Durban i s the b iggest c i ty – th i rd b iggest in South

Af r ica – a l though i t i s the c i ty of P ietermar i tzburg

100kms away that i s the seat of the prov incia l

government, and i s the entry point for tour i s t

h igh l ights such as the Batt lef ie lds , Drakensberg

mountains and Midlands Meander. To the nor th of

the prov ince l ies Zu lu land - th i s was the or ig inal

land ru led by K ing Shaka who uni f ied di sparate

t r ibes in the ear ly 1800’s to create a fearsome

army and subsequent ly a great Zu lu nat ion. The

Zulus s t i l l reta in thei r own k ing, K ing Zwel i th in i ,

who can t race h i s l ineage back to K ing Shaka,

and who has no pol i t ical power , but p lays an

important symbol ic ro le in the prov ince. The

southern end of the prov ince fo l lows s t r ings of

sandy beaches to the Mtamvuma R iver , the

border wi th the Eastern Cape and the Xhosa

people, re lated in language to the Zulus but

fo l lowing a d i f ferent cul ture a l together .

ZULULAND ATTRACTIONS

S t retching f rom Golela Border Post wi th Swazi land

in the nor th to the Tugela R iver in the south, near

the town of KwaDukuza-Stanger , the sequence of

h igh l ights roughly fo l lows the N2 f rom nor th to

south. I f you were to t ravel f rom Durban, the

order would be reversed.

MKHUZE GAME RESERVE – i S imangal iso Wet land

Park

Th i s 40 000 hectare reser ve i s one of KwaZulu -

Natal ’s h idden gems – wi th cheetah, four of the

B ig F ive ( l ion exempt) and wi ld dog recent ly

re leased, i t i s one of the less explored and most

scenic reserves . H ighl ights inc lude the Nsumo pan

(home to pods of h ippo 80 s t rong) and the opt ion

of a guided walk through the F ig T ree Forest

(book at recept ion) as wel l as the opportun i ty to

spot the rare b lack rh ino.

OPENING & CLOSING T I MES

GATE T IMES OPEN CLOSE

Oct – Mar (Summer) 5 :00 am 7:00 pm

Apr – Sep (Winter ) 6 :00 am 6:00 pm

HLUHLUWE- IMFOLOZI GAME RESERVE

The o ldest wi ld l i fe sanctuary in South Af r ica

(establ i shed 1895), has the prest ig ious reputat ion

of hav ing saved both the whi te and black rh inos

f rom ext inct ion at the height of the rh ino

poaching epidemic and s t i l l has the h ighes t

dens i ty of these animals in the wor ld. P rev ious ly

two separate game reserves (H luh luwe and

Imfoloz i ) , the two have been jo ined into one

larger reserve and i s home to buf fa lo , l ion ,

e lephant, leopard and plenty of p la ins game. I t i s

eas i l y accessed by day v i s i tor s , e i ther se l f dr iv ing,

or jo in ing one of the open vehic le safar i s on

of fer . Lunch i s best taken at H i l l top Camp wi th i t s

res taurant of fer ing never ending v iews over the

Zulu land h i l l s and grass lands , spotted wi th herds

of g raz ing game. Wel l wor th a v i s i t i f pass ing

th rough, i t can al so be accessed f rom Durban as

a day tour .

Use the nor thern Memor ia l Gate at the Hluh luwe

town ex i t f rom the N2 i f coming f rom the nor th or

the Nyalaz i Gate i f coming f rom the south. The

Memor ia l Gate i s c losest to H i l l top Camp for

lunch, but the Nyalaz i Gate i s the entry point for

the Centenary Centre and game capture bomas.

Th i s i s an informative se l f -guided museum that

covers the h i s tory of game capture in South

Af r ica wi th par t icular reference to the Hluh luwe -

Imfoloz i Game Reserve. 800 metres f rom the

centre are the actual game capture bomas

where any number of an imals are held for

t rans locat ion at any t ime. You may be lucky

enough to see a rh ino or perhaps even g i raf fe at

c lose quar ter s in the bomas. The bomas are

guided and a nominal fee i s charged for th i s .

