Sights in Kwa Zulu Natal
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uShaka Marine World
Divided into several areas (Sea World, Wet’n’Wild World and uShaka Beach), uShaka Marine World boasts one of the world’s largest aquariums, the biggest collection of sharks in the southern hemisphere, a seal stadium, a dolphinarium, marine animals and exhibits, a mock-up 1940s steamer wreck featuring two classy restaurants, a shopping centre, enough freshwater rides to make you seasick, and a beach featuring activities from surfing lessons to kayaking.
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Eastern Shores
The Eastern Shores, has four scenic routes – pan, vlei (marshland), coastal dune and grassland – that reflect their different features and ecosystems. About 14km north of the entrance is Mission Rocks, a rugged and rock-covered shoreline where, at low tide, you can view a fabulous array of sea life in the rock pools (note: you cannot swim here). At low tide, you can walk 5km north to Bats Cave, a bat-filled cave. About 4km before Mission Rocks is the Mission Rocks lookout (signed), which provides a wonderful view of Lake St Lucia and the Indian Ocean. Twenty kilometres north of Mission Rocks (30km from St Lucia Estuary), taking in the land between Lake Bhangazi and th…
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Beachfront
You'll either love or hate the Durban beachfront and sandy beaches. If you dip into the city's summer surf and sun, you have a playground of more than 6km of warm-water beaches (protected by the requisite shark nets). The 'Golden Mile' Beaches run from Blue Lagoon (at the mouth of the Umgeni River) to uShaka Marine World on the Point. The 'private' beaches near the casino and uShaka Marine World are accessed through the venues themselves.
But Durban's beachfront ain't for everyone. To some, its smorgasbord of bars and restaurants and hectic holiday atmosphere are garish and tacky. If you do take the plunge, always swim in patrolled areas, which are indicated by flags.
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Msunduzi Museum
The Msunduzi Museum, formerly known as the Voortrekker Museum, is a complex incorporating the Church of the Vow, the home of Andries Pretorius, a Voortrekker house and a girls’ school, the museum’s administrative building. The Church of the Vow was built in 1841 to fulfil the Voortrekkers’ promise to God at the Battle of Blood River. The words of the Vow are in the Modern Memorial Church, located next door. More recently, history has been rewritten; the museum has had a name change and heralds itself as a multicultural institution, incorporating Zulu and Indian displays.
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Highmoor Nature Reserve
The park office of Highmoor Nature Reserve is off the road from Rosetta to Giant’s Castle and Kamberg. Turn off to the south just past the sign to Kamberg, 31km from Rosetta. It’s more exposed and less dramatic than some of the Drakensberg region, but its undulating hills make for pleasant walks. It’s also one of the few places you are driving ‘on top of’ the escarpment, albeit the lower climes of the Drakensbergs. There are two caves, Aasvoel Cave and Caracal Cave, both 2.5km from the main office, and Fultons Rock, which has rock paintings (a 4km easy walk).
There are no chalets here, but campsites are available.
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Rorke’s Drift Orientation Centre
If you have seen Zulu, which was filmed in the Drakensberg, the scenery around Rorke’s Drift may come as a bit of a disappointment. The landscape is still beautifully rugged, however, and the Rorke’s Drift Orientation Centre, on the site of the original mission station, is excellent. The Zulu know this site as Shiyane, their name for the hill at the back of the village. The Rorke’s Drift-Shiyane Self-Guided Trail brochure (R3) is a helpful reference. Two local Zulu guides, Thulani Khuzwayo and Siyabongo Mbatha give a tour of the area.
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Tembe Elephant Park
Heading westwards along a dirt road to the N2 from Kosi Bay, South Africa’s last free-ranging elephants are protected in the sandveld (dry, sandy coastal belt) forests of Tembe Elephant Park, a Transfrontier Park on the Mozambique border, owned by the Tembe Tribe and managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Around 230 elephants live in its 30,000 hectares; these are the only indigenous elephants in KZN, and the largest elephants in the world, weighing up to 7000kg. The park boasts the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino), plus more than 300 bird species.
