Battlefields, KwaZulu Natal

KwaZulu Natal Attractions

Battlefields, KwaZulu Natal

Once you've booked your hotel or Battlefields accommodation explore our destination pages below for info on attractions and what to do in Battlefields Region.

Not only the place of some of the most picturesque landscapes in the country, the sweeping hills and knotty rock formations that pepper the rolling plains and valleys of northern and central KwaZulu Natal are also the site of a concentration of historical battles that took place over numerous years and shaped the history of both South African and British history.

Today what appears to be little more than wind-swept plains littered with the remains of stone forts, graveyards and little else to indicate strife, bore witness to innumerable fierce battles. First between the Voortrekkers on their way to the hinterland in a bid to escape the British rule of the Cape Colony, and the fierce Zulu kings, who believed that this beautiful land that lay between the Drakensberg Mountains and the Indian Ocean was their own ‘heaven on earth’.

Battlefields, KwaZulu Natal

This same area of land then witnessed further clashes between the British Empire, battling to gain control over land across the Tugela River, and the Zulu nation in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, encompassing the famous battles at Isandlawana and Rorkes Drift. Just two years later, the British were at war again in South Africa in what became known as the First Anglo-Boer War, pitting the Boers and British against one another, with numerous battles ensuing across this same area of land.

Today this beautiful and somewhat fragile region forms the heart of a Battlefields Route that one can do as part of a tour or as a self-drive experience - maps and brochures in tow to trace the battles that involved Mahatma Gandhi, Churchill, Shaka and General Louis Botha - all of whom played strategic roles in these intense clashes that have left the landscape imbued with the echoes of battle. (See Battlefields Map).

Battlefields

Destinations / Towns & Suburbs of Battlefields

Babanango

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

In the northern reaches of Zululand is the little town of Babanango en route to Dundee on the R68. An unusual name, Babanango translates as ‘Father there she is’ - ‘Ubaba, nangu’ - and evidently refers to a small child ... Babanango information

Biggarsberg

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

Situated on the N11 between Ladysmith and Newcastle, Biggarsberg, rather than being a town per se, is the name of a range of mountains that run from north-west to south-east between Glencoe and Ladysmith ... Biggarsberg information

Colenso

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

The smaller neighbour of Ladysmith, the quiet town of Colenso lies in the foothills of the Drakensberg, on the banks of the Thukela River. It is one of few towns in the area to maintain its country atmosphere and has a ... Colenso information

Dundee

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Dundee

The pretty little town of Dundee, which has managed to retain much of its aesthetic rustic appeal, lies in the valley of the magnificent Biggarsberg Mountain range some 325 kilometres from Durban and only 30 minutes’ ... Dundee information

Elandslaagte

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

Elandslaagte might be a place on the map, but it's virtually a nothing doing village in the midst of some of the most beautiful countryside in KwaZulu Natal. Drive along the R602 between Pyne's Farm and the N11, and Elandslaagte ... Elandslaagte information

Eshowe

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Eshowe

Eshowe, the oldest town of European settlement in Zululand, lies just below a ridge of hills that are home to an indigenous forest known as Dlinza. The sound of wind blowing through the forest is thought to have ... Eshowe information

Estcourt

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Estcourt

Lower down in the valley from Van Reenen’s Pass, and in the heart of the Anglo-Boer War territory, Estcourt is a fairly large town that serves as the gateway to the central Drakensberg, together with Winterton just 40 ... Estcourt information

Gingindlovu

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

Originally named Gingindlovu, meaning swallower of the Elephant in Zulu, by Cetshwayo when he won the struggle with his brother Mbulazi over the Zulu throne, Gingindlovu is also on the Battlefields Route in northern ... Gingindlovu information

Glencoe

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

Named after a valley in Argyleshire by Scottish settlers during the late 1800s, the town has a proud railway history the first train arriving on 4 September 1889. Attractions include Carl Landman's House, a fine example ... Glencoe information

Greytown

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Greytown

Often referred to as the ‘jewel of KwaZulu Natal, Greytown lies in the forest-clad, rolling hills of the Natal Midlands, a picturesque little town originally settled during the 1850s and subsequently awash with ... Greytown information