OPENING & CLOSING T I MES

GATE T IMES OPEN CLOSE

Nov – Feb (Summer) 5 :00 am 7:00 pm

Mar – Oct (Winter ) 6 :00 am 6:00 pm

• Gate t imes are s t r ic t ly adhered to.

• Wi th in the Park - speed l imi t i s a s t r ic t 40 km per

hour and poss ib le game s ight ings wi l l s low you

down.

• H luh luwe sect ion of park – H i l l top Camp

faci l i t ies : res taurant/bar ; shop ( l imi ted suppl ies) ;

laundromat; day v i s i to r faci l i t ies ; swimming pool ,

fuel (un leaded & diesel ) .

• I mfoloz i sect ion of park (Nyal az i Gate) – Mpi la

Camp faci l i t ies : shop ( l imi ted suppl ies) ; day v i s i tor

faci l i t ies ; swimming pool , fuel (un leaded only)

• Vukuzame Communi ty Craf t Market i s at the

entrance to Memor ia l Gate.

I LALA WEAVERS – H luhluwe Town

I la la Weavers , a communi ty pro ject establ i shed

some 30 years back promot ing local hand craf ts

and sel f suf f ic iency amongst the Zulu communi ty

i s wor th a s top.

IS IMANGALISO WETLAND PARK

(former ly know as The Greater S t Lucia Wet land

Park)

Lake S t Lucia, the largest es tuary in A f r ica (360

square k i lometres) i s a vast expanse of t idal and

semi - t idal water , which i s at the hear t of an even

greater wet land sys tem and wi lderness area, that

was declared a Wor ld Her i tage S i te in 1999, and i s

now known as the i S imangal i so Wet land Park

( i S imangal i so – i s i Zu lu word meaning ‘mi racle’) ,

encompass - ing an astoni sh ing range of habi tats –

grass lands , forests , t idal mangroves and

wet lands , la rge in land f reshwater lakes , and

280km of unspoi l t coast l ine s t retching to the

Mozambique border in the nor th , wi th s ome of the

h ighest vegetated dunes in the wor ld (he ights of

200m), as wel l as a coral mar ine sanctuary .

The iS imangal i so Park encompasses the S t Lucia

Game Reserve, the Eastern Shores Game Reserve,

Fal se Bay Park , S t Lucia Mar ine Reserve, Sodwana

Bay Nat ional Park , Maputaland Mar ine Reserve,

Cape Vidal , the Tewate Wi ld -erness area and the

Mkhuze Game Reserve. The parks’ wet land sys tem

plays a cr i t ical ro le in the surv ival of many

migratory species of b i rd. Wi th in th i s mass ive

wi ld l i fe park (328 000 hectare s) , there are

numerous recommended h ighl ights to choose

f rom.

ST LUCIA

St Lucia town i s a smal l hub of act iv i ty , wi th a

hol iday feel , and i s the s tepping s tone to the

many act iv i t ies in the area – most tour companies

have of f ices in S t Luc ia for d i rect pub l ic sa les .

These include St Lucia boat cru i ses to di scover

the abundant crocodi le and h ippo populat ions

(some 8000 s t rong) in the waters of the estuary

(cru i ses las t approx imately 2 hours ) and Whale

watching tours to v iew the Humpback whales

(mid May – mid December only) , which of ten

y ie ld s ight ings of dolphins , sea tur t les and whale

sharks as wel l . Tur t le tours are a h ighl ight of th i s

area (November to February only) and take place

at n ight as endangered Loggerhead and

Leatherback tur t les (Leatherbacks ca n weigh up

to 900kgs! ) come onto the beach to lay thei r

eggs ( the latter par t of the season can include

the l i t t le hatchl ings scrambl ing out of the nest

and heading towards the sea).

