9 Best Sights in Durban and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

An ideal beach and safari destination, the Eastern Shores (which lies on the eastern section of Lake St Lucia) features a number of straightforward, paved game-viewing roads that offer comprehensive access to the lucky packet of charming habitats at a fraction of the cost at other Big Five destinations. Take a day trip to scour the grassland, lakes, pans, and coastal dune forest for animals and birds via the lookout points (if there's time for just one, then make it Kwashaleni Tower which was designed for whale watching). Pack a bathing suit and snorkel mask too and break your day in the car with a picnic on the beach at popular Cape Vidal. 

Southern Africa's largest and most extensive traditional medicine market, known locally as the Muti (traditional medicine, pronounced moo-tee) Market, has tables and tables filled with bunches of fresh and dried herbs, plant matter, and (controversially) animal bones, skin, and other parts, possibly including endangered species. The market also serves as a distinctive traditional-medicine facility, where sangomas (traditional healers) offer consultations to locals in a bustling, urban atmosphere. If you're feeling bold, you might wish to consult a sangoma on matters of health, wealth, or personal problems. Remember to always respect the traders and do not take photographs of people or the goods for sale, particularly any animal matter. If you are with a guide, ask them to negotiate picture-taking on your behalf, if you must—there's no guarantee though. Speaking of guides, you can hire one through Durban Tourism or book a comprehensive tour through Markets of Warwick that includes all the neighborhood's markets. 

Most of the popular bathing beaches in KwaZulu-Natal are protected by shark nets maintained by this shark-research institute, the world's foremost. Each day, weather permitting, crews in ski boats check the nets, releasing healthy sharks back into the ocean and bringing dead ones back to the institute, where they are dissected and studied. One-hour tours are offered, including a shark dissection (sharks' stomachs have included such surprising objects as a boot, a tin can, and a car license plate!) and an enjoyable and fascinating audiovisual presentation on sharks and shark nets. An exhibit area and good curio shop are also here. You can also join the early morning trip from Durban harbor to watch the staff service the shark nets off Durban's Golden Mile. Depending on the season, you will more than likely see dolphins and whales close at hand,  but the real kicker are the sunrise views across the city. Booking is essential for trips to the shark nets, and a minimum of six people is required; no one under age six is allowed.  Book well in advance for this—it may turn out to be a highlight of your trip.

This arts complex, known as KZNSA, houses four exhibition areas, in addition to a crafts shop, the Durban Center for Photography, and a classy open-air cafe. The center does not have a particular focus but is committed to promoting emerging talent in the province. Exhibition media ranges from photos and paintings to video installations. The center's clean architectural lines and leafy setting, with ever-changing colorful murals on the exterior, make this a popular venue with Durban's trendy set, and it's a lovely place to cool off after a hot morning touring the town. The gallery and crafts shop support and promote local art, so it's worth seeking out for tasteful souvenirs. Local musicians are often given a platform on Friday nights.  The daytime-only restaurant is a wonderful child-friendly pit stop with affordable lunches such as prosciutto and mozzarella toasted sandwiches or no-frills beef burgers for under R65.

In 2012, on the 50th anniversary of Nelson's Mandela's capture, this breathtakingly dramatic steel sculpture was unveiled and the visitor center opened. You will never have seen anything quite like this—don't miss it. The magnitude of what happened here is remarkable: on August 5, 1962, after 17 months on the run, Nelson Mandela, disguised as a chauffeur, was arrested at this very spot on his way from Durban to Johannesburg. He was convicted of incitement and illegally leaving the country and was sentenced to 5 years in jail before being prosecuted in the Rivonia Trials that led to his 27-year incarceration, most of it served on Robben Island. The new immersive exhibition is a marvel with a 360-surround film screened onto the towering walls accompanied by copious clippings and artifacts that'll keep you engrossed for ages. Plan at least two hours for your visit; the last admission is at 4 pm. The cafe is open on weekends from 10 to 4 for light lunches and coffee.

This eco-award-winning flagship &Beyond reserve, established in 1991, is a heartening example of tourism serving the environment with panache. Phinda (pin-da) is Zulu for "return," referring to the restoration of 220 square km (85 square miles) of overgrazed ranchland in northern Zululand to bushveld. It's a triumph. Today Phinda has a stunning variety of seven healthy ecosystems including the rare sand forest (which grows on the fossil dunes of an earlier coastline), savanna, bushveld, open woodland, mountain bush, and verdant wetlands. The Big Five are all here, plus cheetahs, spotted hyenas, hippos, giraffes, impalas, and the rare, elusive, tiny Suni antelope. Birdlife is prolific and extraordinary, with some special Zululand finds: the pink-throated twinspot, the crested guineafowl, the African broadbill, and the crowned eagle. The reserve is a little more than a two-hour drive from Richards Bay or four hours by road from Durban.

Some of the country's finest beaches are on this stretch of the coast, and they can be less crowded than those in central Durban. Safe and clean—Umhlanga Rocks beach has a Blue Flag award—the beaches are easily accessed via pathways from parking lots down to a promenade skirting the busy beachfront. Vacation apartments and premier hotels like the Oyster Box, Cabanas, and Beverly Hills line this paved walkway southward to Umhlanga’s famous lighthouse. If you're driving here, arrive early at peak times so you'll have a better chance of finding a parking spot. Amenities: food and drink; parking. Best for: jogging; sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

In front of uShaka Marine World aquarium and water theme park this beach has small waves and calm conditions, making it great for families. Sand sculptors are often here, too, creating intricate artwork. Grassy banks offer an alternative to the sand (which isn't always as clean as the more central beaches), and the local surf school is busy all year round. A block inland, in the rejuvenated Point area, is the trendy Docklands hotel. Amenities: parking. Best for: swimming; walking.

This aquatic complex combines the uShaka Sea World aquarium and the uShaka Wet 'n Wild water park. The largest aquarium in the Southern Hemisphere, it has a capacity of nearly 6 million gallons of water, more than four times the size of Cape Town's aquarium. Enter through the side of a giant ship and walk down several stories to enter a "labyrinth of shipwrecks"—a jumble of five different fake but highly realistic wrecks, from an early-20th-century passenger cruiser to a steamship. Within this labyrinth are massive tanks, housing more than 350 species of fish and other sea life and the biggest variety of sharks in the world, including ragged-tooth and Zambezi (bull sharks). Try to catch the divers hand-feeding fish and rays in the morning. The complex includes dolphin, penguin, and seal shows, and a variety of reptiles and amphibians populate the Dangerous Creatures exhibit.

The extensive water park comprises slides, pools, and about 10 different water rides. The intensity ranges from toddler-friendly to adrenaline junkie. Durban's moderate winter temperatures make it an attraction pretty much year-round, though it's especially popular in summer. Right out front, the uShaka beach is also one of the best in the city with lifeguards on duty.  Avoid on public holidays, and call ahead during winter when hours may change.