Zululand, KwaZulu Natal

Babanango

Where to Stay: Zululand 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

Empangeni

Where to Stay: Zululand Accommodation

Empangeni, a town about 160 km from Durban on the R34 just off the N2, is positioned in the hilly countryside of the Uthungulu district. The area around Empangeni brings to mind sugarcane plantations and hot, sticky, ... Empangeni 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

Gingindlovu

Where to Stay: Zululand 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

Hluhluwe

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Hluhluwe

The village of Hluhluwe is in the heart of Zululand on South Africa’s east coast, home to the Zulu kings Dingiswayo and Shaka, who allegedly prompted the very first conservation laws and the oldest game reserve in the ... Hluhluwe 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

Louwsburg

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Louwsburg

In the far northern reaches of KwaZulu Natal, Louwsburg is a little village on the main road to Pongola, about 70 kilometres east of Vryheid and roughly 400 kilometres north of Durban. Essentially this is a rural town ... Louwsburg information

Melmoth

Where to Stay: Zululand 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

Mtunzini

Where to Stay: Zululand Accommodation

Known as ‘the place of shade’, Mtunzini is a coastal town in Zululand, perched on a hill overlooking the beach with a beautiful dune forest and an estuary lined with mangrove swamp forest. The entire town was declared a ... Mtunzini information

Nongoma

Where to Stay: Zululand Accommodation

Nongoma, considered one of the busiest little towns in rural KwaZulu Natal, lies north west of Hluhluwe and is fast becoming a major tourist attraction, thanks to King Goodwill Zwelethini, who makes Nongoma his home. ... Nongoma information

Paulpietersburg

Where to Stay: Zululand 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

Pongola

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Pongola

The town of Pongola is small town just 10 km from the Swaziland border in the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains. Rich in Anglo and Zulu Boer War history, Pongola is surrounded by 50 km² of sugarcane and subtropical ... Pongola information

Pongolapoort

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Pongolapoort

Lying in the heart of the Lebombo Mountains on the northern shores of the Dam (also known as Lake Jozini), the town of Pongolapoort is one of a number of places around the dam that include Jozini, Nkonkoni, Candover ... Pongolapoort information

Richards Bay

Where to Stay: Accommodation in Richards Bay

The town of Richards Bay lies at the sea edge of an ancient floodplain, almost halfway between Durban and Kosi Bay and forms the tourist gateway to Zululand and Maputaland. Richards Bay began its life as a makeshift ... Richards Bay 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

Ulundi

Where to Stay: Zululand 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

AmaZulu Game Reserve

Boasting 10 000 hectares, the Amazulu Private Game Reserve is made up of a varied ecosystem. This diversity includes savannah, mountains and wetlands which makes it the ideal home to the "Big Five" as well as giraffe, warthog and hyena not to mention over 15 different antelope species, hippopotamus and ... more information

Birdwatching

Deep in the bushveld of South Africa, away from bustling cities and noisy streets, you’ll find a plethora of birdlife with a variety of colors that no artist’s palette could cover. Bird watching or 'birding' in South Africa allows you to be privy to an incredible diversity of South African birdlife. Home to over 850 different species ... more information

Emdoneni Game Farm

a small game farm, with sand forest vegetation. On the premises, you can walk with the wildlife including Impala, Nyala, Grey Duiker and other antelope. Birdlife is abundant. Emdoneni is a nature lovers paradise. The Emdoneni Cheetah and Serval Project cares for wild Cheetahs and Serval Cats, which have been orphaned or ... more information

Empangeni Arts and Cultural History Museum

This museum has a representative collection of contemporary Kwa-Zulu Natal artists works and an ethnographic collection of the regional culture. Consisting of the Harrison Collection of the pioneer sugar farmers and the Mthethwa collection of Zulu Culture. It provides continually changing exhibitions in the main hall.