Shaka Barker tours (Te l : +27 (0)35 590 1162) of fer s

a number of excel len t tours , inc luding day and

n ight game dr ives in H luh luwe -Imfoloz i and the

Eastern Shores Game Reserve, cycl ing tours ,

walk ing t ra i l s , snorkel l ing at Fal se Bay, Zu lu

communi ty tours and boat cru i ses .

The Crocodi le Centre in S t Lucia i s a great s top to

v iew feeding crocs as wel l as learn about other

rept i les in the park , whi le Veyane Cul tura l V i l lage

on the road into S t Lucia town (about 5km out of

town), prov ides a g l impse in to Zu lu t radi t ional

cul tura l l i fe . A community bus iness in i t iat ive, a

guided tour to the Khula communi ty and v i l lage i s

a l so avai lable.

ESHOWE

Dl inza Forest & Dl inza Forest Aer ia l Boardwalk –

One of the f inest examples of indigenous forest ,

D l inza has three vary ing t ra i l s as wel l as a

boardwalk 10m above ground, and running 125

metres th rough the forest for a b i rd’s eye v iew of

the g iant t rees and pro l i f ic b i rd l i fe. Guides are

avai lable.

Zu lu Homesteads & Cul ture – For some real ins ight

in to contemporary rura l Zu lu l i fe , Zu lu land Eco -

Adventures faci l i tates communi ty exper iences ,

such as a gu ided walk ing tour where you wi l l be

able to personal ly engage wi th a Zu lu fami ly and

local v i l lagers , or depending on the day, jo in a

Sangoma (shaman) Heal ing Ceremony, attend a

Zulu Wedding Ceremony or a Zu lu Coming of

Age Ceremony. Best booked wi t h a few days

not ice, the exper iences can be done f rom

Durban as a day tour , o r pass ing through the

Eshowe area (Zu lu land Eco -Adventures 035 474

2298).

A more commercia l i sed exper ience i s at

Shakaland, (near Eshowe) which i s re lat ively

h i s tor ical ly accurate but wi th more of an

emphas i s on s taged enter ta in ing – the Zulu

v i l lage here was bui l t fo r the movie set Shaka

Zulu .

Durban

Home to Af r ica’s bus iest por t harbour , a

sub-t ropical c l imate and water temperatures

which rare ly drop below 20˚C, Durban i s kno wn

for i t s year round weather and la id back v ibe. The

c i ty i s of ten refer red to as a mel t ing pot of

cul tures , which i s an appropr iate analogy for the

European, Indian and Zulu cul tura l in f luences

found here (Durban i s the c i ty wi th the largest

Indian populat ion outs ide of India, dat ing back

to indentured labourers who came to work the

sugar cane f ie lds in the 1800’s) .

Unique to Durban : T ry a ‘bunny chow’, e i ther a

hal f or quarter loaf of whi te bread wi th the

middle scooped out and f i l led wi th a cur ry o f

choice – eaten wi th your hands.

Hop on board a ‘R ickshaw’ for a r ide along

Durban’s beachfront – r ickshaw pul lers have been

a par t of the c i ty s ince the turn of the century

and cannot be missed in thei r resplendent

headdresses and r ickshaw car ts .

DURBAN ATTRACTIONS

HARBOUR CRUISES – Durban Cent ral

Durban’s harbour i s the bus ies t in Af r ica and

there i s a lways a great deal of act iv i ty , w i th

mass ive cru i se l iners enter ing the harbour as wel l

as count less container sh ips , cranes and tug

boats . Most of the boats depart f rom Wi l son’s

Wharf , which i s i t se l f an att ract ion wi th bars and

restaurants , and some al so head out to sea for

v iews of the c i ty shorel ine.

