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

The most carefree way to enjoy the reserve is on a boat trip from St Lucia, where you'll be able to get close to hippos and immense Nile crocodiles, and try to spot some of the more than 500 species of birds that call the park home. Two-hour guided trips are run by various operators and leave daily. Our tip? Skip the booze-cruise crowds and enjoy the tranquility of the dawn chorus on a morning outing.  There's a nondescript arts and crafts center on the main road in St. Lucia town, filled with authentic Zulu woven baskets, storage vessels, place mats, and beaded and wooden crafts made by local women. Prices vary according to the artist and are extremely good value for excellent quality. Shop away after your boat cruise.

In 2004, 17 private properties in the northern Zululand area dropped their fences to create the Manyoni Private Game Reserve. Formerly known as the Zululand Rhino Reserve, the marriage and restoration of these properties (a mishmash of old tomato farms, cotton fields, and seasonal cattle grazing) has created a 23,000-hectare game-rich private reserve. The terrain varies from bushveld to riverine woodland and open savanna thornveld that animals, such as wildebeest, zebras, and cheetahs love. The reserve has more than 70 mammal species and an exceptional diversity of birdlife, including sought-out endemics such as the pink-throated twinspot and elusive African broadbill. Apt then, that the name means the "place of birds" in isiZulu. This sanctuary is all the more special because it's been chosen as a safe space to rehabilitate rescued pangolins. This species is particularly susceptible to illness and takes ages to recover from the hardships of trafficking (they often suffer dehydration and malnutrition). If there is a pangolin in residence, you can join the conservation team on the ground as they walk with them to ensure they are eating, picking up weight, and getting strong enough to roam freely again. There’s no touching or petting.

Expect great swaths of pale, creamy sand stretching to far-off rocky headlands, a shimmering, undulating horizon where whales blow. Watch out for pods of dolphins leaping and dancing in the morning sun. If you're here in season (November to early March), one of nature's greatest and most spiritually uplifting experiences is waiting for you—turtle tracking. Nothing—not photographs, not wildlife documentaries—prepares you for the size of these creatures. On any given night, you might see a huge, humbling leatherback, 6 feet long and weighing up to 500 kg (1,100 pounds), drag her great body up through the surf to the high-water mark at the back of the beach. There she will dig a deep hole and lay up to 120 gleaming white eggs, bigger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball. It will have taken her many, many years to achieve this moment of fruition, a voyage through time and across the great oceans of the world—a long, solitary journey in the cold black depths of the sea, meeting and mating only once every seven years, and always coming back to within about 300 feet of the spot on the beach where she herself had been born. And if your luck holds, you might even observe the miracle of the hatchlings, when perfect bonsai leatherback turtles dig themselves out of their deep, sandy nest and rush pell-mell toward the sea under a star-studded sky.

This handsome structure, an architectural jewel in Durban's skyline, was built for the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament and seats just under 63,000. Named after General Moses Mabhida, the secretary general of the South African Communist party, it's a multi-use stadium that is busy year-round with activities for tourists. You can take a guided tour of the stadium (R60); unless you are visiting with a big school group, no pre-booking is needed.

On the same premises as Rawdon's Hotel, this rustic microbrewery has developed a cult following. With names like Tipsy Tiger IPA, Tiddly Toad Premium Lager, Pickled Pig Porter, Whistling Weasel Pale Ale, Pye-Eyed Possum Pilsner, and Wobbling Wombat Summer Ale, you may have a tough time choosing which brew to taste first, so order a tasting flight to sample them all. Pop into the shop to stock up on beer, accessories, and clever merchandising. Guaranteed you'll head home with a "pickled as a pig" or "I'm as possed as a pye-eyed pissum" T-shirt.

Join tourists and locals for a gentle stroll or vigorous run along the 3-km (2-mile) paved stretch that reaches from Durban View Park in the south to Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve in the north. This is a great way to check out the local coastline and bathing areas, and you'll pass Umhlanga's landmark lighthouse (closed to the public) and the pier, with steel arches designed to look like a whale's skeleton. It's also known as the Umhlanga Rocks Promenade.

Popular with big tour buses, PheZulu is the equivalent of fast-food tourism, good for people who want a quick-fix African experience. A tour of the cultural village, in collaboration with the Gasa clan, with its traditional beehive huts gives some insight into African traditions, and there are performances of traditional Zulu dancing, but the operation is not as vibrant or professional as the cultural villages up north in Zululand. The curio shop is enormous; you can probably get just about any type of African memento or booklet imaginable. Impala and zebra are frequently spotted on the hour-long game drive (additional fee); game drives are not suitable for babies under six months old or pregnant ladies in their third trimester due to the terrain. Accommodations are available on the property and can be booked online.

