Scenic Kwazulu-Natal

Washed by the warm Indian Ocean on the eastern side of South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal sweeps through tropical beaches, rolling green hills, the lofty crags of the mighty Drakensberg Mountains and the biodiversity of some of Africa's oldest game reserves. This work serves as a guide to this place.

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Washed by the warm Indian Ocean on the eastern side of South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal sweeps through tropical beaches, rolling green hills, the lofty crags of the mighty Drakensberg Mountains and the incredible biodiversity of some of Africas oldest game reserves. Its various landscapes embrace two of South Africas World Heritage Sites - the magnificent uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park and the unique estuarine system of The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. Traditional home of the Zulu people, KwaZulu-Natal is widely known as the Kingdom of the Zulu. Many of its towns and rivers boast historical Zulu names and at its heart is the vibrant city of Durban or eThekweni. The South and North Coasts, famous for their sweeping white beaches, lagoons, tidal pools and holiday towns, stretch out on either side of KwaZulu-Natals leisure capital. Further north lies the fabulous Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, an incredible diverse habitat of pristine beaches, swamps, freshwater lakes, undulating grasslands, forests and bushveld. Then there is the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park, founded in 1895, it is the largest game reserve in the province and one of the oldest in Africa.
KwaZulu-Natal also saw a series of bloody battles which left it littered with the bodies of proud Zulu warriors, Boer commandos and British soldiers who lost their lives fighting in the area. The rolling hills of the Midlands offer spectacular views of lush green fields, big skies, picturesque farm houses and peacefully grazing cattle and is home to the very popular arts and crafts route, the Midlands Meander. Finally, the high basalt crags and peaks of the massive Drakensberg Mountains soar to an incredible 3,482 metres. Its sandstone base eroded over millennia formed countless caves and overhangs, some of which provided shelter for South Africas original inhabitants, the Bushmen or San. Through the centuries these early people left behind a priceless legacy of rock art, a visual documentary of their lifestyle, beliefs and ceremonies.