USHAKA MARINE WORLD – The Point , Durban

Beachf ront

The largest mar ine theme park in Af r ica (and one

of the 5 largest aquar iums in the wor ld) holds a

wor ld c lass mar ine aquar ium wi th d ive tank and

snorkel reef in the bowels of a themed sh ip

wreck, a dolphin and seal show, penguins , a

retai l v i l lage, res taurants ( inc luding the Cargo

Hold which centres around the g lass wal led shark

tank) and ‘Wet n Wi ld’ , a waters l ide park . In f ront

of uShaka i s a great swimming beach, which al so

of fers sur f ing and kayak lessons .

KWAMUHLE MUSEUM – Durban Cent ra l

The museum bui ld ing was once the ‘Department

of Nat ive Affa i r s ’ , where every b lack South

Afr ican was requi red to regi s ter under the harsh

labour contro l laws of the Apartheid sys tem. The

bui ld ing has been t ransformed into a museum

with a broad overv iew of Durban’s somet imes

turbulent pol i t ical past and contemporar y Zu lu

cul ture.

KILLIE CAMPBELL MUSEUM – Berea

A fascinat ing resource of manuscr ipts ,

photographs and books cover ing the south east

Af r ican region and i t s populat ion, dedicated to

the c i ty by the av id col lect or and h i s tor ian K i l l ie

Campbel l , set in a beaut i fu l Colonia l mans ion

over looking the c i ty . H ighl ights of the col lect ion

are the h i s tor ic photograph holdings , an

extens ive Zulu beadwork col lect ion, and the

James S tuart papers which recorded some 200

test imonies of ora l h i s tory and t radi t ion in the

ear ly 20th century .

THE INANDA HERITAGE ROUTE

A township to the nor th of Durban, Inanda has a

number of s i tes of s ign i f icance that are best

d i scover -ed on a rewarding guided tour :

INANDA SEMINARY – Inanda

Founded by the Amer ican Board of Miss ions (ABM)

in 1869, i t was the f i r s t secondary school

exclus ively for Af r ican g i r l s in Southern Af r ica and

has produced many of the top leaders in the

country today. The immaculate gardens and

beaut i fu l l y res tored bui ld ings are open to the

publ ic .

OHLANGA INSTITUTE – Inanda

Founded by Rev . John Dube, the f i r s t pres ident of

the Af r ican Nat ional Congress (ANC). Th i s i s the

h i s tor ical p lace where Pres ident Nel so n Mandela

cast h i s vote in South Af r ica’s f i r s t democrat ic

elect ions in 1994. John Dube s tar ted the f i r s t fu l l y

Af r ican- run and Af r ican- funded educational

sys tem in southern Af r ica, which cont inues to

funct ion to th i s day.

EBUHLENI (SHEMBE VIL LAGE & CHURCH) – Inanda

The Shembe re l ig ion i s a combinat ion of Af r ican

cul ture and Chr i s t ian i ty and has been based on

the Old Testament of the B ib le. Of ten seen in

f lowing whi te robes , the 500 000 fo l lowers

pract ice fast ing per iods and sacred acts such as

the washing of each others’ feet and incorporate

t radi t ional Zu lu dances in thei r worsh ip .

THE GANDHI SETTLEMENT – Phoenix

The communal Phoenix sett lement was an area of

100 acres of lush sugar cane on the outsk i r t s of

Durban, es tabl i shed by Gandhi in 1904 as an

exper imental communal farm where he could

t ra in pol i t ical act iv i s t s against un jus t racia l laws.

I t was here that Gan dhi ref ined h i s pr inc ip les of

‘Satyagraha’ (pass ive res i s t -ance) and h i s home

and gardens have been symp -athet ical ly

res tored.

MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM

Durban’s new 70 000 seater s tadium bui l t for the

FI FA 2010 Wor ld Cup i s an archi tectural

masterp iece that has become a def in ing icon for

the c i ty . Just a few hundred metres f rom the sea,

i t i s v i s ib le f rom vantage points across the c i ty

and beachfront , and in turn of fer s remarkable

v iews of the c i ty , h i s tor ical Berea res ident ia l area

and the Indian Ocean.