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Lake Eland Game Reserve
Lake Eland Game Reserve has over 40 species of animals, of which, management claims, you are guaranteed to see 80%. You can head off on a self-drives (R25 per person) or a game drive (R100 per person, maximum seven). A short gorge walk crosses a 130m-high suspension bridge, and fishing and canoeing are available. Twitchers will appreciate the 200 bird species. There are well-maintained log cabins overlooking a small lake, fishermen cottages, camping and dorm beds in a massive pipe! It’s 40km from Port Shepstone; drive 29km along the Oribi Flats Rd off the N2.
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KwaMuhle Museum
The excellent KwaMuhle Museum is a must-see for those interested in understanding South Africa. This was formerly Bantu Administration headquarters, where Durban’s colonial authorities formulated the structures of urban racial segregation (the ‘Durban System’), the blueprints of South Africa’s apartheid policy. There are powerful displays on urban Durban as it was, plus another on Cato Manor, Durban’s contemporary informal settlement and the site of the new South Africa’s ambitious urban-renewal program.
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Ardmore Ceramic Studio
The extraordinary Ardmore Ceramic Studio was started by artist Fée Halset-Berning. She trained Bonnie Ntshalintsahli, the daughter of a farm employee. Sadly, Bonnie has since passed away, but the studio has flourished with a group of highly gifted artists who create the most extraordinary pieces of ceramic art, some functional, others ornamental. So renowned are the pieces, that Christie’s holds an annual auction of selected items. You can see the artists at work in the studio; works are for sale, too.
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Shongweni Resource Reserve
Shongweni Resource Reserve, about halfway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg off the N3, is Rte 5 and Rte 6 of the 1000 Hills Experience. Part of a beautiful river valley and grassland area, it has a number of mammals (including giraffes, zebras and rhinos) and birds. Canoeing is available (R75/90 per half/full day). The reserve has massive safari-style tents erected on wooden platforms perched over the lake’s edge. Each has a small balcony and an outdoor table and basic kitchen facilities. Camping costs R70 per person.
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Shakaland
There are several Zulu-village cultural experiences in this area. Created as a set for the telemovie Shaka Zulu, the slightly Disney-fied Shakaland beats up a touristy blend of perma-grin performance and informative authenticity. The Nandi Experience (Nandi was Shaka’s mother) is a display of Zulu culture and customs (including lunch); the Zulu dance performance is said to be the best in the country. You can also stay overnight in luxury beehives at the four-star hotel.
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Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve
The Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve is inland from Port Shepstone, off the N2. The spectacular gorge, on the Umzimkulwana River, is one of the highlights of the South Coast with beautiful scenery, animals and birds, plus walking trails and pretty picnic spots. The reception office is accessed via the N2 on the southern side of the gorge. Here, too, are some delightful wooden chalets, nestled in the forest – the perfect base for those who wish to spend time in this area.
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Tatham Art Gallery
In keeping with Pietermaritzburg’s self-styled role as the ‘heritage city’, one of its finest sights is the Tatham Art Gallery, which was started in 1903 by Mrs Ada Tatham. Housed in the beautiful Old Supreme Court, it contains a fine collection of French and English 19th- and early-20th-century works. Every 15 minutes, little figurines appear out of the building’s treasured ormolu clock to chime the bells. The gallery shop stocks some excellent crafts.
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Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park is one of South Africa’s best-known, most evocative parks. Covering 96,000 hectares, the park is best visited in winter as the animals then range widely without congregating at water sources (the White iMfolozi and Black iMfolozi Rivers flow here), although the lush vegetation sometimes makes viewing difficult. However, summer visits can also be very rewarding, especially in the open savannah country areas.
The park has lions, elephants, rhinos (black and white), leopards, giraffes, buffalos and wild dogs. The Centenary Centre, a wildlife-holding centre with an attached museum and information centre, is in the eastern section of iMfolozi. It incor…
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Krantzkloof Nature Reserve
On Rte 2 of the 1000 Hills Experience it’s a pleasant winding drive through Kloof to beautiful 600-hectare Krantzkloof Nature Reserve. It has a variety of stunning gorge, wetland and grassland walks of between one and six hours’ duration. There are also picnic sites available. Ask where you can get the best views of the gorge. Maps of self-guided trails are available from the security guard for R5.