Isandlwana

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Isandlwana

Isandlwana, in Zulu, means "something like a little house." The spur sits on a gradually rising plain approximately 10 mi (16 km) from Rorke's Drift. Because of poor roads and the unwieldy wagons, it took Lord ... Isandlwana information

Ladysmith

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Ladysmith

Ladysmith today acts as a commercial centre for the large surrounding farming district became the centre of attention during the Anglo Boer War, both locally and overseas, when it fell under siege from October 1899 to ... Ladysmith information

Lüneburg

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Lüneburg

The little village of Lüneburg (place of the moon) is the original settlement of German Lutheran missionaries who, it is safe to assume, named the community in 1854 after their hometown in Germany. Today it is the site ... Lüneburg information

Melmoth

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

Melmoth, known as the gateway to the Zulu Highlands, is a picturesque, little town just 200 km north east of Durban and 90 km from the coastal town of Mtunzini. Referred to, in the SA edition of Trivial Pursuit, as ... Melmoth information

Newcastle

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Newcastle

Deeply involved in the Anglo-Boer War, Newcastle today is the largest town in northern KwaZulu Natal and shares its name with a further 27 sister Newcastles worldwide. It is awash with history and some fairly original ... Newcastle information

Paulpietersburg

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

Paulpietersburg is a small, pretty town nestling in the foothills of the Dumbe Mountain - a big, flat-topped, triangular mountain in the middle of flatlands territory, popular with paragliders and hikers and named after ... Paulpietersburg information

Rorkes Drift

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Rorkes Drift

Rorke’s Drift, 46 kilometres southeast of Dundee, describes a natural crossing presented by a rocky outcrop that allows one to cross the Buffalo River on foot. To give one an idea of its significance, just 4 kilometres ... Rorkes Drift information

Spioenkop

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Spioenkop

Spioenkop Dam lies within the Spioenkop Dam nature reserve, its waters sourced by enclosing the great Tugela River, which has its source higher up in the Drakensberg Mountains. Both the dam and the reserve lie at the foot of... Spioenkop information

Ulundi

Where to Stay: Battlefields Accommodation

The town of Ulundi, in the heart of Zululand, is set among majestic hills and the rugged valleys of the White Umfolozi River. The former capital of the Zulu Kingdom, Ulundi straddles Route 66, between Nongoma and ... Ulundi information

Vryheid

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Vryheid

Fundamentally a coal mining and beef farming town, Vryheid - from the Afrikaans word for ‘freedom’ - lies roughly 70 kilometres north east of Dundee in Zululand. Vryheid also lies close to the site of one of the more ... Vryheid information

Winterton

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Winterton

The pretty town of Winterton serves, quite literally, as the gateway to the central Drakensberg some 14 kilometres away, and lies in the foothills of these towering giants, a typical pioneer settlement and one of the ... Winterton information

Battlefields

Featured and "Must See" Attractions in Battlefields

Albert Falls Dam Nature Reserve

The source of the uMngeni River lies in the uMngeni Vlei area, an ancient wetland bounded by hills. From here it meanders eastward through undulating pastoral countryside until just before Midmar Dam, where it is joined by the Lions River. Below Midmar Dam the river plunges some 111 metres down ... more information

Battlefields Route

The KwaZulu Natal hinterland has witnessed some of the most brutal and significant battles to be fought in South Africa. These historical sites form part of the Battlefields Route, a trip through 14 historical towns whose surrounding areas boast the largest concentration of battlefields in South Africa ... more information

Bloukrans Monument

The Bloukrans Monument marks the communal grave of those Voortrekkers - men, women and children, along with their servants - killed on the banks of the Bloukrans River in what went down in history as nothing short of a massacre by the Zulus, in the year 1837. The monument today ... more information

Chelmsford Nature Reserve

The Chelmsford Nature Reserve, situated on the Ngagane River, lies just 70 kilometres from Ladysmith and is the site of the third largest dam in KwaZulu Natal, a wonderful venue for swimming, soaking up the sun and enjoying various water sports. The dam, which takes three hours to circumnavigate ... more information