The Grand Centre A rch i s 106 metres h igh, and

can be ascended by the SkyCar , a g lass enclosed

fun icular ra i lway that t ravel s to the apex arch.

The more energet ic can ascend v ia 550 s teps on

the Adventure Walk , securely harnessed under

the eye of ins t ructors . I f b ig adrenal ine surges are

your th ing, tes t your mett le on the B ig Swing. Th i s

i s the wor ld’s on ly s tadium swing and the largest

swing of any k ind anywhere, dropping the fu l l

length of the arch and swinging out in a huge 220

metre arc!

Durban’s 6 km long promenade runs f rom the

harbour , past numerous res taurants and of course

beaches, to the s tadium at i t s end point , which

also has on s i te Hero’s Walk commem -orat ing

great South Af r icans , Moses Mabhida Square wi th

water features , indigenous t rees and exten s ive

grassed areas and a People’s Park res taurant .

‘DOLPHIN COAST’

ATTRACTIONS

TRAVELLING NORTH OF DURBAN

UMHLANGA

Main Beach, B lue F lag status – 14km f rom Durban

A resor t town, exper iencing something of a

res ident ia l and commercia l boom, Umhlanga Old

Town buzzes wi th pave-ment res taurants and

bars , whi le a 3km promenade that runs a long the

beaches i s popular wi th walkers and runners . The

New Town i s centred on the r idge, and i t i s here

that the Gateway Theatre of Shopping i s found,

one of the largest shopping centres in the

country , wi th an IMAX theatre and indoor sur f ing

(real ly ! ) . The beaches are re lat ively smal l , but

of fer good swimming in cer ta in areas , wi th

Granny’s Pool best for k ids and fami l ies .

KWAZULU-NATAL SHARKS BOARD – Umhlanga Ridge

The only organisat ion of i t s k ind in the wor ld, the

Sharks Board not only works to protect Durban’s

beaches f rom shark attack, but p lays a major ro le

in shark research and conservat ion. Durban’s

extended 320km of coast l ine i s p rotected for the

most par t by a network of shark nets which are

managed and serv iced regular ly by the Sharks

Board. You can v i s i t the Sharks Board, en joy an

audio v i sual presentat ion and a 20 minute shark

d i s sect ion thereaf ter .

SHOWTIMES & DISSECTI ONS: Tue; Wed; Thu; Sun at

9 :00 am

and 2 :00 pm. BOAT TOURS wi th the crew who

manage and repai r the shark nets i s

a l so a poss ib i l i ty , weather depending. Sk i boat

launch i s at 6 :30 am wi th advance booking

requi red.

THE OYSTER BOX HOTEL – Umhlanga

A landmark on Durban’s coast l ine, the f i r s t hotel

was bui l t on th i s s i te in 1869, wi th the cur rent

hotel an elegant refurb i shment of the gracious

1947 bui ld ing. S top by for h igh tea, lunch

over looking the Indian Ocean, or sund -owners

f rom the roof top bar .

CROCODILE CREEK CROC ODILE FARM

– 10 km in land f rom Bal l i to , 40 kms f rom Durban

Th i s i s a fun fami ly - run farm, which includes

crocodi les , snakes , l i zards and monkeys and i s

home to ‘Hannibal ’ a legendary 5 m Ni le croc. . .

DOLPHIN COAST BEACHE S

(Note that the Nor th Coast beaches tend to be

qui te rocky wi th s t rong undercur rents . Only swim

where there are l i fe -guards on duty and in

demarcated areas) .

BALLITO : 40 km f rom Durban, wi th a t idal pool and

al so some good shopping opportun i t ies at the

L i fes ty le centre on the r idge above the town.

SHAKA’S ROCK : 56 km f rom Durban. Named af ter

a rocky outcrop bel ieved to have been used by

Shaka, the great Zu lu chief as a look -out . The

beach i t se l f i s a graceful s t retch of inv i t ing sand,

sea and a t idal pool wi th a back -drop of craggy

c l i f f s .

