|
Take an early morning stroll along Durban’s ‘Golden Mile’ beachfront, and you’ll marvel at the picturesque diversity of the ‘Rainbow Nation’. From swimming, surfing and volleyball, to baptisms, sand artists and cyclists. It’s a dynamic microcosm of a city that’s alive and doing well!
A short drive north lies the burgeoning seaside town of Umhlanga, dubbed the new city centre. It’s a thriving metropolis of imposing mansions, breath-taking seaside apartments, and vast, fast development of the new-age residential-commercial lifestyle. Here are the bright lights of Durban’s future.
The port of Durban is Africa’s busiest, and lining the waterfront are colourful restaurants, bars, shops and live music venues, where the tugs, luxury yachts and massive container vessels constantly stream by. It’s a great vibe! In its midst, lies the internationally acclaimed must-see uShaka Marine World, housing one of the world’s leading aquariums in a gigantic ‘shipwreck’ and a host of thrilling adventure water rides and a snorkel tank. Gourmet meals are offered in the wreck, under the close, watchful eye of a large shark population.
Inland, the magnificent Valley of a Thousand Hills offers breathtaking see-forever views, and a tantalising taste of traditional Zulu culture. Head west to the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, and enjoy this superior arts, crafts and culture Meander.
It’s unimaginable to visit KwaZulu-Natal, without breathing in the splendour of the Drakensberg Mountains, enjoying the numerous charming ‘Berg country lodges and guest houses, and paying your respects to the San artwork dating back hundreds of years that adorn the walls of caves and crevices, one of the country’s finest World Heritage Sites.
The Zululand seaboard is blessed with truly remarkable resources, among them the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park (iSimangaliso Wetland Park), South Africa’s third largest wildlife sanctuary and a magnificent World Heritage Site. This world renowned park, with a dramatic coastline, lays claim to the second highest vegetated sea dunes in the world, is home to pods of hippo, crocodile, elephant, a myriad of environments – which explains why the park is so remarkable – no fewer than 367 bird species, and for visitors it’s just a feast for the senses.
In recent years, the town of St Lucia has mushroomed into a springboard for action and adventure, where visitors head out to sea to watch dolphins at play, jet-boat-it in the surf, go kayaking, snorkelling, scuba diving, horse riding, quad biking or night time turtle tracking close by (the sub-continent’s only turtle breeding ground for the enormous leatherback turtles). St Lucia is a vibrant seaside town with so much to offer.
Of course, one of the biggest drawcards to this area is the ‘Big Five’ that are to be found in the vast Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, where – thanks to relentless conservation efforts – you can enjoy large herds of precious white rhino.
Zululand offers one of life’s greatest pleasures... a romantic walk on pristine beaches, flanked on the one hand by some of the world’s finest dune forests, and on the other, by the deepest aquamarine ocean imaginable. One thing’s for certain, you’ll fall in love with the serenity of the Zululand coastline.
At the underwater mecca of Sodwana Bay, the quiet solitude of the ocean is part of the allure, as scuba divers descend to take advantage of the teeming fish life on the coral reefs. With warm waters and a string of coral reefs (and ship wrecks), the divers’ haven of Sodwana Bay is spectacular – the abundant marine life and colour accounts for this scuba diving hotspot. Here too, sport fisherman can be found in their droves.
Inland, exclusive game reserves offer the ultimate safari experience. Cultural villages introduce visitors to authentic Zulu rural life and, on the untamed battlefields of Zululand, the drama and heroism of the bloody Anglo-Zulu battles are brought to life by expert battlefield guides.
In KwaZulu-Natal, you’ll find everything under the sun... and more!
|