Empangeni Golf Course

The Empangeni Country Club was formed in the early 1900's and photographs of the first Club president and honours board indicate that record keeping was initiated in 1921. The original 18 hole Golf Course was laid out and maintained by predominately farmer members. In the late 1980's, Peter Matkovich was ... more information

Falaza Game Park

Falaza, a privately owned game park, protects the remnants of this once mighty sand forest which evolved over 150,000 years ago. For the bird watcher, Falaza offers an extraordinarily wide variety of birdlife, including rare species such as the Pink Throated Twinspat, the African Broadbill, Rudd's Appals and the ... more information

Fort Nongqayi Museum Village

This beautiful old fort was originally created in the middle of the Dlinza Forest in eShowe in 1883. Around 90 barefoot Zulu police (known as the Nongqayi or 'restrainers') moved into the building to maintain law and order in Zululand in what today functions as Zululand's biggest museum village. Within the village of Fort ... more information

Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve

The Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park is the only park under formal conservation in KwaZulu Natal where the Big Five occur. Established in 1895, this is the oldest game park in South Africa along with nearby St Lucia Reserve. Set in the heart of Zululand this is the oldest game reserve in Africa, where Zulu kings ... 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

Mkuze Game Reserve

Situated in northern Zululand, this 40 000 hectare reserve was proclaimed a protected area in 1912. Mkuze Game Reserve constitutes the north western spur of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park a World Heritage Site. A place of great beauty and high contrasts, Mkuze is renowned as a mecca for bird lovers ... more information

Mkuze Falls Private Game Reserve

Situated in the heart of historic Zululand in the South African province of KwaZulu Natal, Mkuze Falls is one of only two Private Game Reserves in the region where you can view the 'Big 5' - lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, elephant and for bird lovers, nearly 400 species of birds are resident. Experience the unique ... 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

Phinda Private Game Reserve

Come face-to-face with lions and rhino before breakfast, swim with dolphins after lunch and catch a marlin before dinner - that's the Phinda experience, one of the most exciting safari destinations in South Africa. Located between the azure waters of the Indian Ocean and the lush waterways of the World Heritage ... more information

Pondoro Private Game Reserve

The Pondoro Private Game Reserve comprises a pristine malaria free wilderness area of some 2500 hectares. Access to the reserve is restricted, enabling guests at Pakamisa to enjoy the exclusive experience of natural African bushveld with its unparalleled abundance of wildlife and exotic vegetation. Guests can ... more information

Pongola Game Reserve

The Pongola Game Reserve was first proclaimed in 1894 and is the second oldest reserve in the world and the oldest in South Africa. Pongola Game Reserve is a sanctuary to a large variety of wildlife, including elephant, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, impala, hyena, buffalo, rhino and leopard ... more information

Richards Bay Game Reserve

The Reserve has remnant stands of swamp forest, the Thulazihleka Bird viewing hide in small swamp and the Tidal Mudflats and shallows south of the Mhlatuzi river. 300 species of birds have been recorded in these habitats including several rare migrant species new to the list of KwaZulu Natal birds ... more information

Tembe Elephant National Park

The largest African elephants in the world, along with rhino, buffalo, leopard, hippo and antelope species in a 300km² park on the South Africa / Mozambique border. Excellent birding opportunities exist and scuba diving on the nearby Tongoland reefs. Situated in Maputaland, the north-eastern region ... more information

Thanda Private Game Reserve

Situated 23km north of Hluhluwe in northern Zululand, Thanda Private Game Reserve is a celebration of the Zulu people and their rich culture. Not only will guests have the opportunity to learn more about their history and traditions, the people from the adjacent tribal land will benefit in many ... more information

Ubizane Wildlife Reserve

Ubizane Wildlife Reserve boasts a variety of wildlife including white rhino, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, most species of antelope, and over 350 species of birdlife. You can view the game from the comfort of equipped game viewing land rovers, on foot for a more thrilling encounter or on horseback for a ... more information

Zululand Rhino Reserve

The Zululand Rhino Reserve in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, was created in 1995 in a strategic partnership between the World Wildlife Fund, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and property owners, to provide a haven for the fast dwindling black rhino population. This has culminated in the creation and preservation of 23 000ha of ... more information

Emdoneni Cat Rehabilitation Centre

Where: Hluhluwe
How much (per person): On Request

Join us for an up close and personal tour and learn more about South Africa's endangered wild cat species. Come and be mesmerised by the bea ... more information

Zulu Homestead Visit

Where: Rorkes Drift
How much (per person): On Request

When staying at Isibindi Zulu Lodge a separate day trip to a Zulu Homestead gives guests a rare chance to experience the life of a rural Zul ... more information