A living museum of Zulu culture, Shakaland is one of the most popular tourist stops in the region. Originally the movie set for Shaka Zulu (1987), it consists of a traditional 19th-century Zulu kraal, with thatch beehive huts arranged in a circle around a central cattle enclosure. Watch traditionally dressed Zulus making beer, forging spears, and crafting beadwork. Opt for a three-hour day tour with lunch or spend the night. A Zulu cultural adviser leads you through the kraal, explaining the significance of the layout and the roles played by men and women in traditional Zulu society. A highlight is a performance of traditional Zulu dances. This is undoubtedly an excellent introduction to Zulu culture, but some critics have labeled it Zulu Disneyland.

This is by far the best of the Zulu War battlefields to see without a guide. A small museum and orientation center retells the story of the battle from the British perspective, with electronic diagrams, battle sounds, and dioramas. The British force at Rorke's Drift consisted of just 140 men, of whom 35 were ailing or wounded. They occupied a Swedish mission church and house, which had been converted into a storehouse and hospital. The Zulu forces numbered some 3,000–4,000 men, composed of the reserve regiments from the earlier battle of Isandlwana. When a survivor from Isandlwana sounded the warning at 3:15 pm, the tiny British force hastily erected a stockade of flour bags and biscuit boxes around the mission. The Zulus attacked 75 minutes later, and the fighting raged for 12 hours before the Zulus faltered and retreated. The British lost 17 and the Zulus lost an estimated 500. A record number of 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders of Rorkes Drift.

Sibaya is expansive—in size, appearance, and number of activities—but worth seeing for its grandiose, Zulu-themed design. The buildings themselves, for example, echo a giant and opulent Zulu kraal (compound/dwelling). Huge bronze statues of Zulu warriors and buffalo at the entrance provide a truly African welcome. Wherever you are at Sibaya—all 48 hectares (119 acres) of it—a breathtaking view of the ocean is only a window or a balcony away. As you might expect, there are plenty of dining options, and there’s a 36-room hotel as well as a lodge with 118 rooms. Nevertheless, it's quite a way out of town, north of Umhlanga and about halfway between the city center and Ballito. If you have only a few days, don't spend them here.

The Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), now called South African War, was the biggest, the longest, the costliest, the bloodiest, and the most humiliating war that Great Britain had ever fought. The Battle of Spioenkop near Ladysmith was a focal point, where the Boers trounced the British, who suffered 243 fatalities during the battle; many were buried in the trenches where they fell.

Part of the rejuvenation of Durban's Golden Mile, this casino is done in the art deco style for which Durban is famous. Colorful lights make it a nighttime landmark, but it's established itself as a daytime hot spot as well. There are deck chairs beneath umbrellas on a grassy sundeck and a pretty beach. A paved walkway dotted with benches is a pleasant place to sit and watch cyclists, inline skaters, and joggers.

If you're in the area between November and February, be sure to take in this amazing natural phenomenon that sees 3 million barn swallows returning to their nests at sunset. Arrive 45 minutes before sunset armed with something to sit on, binoculars, camera, sundowners, and some mosquito repellent.

The first-rate Talana Museum, set in a 40-acre heritage park, on the outskirts of Dundee, is well worth a visit. Fascinating exhibits, spread over 42 buildings, trace the history of the area, from the early San hunter-gatherers to the rise of the Zulu nation, the extermination of the cannibal tribes of the Biggarsberg, and, finally, the vicious battles of the South African (Anglo-Boer) War. The museum stands on the site of the Battle of Talana (October 20, 1899), the opening skirmish in the war, and two of the museum buildings were used by the British as medical stations during the battle. The military museum here is an excellent starting point for the Battlefields Route, where Zulus, Brits, and Boers battled it out for territory and glory. Reenactments, living history, and special events are regular features.

In wild, beautiful northern Zululand, the multi-award-winning 150-square-km (60-square-mile) Thanda reserve continues to restore former farmlands and hunting grounds to their previous pristine state, thanks to a joint venture with local communities and the king of the Zulus, Goodwill Zweletini, who donated some of his royal hunting grounds to the project. Game that used to roam this wilderness centuries ago has been reestablished, including the Big Five. Thanda (tan-da) is Zulu for "love," and its philosophy echoes just that: "for the love of nature, wildlife, and dear ones." There's a main lodge, a private villa, and a small tented camp and opportunities to interact with the local people.