SALT ROCK : 58 km f rom Durban . Popular in season

wi th fami l ies , w i th large rock pools and a t idal

pool .

SHEFFIELD BEACH : 60 km f rom Durban. Shel tered

coves and rock pool s def ine th i s qu iet seas ide

hol iday town.

‘HIBISCUS COAST’

ATTRACTIONS

TRAVELLING SOUTH OF DURBAN

THE HARE KRISHNA, SRI SRI RADHANATH TEMPLE OF

UNDERSTANDING – Chatsworth

Just south of Durban, in the t radi t ional ly Indian

area of Chatsworth , i s the archi tectural and

ornate Temple of Unders tanding wi th marble t i les ,

gold t in ted windows, brass ornaments , c rys ta l

chandel ier s and golden s tatuettes – the temple

i t se l f i s des igned to resemble a lotus b lossom.

ALIWAL SHOAL – 54 kms f rom Durban

A reef of f the coast at uMkomaas, hai led as one

of the top 10 dive s i tes in the wor ld – most

notably because of the opportun i ty to d ive wi th

the doci le Ragged Tooth Sharks between May

and September as they come to breed.

CROCODILE FARMS

Two farms on the south coast have been in

operat ion for many years :

CROCWORLD (Scottburgh, 70 kms f rom Durban ) –

Crocs , snakes , par rots , monkeys an d more. Croc

feeding i s dai ly at 11 :00 and 15 :00 except on a

Mon.

RIVERBEND CROCODILE FARM (Ramsgate, 140 kms

f rom Durban) – Home to over 200 Ni le crocodi les .

Croc feeding i s on a Sun at 2 :30 pm. They al so

have a croc educat ion centre, a snake house

and snake demonst rat ions (Sun @ 2 :30 pm).

ORIBI GORGE NATURE RESERVE – 25 km in land f rom

Por t Shepstone, 140 kms f rom Durban

A conservancy of 2000ha wi th a deep gorge

sculpted by the Umzi lu lwana River over mi l lennia,

leav ing behind sand-s tone c l i f f s , indigenous

forest , water fa l l s and breathtak ing v iews.

Baboons , vervet and samango monkeys ,

aardwol f , caracal , serval , jackal , mongoose and

a number of antelope species inhabi t the area,

but i t i s the h ik ing, absei l ing and whi te water

raf t ing that i s most popular . T here i s a good

adventure centre at the reserve, Wi ld F ive at the

Or ib i Gorge Hotel , which al so of fers a gorge

swing.

COFFEE FARM TOURS – BEAVER CREEK

COFFEE ESTATE – near Por t Edward

Guided dai ly ‘Crop to Cup’ tours @ 12 :00 pm –

booking essent ia l - at the end of which a

bottomless cup of f resh ly roasted coffee wi th a

tea t ime t reat i s an opt ion at the estate’s café in

picturesque farm sur rounds.

HIBISCUS COAST BEACHES

H IBBERDENE : 104 km f rom Durban / B lue F lag

s tatus

UVONGO : 140 km f rom Durban / B lue F l ag s tatus

The Uvongo water fa l l i s the most wel l know

att ract ion here, a 23 m water fa l l wi th lagoon that

i s one of the deep-est lagoons in the country ,

wi th a beaut i fu l l y located sp i t of beach to match.

MARGATE : 142 km f rom Durban / B lue F lag S tatus

A mi le long beach ideal for swimming, body

boarding and sur f ing, in a busy hol iday town.

RAMSGATE : 146 km f rom Durban / B lue F lag s tatus

A quaint seas ide v i l lage wi th a quiet beach.

* BLUE FLAG BEACHES:

Th i s i s a European env i ronmental and tour i sm

beach grading sys tem that reassures v i s i to rs that

beaches cer t i f ied are

c lean, safe and env i ronmental ly sound, and

adhere to in ternat ional safety s tandards .

