There is a song about the 'green hills of Natal'. It is something of an anthem for the province and gives one a fair idea of the undulating, verdant hills of the Midlands. KZN has a rich mountainous vista, the Drakensberg Mountains in the west and the Lebombo Mountains to the north. To the south is a coastline rich with warm-ocean washed beaches. Durban's beaches, Umhlanga Rocks, Umdloti, Marina Beach, Ramsgate, Margate, all the way north to Sodwana, and many inbetween, form the backbone of many a holiday.

Sites rich in history litter the province – the Battlefields Route of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift near the town of Dundee, the Royal Village of Ondini, Durban's City Hall (a replica of the Belfast City Hall), the Gandhi Monument in Pietermaritzburg, the Sri Sri Radhanath Temple of Understanding in Chatsworth – to name but a few.

Then there are the nature reserves and conservation areas of KZN that include the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park and the vast and breathtaking iSimangaliso Wetland park, both of which are World Heritage Sites, the nearby Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, Oribi Gorge, Dlinza Forest, and Sodwana Bay.

Drives that take one through the Valley of 1000 Hills, along the Midlands Meander, down the province's South Coast, up the Elephant Coast, Durban's North Coast or the drive from KwaMbonambi to Mapelane all provide a wealth of scenic stops and tourist attractions. This doesn't begin to tap the annual attractions like the Sardine Run, Vodacom's Durban July horse race, the Comrades ultra-marathon or Splashy Fen Music Festival.

Or the myriad hiking trails of the Drakensberg, the unique and rather eclectic cultures and people that live within the province's boundaries, or the unique beauty of the Elephant Coast. Nor does it explore with any credibility the fact that KwaZulu-Natal is the home of the Zulus and the birthplace of historical figures like Jacob Zuma.

KwaZulu-Natal makes a habit of congenial hospitality. The range of guest houses, self-catering beachside apartments, hotels, country retreats from Durban, up and down both coastlines and inland via the Battlefields to the Drakensberg, covers the needs of all.

Whether it is country lodges, luxurious hotel suites, bush camps or artistic and reclusive retreats you are after, there is something on SA Venues for everyone's taste and budget.