« SOUTH AFRICA • Discover South Africa • Durban
Destination Durban
Archaeological evidence from the Drakensberg mountains suggests that the Durban area has been inhabited by communities of hunter-gatherers since 100,000 BC. These people lived throughout the area of present day KwaZulu-Natal until the expansion of Bantu farmers and pastoralists from the north saw their gradual displacement,incorporation or extermination.
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» Durban International Film Festival
Cape Town's Kirstenbosch gardens may be more famous, but Durban's Botanic Gardens hold the title of Africa's oldest surviving botanical gardens. Founded in 1851, Durban's Botanic Gardens were a response to Kew Gardens' challenge of creating botanic gardens around the world. The goal was not only to furnish Kew with new plants, but also to help raise global awareness of potentially valuable plants. The first garden in Durban was established in 1849 in a different location - it has been at its current location, closer to the city, since 1851 …
» Durban Golden Mile
Cape Town's Kirstenbosch gardens may be more famous, but Durban's Botanic Gardens hold the title of Africa's oldest surviving botanical gardens. Founded in 1851, Durban's Botanic Gardens were a response to Kew Gardens' challenge of creating botanic gardens around the world. The goal was not only to furnish Kew with new plants, but also to help raise global awareness of potentially valuable plants. The first garden in Durban was established in 1849 in a different location - it has been at its current location, closer to the city, since 1851 …
» Himeville
The KwaZulu-Natal town of Himeville is near the dramatic Drakensberg mountains, roughly 132 miles from Durban. It's a gateway to the Sani Pass en route to Lesotho. Himeville was settled in the late 1880s, and the city's museum is housed in a building that dates from 1900. There are exhibits about the area's agricultural history and rural life in this part of South Africa. The Drakensberg area near Himeville is popular for outdoor sports of all kinds, including rafting, horseback riding, and fly fishing …
» Hluhluwe Game Reserve
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, in the north of KwaZulu-Natal state, is the oldest in South Africa, drawing visitors for over a hundred years. Careful conservation ensures an amazing array of wildlife such as rhinoceroses (including the rare white rhinoceros), elephants and Cape Buffalos, as well as big cats including lions, leopards and cheetahs. The landscape ranges from flat savannah to steep hills, criss-crossed by rivers and dotted with water holes, where you may well spot the Nyala, or South African antelope …
» Howick Falls
Howick Falls is a waterfall in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, some 63 miles from Durban. It falls roughly 310 feet from the river into a pool before the river continues on. The Zulu name for the falls is KwaNogqaza, and legend is that a huge serpent lives in the pool beneath the falls. Sangomas, or fortune tellers, are said to be the only ones who can go near the waterfall safely. Whether you believe the stories or not, the truth is that many people have died attempting to cross the Umgeni River just above the falls …
» Isandlwana Battlefield
One of the worst defeats in British military history occurred on January 22, 1879 during the Battle of Isandlwana. The battle, fought near a hill in Zululand of the same name, took place early in the Anglo-Zulu war when a British invasion column of some 1,300 soldiers under the command of General Lord Chelmsford was attacked by a 20,000-strong Zulu army, resulting in a humiliating defeat. Today Isandlwana Battlefield is dotted with stone cairns indicating the resting places of soldiers killed in the battle …
» iSimangaliso Wetland Park
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 (the first in South Africa), iSimangaliso Wetland Park encompasses 820,389 acres of lakes, estuaries, beaches, swamps, coastal dunes and coral reefs extending for some 125 miles along the coast of the Indian Ocean. This wide variety of interlinking ecosystems has yielded incredible biodiversity in the area - the park is home to more than 6,500 plant and animal species, including 521 species of birds, as well as African elephants, humpback whales, loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles, Nile crocodiles and hippos …
» KwaZulu-Natal
The South African province of KwaZulu-Natal contains the country's northernmost stretch of Indian Ocean coastline, whose magnificent surf beaches draw people from all over the country and beyond. But away from the coast there is a wide variety of landscape, including the soaring peaks of Ukhahlamba Drakensberg, the northern sugarcane fields and the forests of the South Coast. The range of experience available to the visitor is just as varied, covering everything from hiking and big game spotting to the multicultural attractions of Durban …
» Lesotho
Lesotho is an independent country that is surrounded on all sides by South Africa - it's an enclave within another country. The official name of the country is the Kingdom of Lesotho, and it occupies just over 11,500 square miles high in the mountains. It holds the distinction of being the only independent country in the world where the entire country is above an elevation of 1,000 meters (3,281 feet). The population is almost entirely Sotho, the people who gave the country its name. Lesotho gained independence from the UK in 1966 …
» Moses Mabhida Stadium
Durban's massive Moses Mabhida Stadium was one of the new stadiums built for the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa, hosting seven games during the tournament. Since the World Cup, the stadium has been used for local games of soccer and cricket, as well as live concerts and other performances. The stadium is home to a local top-league soccer team, AmaZulu. One of the defining architectural features of the stadium is an arch that extends over the length of the field. When the stadium is not in use, visitors can ride a funicular to the top of the arch …
» Phansi Museum
Durban's Phansi Museum is a treasure of South African artifacts, both historic and contemporary, and is known as one of the world's largest collections of South African arts and crafts. Originally located in the basement of a private home, the museum's name Phansi translates to 'below' or 'beneath' and serves as a nod to that meager beginning. Today, the collection occupies three floors of a converted Victorian house. Among the exhibits at the Phansi Museum are examples of beadwork, baskets woven from telephone wire, wooden serving platters …
» Rorke's Drift Museum
In January of 1879, fewer than 200 British and colonial troops successfully defending the mission station at Rorke's Drift against an intense attack by well over 3,000 Zulu warriors during the Anglo-Zulu War. The conflict, today known as the Battle of Rorke's Drift or the Defense of Rorke's Drift, is memorialized by a well-preserved battlefield and a small museum, where dioramas and electronic displays tell the tale of the 12-hour assault. Eleven Victoria Crosses (the highest military honor in Britain) were awarded after the battle, more than had ever been handed out for one battle before …
» Sani Pass
The Sani Pass is a stretch of extremely undeveloped road that links South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal with the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. It's neither for inexperienced drivers nor anything but a 4x4. Although the Sani Pass is only about 5.6 miles long, it climbs a whopping 4,370 feet in that distance - when you reach the top, you're at over 9,400 feet in elevation. The road is essentially a dirt path of switchback after switchback, so it's imperative that you have not only a 4x4 but an experienced driver behind the wheel …
» Shakaland
Zulus form the largest ethnic group in the Rainbow Nation of South Africa, and the province of KwaZulu-Natal (formerly Zululand) is their heartland. Shakaland is an open-air museum, or 'cultural village' providing a first class introduction to Zulu culture. It tells the tale of its namesake, the famous warrior king Shaka, who fought both tribal rivals to finally become the area's uncontested ruler, as well as later Zulus who fought colonial aggressors. But it's not all spears and battles. Shakaland gives an overview of all aspects of Zulu culture, including tribal social structures …
» uShaka Marine World
In just a few years uShaka Marine World has become a fixture of Durban's Golden Mile, allowing visitors to not just view but also get among sea creatures. For instance, you can watch one of the regular dolphin shows and then get close to them in the Dolphin Lagoon. Or you can view the largest aquarium in the southern hemisphere from underground viewing galleries then descend into a shark pool in a specially designed cage; it's perfectly safe but still nerve-wracking. There are adults' and children's pools and a number of waterslides, including the twisting Torpedo …
« SOUTH AFRICA • Discover South Africa • Durban