THE OUTER WEST ATTRACTIONS

TRAVELLING INLAND FROM DURBAN

KRANTZKLOOF NATURE RESERVE & KLOOF GORGE

– K loof , 35 kms f rom Durban

Only 4km f rom the centre of K loof , a leafy suburb

of Durban, th i s 532 ha nature reserve, i s a haven

of t ranqui l l i ty w i th in suburbia. The dense forested

gorge cut by two r iver s , i s a popular local

p icn ick ing spot, w i th 20km of na ture walks and

the impress ive K loof Fal l s .

VALLEY OF 1000 HILLS – Botha’s H i l l , 45 kms f rom

Durban

T ravel th rough the monied suburb of H i l lc rest , and

head on up to Botha’s H i l l for a smal l s l ice of ar ts

and craf ts 40 mins f rom Durban. A nar row winding

road prov ides great v iews of the Val ley of 1000

H i l l s , where you wi l l g l impse Zulu homesteads

dotted across thei r green expanse. B rowse

cottage furn i ture and craf t shops , and v i s i t the

PheZulu Crocodi le and Rept i le Park. On the f i r s t

and las t Sunday of ev ery month, a fu l l y res tored

s team t ra in runs f rom K loof S tat ion (S tokers Arms)

a long the edge of the Val ley (twice dai ly 8 :45 am

and 12:30 pm).

NATAL MIDLANDS ATTRACTIONS

PIETERMARITZBURG

(Spr ing board to the Midlands Meander)

P ietermar i tzburg, KwaZu lu-Natal ’s second largest

ci ty and capi ta l of the prov ince, i s a botanical

c i ty , and dur ing the spr ing t ime i s a r iot of

T ibouchinas, Bougainv i l leas and Jacarandas. I t i s

home to some of the f inest examples of

Edwardian and Victor ian archi tecture in the

country , whi le the P ietermar i tzburg Ci ty Hal l

(1893) i s the largest red br ick bui ld ing in the

southern hemisphere, bu i l t in 1893, ravaged by

f i re in 1895, and reconst ructed in 1901. Just

outs ide of the Ci ty Hal l , s tands the One O’clock

Gun, which as i t s name suggests , used to be f i red

every day at one o’c lock barr ing Sundays , and to

s ignal the ar r ival of post f rom Durban.

A bronze s tatue of Mahatma Gandhi s tands in

Church S t reet in P ietermar i tzburg’s c i ty centre – i t

was on a t ra in journey up f rom Durban to Ulundi

(May 1893), when Gandhi , in possess ion of a f i r s t

c lass t icket , was unceremonious ly thrown f rom the

t ra in , due to a whi te passengers ’ v iew that

Indians should only t ravel in th i rd c lass car r iages .

Gandhi refused to re locate to th i rd c lass and was

therefore ev icted f rom the t ra in in

P ietermart i zburg. Forced to wai t at the t ra in

s tat ion for the next avai lable coach, i t was here

that Gandhi reso lved to remain in South Af r ica, to

f ight for equal r ights for a l l Indians in South

Af r ica. Nel son Mandela, aw arding Gandhi ,

posthumous ly the F reedom of P ietermar i tzburg

sa id ‘When Gandhi was ev icted f rom the t ra in , an

Indian v i s i t ing South Afr ica fe l l , but when Gandhi

rose, an Indian South Afr ican arose.’

TATHAM ART GALLERY – P ietermar i t zburg

Datubg back to 1903 , the gal lery i s one of South

Afr ica’s foremost ar t museums, contain ing

s ign i f icant Br i t i sh and French ar tworks dat ing

back to the 18th century . I ts South Af r ican ar t i s

focused on but not exclus ive to KwaZulu -Natal ,

wi th support and recogni t ion of upcomin g local

ar t i s t s .

PIETERMARITZBURG’S BOTANICAL GARDENS –

P ietermar i t zburg

Establ i shed in the 1870’s , the gardens’ focus i s on

the propagat ion of rare or endangered

indigenous p lants . There i s a l so a ‘muth i ’ garden

( t radi t ional medic inal p lants) .