Dlinza Forest Nature Reserve

Found just outside the little town of Eshowe, the Dlinza Forest is one of two indigenous forests that lie close to one another in this southern part of Zululand; the other is Entumeni. Dlinza, 250-hectares of incredibly beautiful forest bisected by numerous walking trails and a 10-metre high aerial boardwalk, is ... more information

Eshowe Country Club

The Eshowe Country Club is situated on the Eshowe Hills Eco Estate in Eshowe and as such meanders through the famous Dhlinza Forest and grasslands which are rich in indigenous fauna and flora. Strict environmental controls have ensured that the local birdlife and animals have been well catered for - the Dhlinza ... more information

Fort Durnford Museum

Fort Durnford was built out of local sandstone in a strong rectangular shape with thick, high walls and a couple of prominant towers. It was built to serve as a stronghold on a rise overlooking the old military post at Bushman's River drift. It is said to rest where the Voortrekker ... more information

Ithala Game Reserve

This magnificent Ithala Game reserve, tumbling from the heights of the Ngotshe Mountains a thousand meters down into a deep valley, carved over the aeons by the Phongolo River revealing the world's oldest rock formations, is a game viewers paradise. Situated in the rugged, mountainous thornveld of northern ... more information

Ladysmith Town Hall

Ladysmith, the little country town, might lie on the south-western perimeter of the Battlefields Route, but it also played a rather prominent role in the 118-day siege of the Anglo-Boer War. Like other old towns in South Africa, it has a rather imposing town hall built in 1893 in the ... more information

Nambiti Game Reserve

Nambiti's chief appeal is its exclusivity as the only reserve in Kwazulu-Natal with big 5 viewing. Lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino are included in the 30 species of game the malaria-free 22 000 acre reserve offers in Ladysmith close to the southern Drakensberg, just three hours from ... more information

Nkandla Forest

56 kilometres north-west of the town of Eshowe, once the capital of Zululand, is a beautiful forest; one of the most magnificently beautiful in the province. Nkandla Forest is a rare type of high wet rain forest of which there are few examples left. Nkandla covers the ridge ... more information

Ntendeka Wilderness Area

South Africa's smallest and arguably most beautiful wilderness area is Ntendeka, consisting of 5 250 ha of undulating grasslands, verdant forests and dramatic cliffs with breathtaking waterfalls. Rivers and streams have formed deep valleys and the varied topography has resulted in great ... more information

Spioenkop Dam Nature Reserve

Lying virtually at the foot of the rugged Spioenkop Mountain, the dam was the site of one of the most bloody battles to ensue during the Anglo-Boer War in an attempt to lift the Siege of Ladysmith, Spioenkop Dam Nature Reserve is 4 400 hectares of thorn savannah that contrast magnificently with the ... more information

Talana Museum

Set in a 20 acre heritage park that forms a portion of the Talana battlefield - the first battle of the Anglo-Boer war - is a museum that is dedicated to memorabilia and the growth of the Dundee area, and is home to displays as diverse as war and agriculture, mining, industry and domestic life ... more information

Vryheid Hill Nature Reserve

Vryheid, which lies in northern KwaZulu Natal, is the largest town in the area and is situated on a transitional belt between grasslands and low-lying bushveld. Pretty mountains, hills and an abundance of wetlands and patches of forest further imbue this landscape with a high number of bird species - 340 species have ... more information

Wagendrift Nature Reserve

Situated on the other side of the N3 from Estcourt, Wagendrift Nature Reserve surrounds the dam of the same name. With a resident yacht club, and popular for boating and fishing, the pretty reserve is 980 hectares of beautiful scenery, quiet, time out and a three kilometre self-guided trail along the Bushman's ... more information

Weenen Nature Reserve

Weenen Game Reserve covers an area of typical inland KwaZulu Natal acacia grassland with occasional thickets. There are extensive game viewing facilities, guided walks and environmental education in the Weenen Game Reserve. More than 230 species of birds have been recorded (there are two hides ... more information

Battlefields

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Battlefields

Holiday Accommodation in Battlefields

For accommodation in Battlefields see:
• Dundee • Eshowe • Estcourt • Isandlwana • Ladysmith • Lüneburg
• Newcastle • Rorkes Drift • Spioenkop • Vryheid • Winterton

Or to see all accommodation in this region, visit Battlefields Accommodation.

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