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Old Courthouse Museum
The Old Courthouse Museum is in the beautiful 1866 courthouse behind the City Hall. It offers a worthwhile insight into the highs and lows of colonial living and houses an interesting sugar-mill exhibit. Among the wonderful displays of colonial items – from pipes to necklaces – there’s a display of corresponding Zulu items; identifying them is especially fun for kids (and some adults, too).
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Spioenkop Nature Reserve
The 6000-hectare Spioenkop Nature Reserve is based on the Spioenkop Dam on the Tugela River. The reserve is handy for most of the area’s battlefield sites and not too far from the Drakensberg for day trips into the range. Animals include zebras, white rhinos, giraffes, various antelope species and over 290 bird species. There’s horse riding, a vulture hide and guided walks.
The Spioenkop Nature Reserve is northeast of Bergville but the entrance is on the eastern side, 13km from Winterton off Rte 600. If you are coming from the south on the N3, take Exit 194 for Rte 74 towards Winterton. The Spioenkop battlefield is accessed from Rte 616 via Bergville (not Rte 600; fol…
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Botanic Gardens
The Botanic Gardens is a 20-hectare garden with one of the rarest cycads, Encephalartos woodii, as well as many species of bromeliad, and is a pleasant place to wander. On weekends local bridal parties galore pose with their petals for the photographers. The gardens play host to an annual concert series featuring the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra and other concerts.
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Kamberg Nature Reserve
Southeast of Giant’s Castle and a little away from the main escarpment area, Kamberg Nature Reserve has a number of antelope species and guided rock-art walks.
The reserve’s new rock art centre is well worth visiting, if only to support the local community, the Tandela, who run it. Tours depart at 9am, 11am and 12.30pm. Allow three hours for the round trip (3.5km). It’s an easy walk, if a little steep at the end. Two documentaries are shown in a purpose-built multimedia centre: the first on San people, and another, a visual tour of the actual walk, aimed at those who are unable to walk to the site (those with disability).
You can get there from Rosetta, off the N3 s…
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Temple of Understanding
Temple of Understanding, situated 8km west of Durban, is the biggest Hare Krishna temple in the southern hemisphere. This unusual building, designed in the shape of a lotus flower, also houses a vegetarian restaurant. Follow the N3 towards Pietermaritzburg and then branch off to the N2 south. Take the Chatsworth turn-off and turn right towards the centre of Chatsworth.
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Hlatikulu Crane & Wetland Sanctuary
Bird lovers especially will enjoy visiting the Hlatikulu Crane & Wetland Sanctuary. This crane rescue, rehabilitation and breeding centre, located on a remote and windswept site about 45km from Rosetta on Rte 28. Keen photographers can arrange access to a vulture hide for photographic sessions (bookings essential and charges apply).
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Campbell Collections
The Campbell Collections are well worth seeing. Muckleneuk, a superb house designed by Sir Herbert Baker, holds the documents and artefacts collected by Dr Killie Campbell and her father Sir Marshall Campbell (KwaMashu township is actually named after him), which are extremely important records of early Natal and Zulu culture.
Killie Campbell began collecting works by black artists 60 years before the Durban Gallery did so, and she was the first patron of Barbara Tyrrell, who recorded the traditional costumes of the indigenous peoples. Her paintings beautifully convey clothing and decoration, and the grace of the people wearing them.
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Cobham State Forest
The Mzimkulu Wilderness Area and the Mzimkulwana Nature Reserve are all in this state forest. The park office is about 15km from Himeville on the D7; it’s a good place to get information on the many hiking trails in the forest, some with trail huts. Basic campsites are available.
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Chelmsford Nature Reserve
The turn-off to Chelmsford Nature Reserve is off the N11 (turn-off is 7km to the gate) and 25km south of Newcastle. As well as fishing and spring wildflowers, there’s a beautiful wildlife reserve with the highest concentration of the endangered oribi species in South Africa. Game drives are on offer in summer.
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