Appropriately enough, the Zulu name for Durban is Thekwini, meaning "The Place Where the Earth and the Ocean Meet". But apart from an effervescent ocean lined with golden beaches, Durban offers a subtropical carnival atmosphere and summer sunshine all year round. From around the globe, day in, day out, pleasure-seekers converge on the city to play on the golden, palm-fringed sands. In addition to the attractions of sea, surf and sport, leisure options encompass an eclectic range.

At excellent one-stop shopping centres, you can buy anything from photographic equipment to couturier clothes and rare antiques. Flea markets and craft trails attract leisurely browsers, and discount stores offer quality merchandise at bargain basement prices. Within a stone's throw of the city centre, oriental bazaars, fragrant with spice and incense, offer silks, saris, unusual jewellery and ornaments. Pubs, discos and action bars are firm favourites.

Theatres and concert halls present classical, avant-garde and ethnic programmes, and art galleries display works created by the internationally famous and up-and-coming local talents. Restaurants represent every facet of the city's cosmopolitan nature and cater for every palate and pocket. At the end of the day, what could be better that strolling on the beach to the rhythm of the waves?

Throughout the year, holiday-makers flock to their favourite coastal haunts to cultivate a tan, ride the waves, eat, drink and generally have fun. Besides the sweeping beaches and calm lagoons where surfing, snorkelling, fishing and swimming are enjoyed, you can play golf, bowls and tennis or just soak up the sun. From Durban to the rugged Wild Coast, the highway links popular seaside resorts in rapid succession. The road snakes through subtropical bush, cane fields and hills garlanded with hibiscus blooms. North of Durban, the coastline stretching from the Tugela Mouth to the Umdloti River is aptly known as the Dolphin Coast. Close inshore, shoals of bottle-nose dolphins gambol in the waves, providing endless entertainment with their engaging antics. 

Arguably the gem of the entire Natal North Coast is the Umhlanga Coastline. The Umhlanga Coastline offers a combination of quiet village life with first world amenities and a cosmopolitan buzz. It also offers a diversity of activities in exotic and magnificent landscapes.

Further north, KwaZulu Natal's game sanctuaries epitomise the best of the African wilderness. This is one of the few places where good game viewing can be enjoyed in close proximity to the pleasures of scuba diving and deep-sea fishing. Habitats from coastal dune forests to open bushveld support a wide diversity of wildlife, from the elephant to the tiny suni. Bird life is equally prolific. Most parks offer peaceful surroundings, comfortable accommodation, game drives, hiking and walking trails.

The Elephant Coast forms the north-east region of South Africa's unique KwaZulu Natal Province, stretching northward from Lake St Lucia (a world heritage site), to the borders of Swaziland and Mozambique. The region is so named because it is home to South Africa's largest herd of indigenous African Elephants.

Between the coastal playgrounds and the majestic Drakensberg, there is an area of gentle pastoral beauty known as the Midlands. The highway meanders through rolling wooded hills and grassy plains scattered with towns, villages and hospitable country inns. On lush farmlands, plump cattle and thoroughbred horses graze. Although the great herds of highveld game which once wintered here are gone forever, game sanctuaries throughout the region support large numbers and varieties of wildlife.

Snow-capped in winter, the Drakensberg is the country's grandest mountain range and an ever-popular holiday destination. Known to the Zulu people as Quathlamba: "the barrier of spears" the mountains provide a magnificent backdrop to the region.

Nestling in the valleys, fine hotels and leisure resorts offer accommodation in KwaZulu Natal and recreational options second to none. Fast-flowing rivers are frequented by anglers hoping for a record-breaking rainbow trout. Climbers scale the jagged peaks where eagles and bearded vultures fly; hikers and horse-riders follow nature trails. The less energetic shrug off city stress by drinking in the birdsong, the crisp clean air and the stunning views. Additional Info » Natal Midlands

Set in the heart of Zulu country, Pietermaritzburg is a city of charm and dignity, at its loveliest in spring when masses of azaleas burst into bloom. When the first Voortrekkers arrived in 1837, they found a tranquil countryside graced by forests, hills and valleys. They settled on a fertile tract of land beside the Umsindusi River and named it after two of their leaders, Gerrit Maritz and Piet Retief. Six years later, the British upgraded the village to a military garrison town. Today, numerous Victorian and Edwardian buildings, quaint pedestrian lanes and other landmarks reflect the substantial British contribution to the development of the town. And in shady, tree-lined suburbs, spacious red brick bungalows and upper-crust boarding schools reinforce the colonial ambience of "The Last Outpost of the British Empire" as Maritzburg is affectionately known.

The city of Pietermaritzburg has a wide range of shops, pietermaritzburg hotels and restaurants, providing the ideal gateway to the exceptional country inns, recreational resorts and game reserves of the Natal Midlands and the Drakensberg.