HOWICK – Mid lands Meander town

The main att ract ion here i s the Howick Fal l s . A t

a di zzy ing height of 90 m, the fa l l s are impress ive,

whi le a number of good craf t , ant ique and cur io

markets l ine the s t reets . The informat ion centre

here i s excel lent and a guide to t he Midlands

Meander i s recommended.

Twenty minutes (18 km) f rom Howick i s the

Kark loof Nature Reserve, which of fer s Kark loof

Canopy Tours – a un ique eco-exper ience through

pr i s t ine indigenous forest .

ARDMORE CERAMICS STU DIO –

Caversham/L idget ton

Here Zulu art i s t s create v ibrant , somet imes

fanci fu l , ceramic works of ar t .

Wi th a team of up to 40 local ar t i s t s , they ref lect

t rad- i t ional Af r ican s tor ies and mythology in

h igh ly detai led creat ions that have graced

auct ions at Chr i s t ies and Bonhams as wel l a s

gal ler ies in New York , Cape Town and

Johannesburg.

TALA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE – Camperdown

Just an hour out of Durban, i s a quaint pr ivate

reserve, home to whi te rh ino, g i raf fe, zebra and a

var iety of ante- lope species . Game dr ives in open

safar i vehic les , bush walks , quad bike t ra i l s and

horse t ra i l s (exper ienced r iders on ly) , wh ich are

a l l ranger gu ided, are avai lable, as are p icn ic

baskets .

NOTT INGHAM ROAD – Midlands Meander town

A smal l but p icturesque town, wi th good

restaurants and a meet ing point for the horse

f ratern i ty . Nott ingham Road Pub i s one of the

o ldest in KwaZulu -Natal and i s wonderfu l l y

atmospher ic – a l so t ry Nott ingham Road Brewery

at Rawdon’s Es tate which i s one of South Af r ica’s

best micro-brewer ies . Fourdoun Es tate i s nearby

and i s a renowned day spa us ing t radi t ional Zu lu

t reatments .

Day Tours

DURBAN

Al l day tours p ick up and drop of f f rom Durban

and Umhlanga Rocks hotel s .

DURBAN CITY TOUR Hal f Day – Departs dai ly at

8 :30 am

An or ientat ion to the c i ty of Durban, inc luding

the Wor ld Cup Soccer Stadium, the harbour

mouth, the c i ty centre, V ictor ia S t reet Market and

the Univers i ty bui ld ings , wi th v iews across the c i ty ,

harbour and ocean.

TOWNSHIP TOUR Ful l Day – Departs Mon to F r i at

9 :00 am

Star t at Kwa Muhle Museum which recount s the

Apartheid exper ience f rom a Durban perspect ive,

before cont inuing v ia the weal thy suburbs to the

informal sett lement of Cato Manor , the township

of Clermont where you v i s i t a local shebeen (pub)

and KwaDabeka, the largest migrant labour

hoste l in South Af r ica.

HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE Fu l l Day – Departs dai ly

at 6 :00 am

Head nor th in to Zu luland for a fu l l day of game

v iewing in H luh luwe-Imfoloz i , renowned for i t s

rh ino populat ions as wel l as s t rong populat ions of

e lephant, l ion , buf fa lo , zebra and g i ra f fe. A

p icn ic lunch i s inc luded.

SANI PASS AND LESOTH O Fu l l Day – Departs dai ly

6 :00 am

T ravel in land, past P ietermar i tzburg to the base of

Sani Pass , where you jo in a 4x4 vehic le to take

you up the pass and into Lesotho. Meet the local

Basotho communi ty , and have lunch at the

h ighest pub in Af r ica, wi th breathtak ing v iews.

Tours can be booked di rect l y wi th I l ios T ravel

contacts : +27 (0)21 534 5994 – book ing of f ice