalling nearly eight million. They are known for their prowess in war under Shaka (1788-1828) and traditionally live in beehive-shaped huts formed in a circle known as a ‘kraal’.

St. Lucia

The Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park comprises 328,000 hectares (1,266 square miles) and is considered South Africa’s third largest park and has 280km of coastline. This Natural World Heritage Site is a macrocosm of culture, wildlife, plant-life, minerals and scenery. Lake St. Lucia contains over 1,000 hippopotamuses, several thousand crocodiles, 114 species of fish and over 500 species of birds. The natural scenery comprises rivers, lakes, verdant pastures, marsh, mangrove swamps, mountains and massive vegetated sand dunes.

Once a year loggerhead and leatherback turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.

The area is popular for wilderness walks, guided hiking trails, horse riding, hippopotamus and crocodile tours, turtle tours, whale watching, kayaking and canoeing.