Ranked among the world's best, this bird park shelters beneath high cliffs next to the Umgeni River and has various walk-through aviaries containing more than 800 birds. The variety of birds, both exotic and indigenous, is astonishing. You'll be able to take close-up photographs of macaws, giant Asian hornbills, toucans, pheasants, flamingos, and three crane species, including the blue crane, South Africa's national bird. Drinks and light lunches are available at the park’s tearoom.

Wildlife—and amazing birdlife—abounds in this 400-square-km (154-square-mile) reserve in the shadow of the Ubombo Mountains. Lying between the uMkhuze and Msunduzi rivers, it makes up the northwestern spur of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage site. It has been a protected area since 1912.

If you're a birder, then you'll find yourself in seventh heaven: more than 420 bird species have been spotted here, including myriad waterfowl drawn to the park's shallow pans in summer. Several blinds, particularly those overlooking Nsumo Pan, offer superb views. Don't miss out on the amazing 3-km (2-mile) walk through a spectacular rare forest of towering, ancient fig trees. This is a good place to spot rhinos and elephants, although lions, cheetah, and leopards are much harder to find. Nevertheless, there's plenty of other game, including hippos, zebras, giraffes, kudus, and nyalas.

Masses of enormous fish and prawns lie tightly packed on beds of ice while vendors competing for your attention shout their respective prices. In the meat section, goat and sheep heads are stacked into neat piles (a spectacle for those with iron stomachs), and butchers slice and dice every cut of meat imaginable. The noise is deafening. In an adjacent building—where all the tour buses pull up—you'll discover a number of curio shops whose proprietors are willing to bargain over wood and stone carvings, beadwork, and basketry.  The current structures stand on the site of an original, much-loved market, a ramshackle collection of wooden shacks that burned down during the years of Nationalist rule.   A guided walking tour with Markets of Warwick is the best way to experience Victoria Street Market or any of the area's eight other markets. 

South Africa's only dedicated private photographic game reserve will make anyone feel like a professional wildlife photographer. Spread over nearly 70 square km (27 square miles) of immaculate Zululand bushveld, encompassing rolling hills, reed-lined dams, and fever tree forests, Zimanga is a residence for a colorful array of birds and endangered animals. In addition to game drives, guides drop guests off for a morning or afternoon session at one of nine carefully crafted hides strategically spread across the reserve. Each hide serves a certain spectacle: some elevated, some to attract water birds or wily crocodiles, some underground, two accommodate overnight stays for four while others offer brilliant mirror reflections of elephants, rhino, and lions lapping up the water. Thanks to exhaustive testing (each hide required months to perfect positioning, lighting, focal lengths, and backgrounds without altering animal behavior) the wild subjects have no idea you're there. Pack your camera, settle into the bunker, and wait to see who arrives. The ultimate experience for diehard camera heads has to be the opportunity to sleep in one of these hides,  which is equipped with Wi-Fi, a toilet and a small communal area. Bunk beds are simple and a little cramped, but when that motion sensor goes off with a creature passing by, any discomfort dissipates as you snap the night away. 

Take a tour to see how this 100% homegrown coffee, very popular with locals, is grown, roasted, and packaged. You may also find this distinctive, delicious coffee—from dark roast through to espresso—in your local speciality coffee store. Look for the distinctive calico bag packaging.

Built in 1910 in Edwardian neo-baroque style, the hall looks as if it has been shipped straight from the United Kingdom column by column—hardly surprising, since it's an exact copy of Belfast City Hall. The main pediment carries sculptures representing Britannia, Unity, and Patriotism, and allegorical sculptures of the arts, music, and literature adorn the exterior. City Hall houses not only the mayor's parlor and other government offices, but also the Durban Art Gallery, the Natural Science Museum, and the City Library. Ask the guard to let you in to see the huge theater's ornate molding and grand parterre boxes, or join an official tour run by City of Durban.

This village has a royal connection, having been opened by the current King of the Zulu, Goodwill Zwelithini. It's the largest traditional cultural settlement in KwaZulu-Natal and home to 50 permanent residents. Visitors can experience Zulu culture, including traditional crafts, music, and cuisine. Artisans also sell their craftwork.

For years a group of informal traders has sold its wares, ranging from woven baskets to straw hats, carvings, and various traditional beadworks, on the roadside opposite the Cabana Beach Hotel. There are about eight stalls, open daily, and the vendors rarely change. Bring cash and a penchant for bargaining.