KwaZulu Natal
KwaZulu-Natal or the Zulu Kingdom includes
Durban, the Drakensberg Mountains, Elephant Coast, Pietermaritzburg
and Midlands, Zululand, South Coast, North Coast (Dolphin Coast)
and the Battlefields regions. The native Zulu culture is strongly
intertwined with Colonial English and Migrant Indian, offering
guests a unique cultural insight into a truly rainbow Nation.
KwaZulu Natal is a region that shaped world history. It is
where the modern British Army was defeated by Iron Age Zulu
warriors, where Winston Churchill cut his teeth in war time
politics, where France lost it's last Prince and where
Mahatma Gandhi founded his doctrine of peaceful resistance.
Local Places of Interest, Activities and Tours of the Surrounding
Areas
Valley of 1000 hills - The seemingly eternal
tranquility of these rolling hills belies the blood-soaked drama
that unfolded almost two centuries ago with the arrival of King
Shaka's unstoppable regiments. Immediately after his coronation
in 1816, the 'Black Napoleon' set about subjugating all the
tribes that today constitute our Kingdom of the Zulu, and the
Thousand Hills' Debe clans folk were given no exemption - those
who did not flee either capitulated to the monarch of Africa's
newest empire or stood, fought and were overwhelmed by Shaka's
military genius. Today, opportunities abound to discover at
first hand the intricacies of ethnic customs and beliefs that
inform day- to-day life in the many welcoming, beehive-hutted
villages that adorn these hillsides. A guided tour of this area
is a must for guests looking for a better understanding of Zulu
culture.
Battlefields - Zulu wars, Shaka, Isandlwana,
Rorkes Drift, Colenso, Spioenkop, Ladysmith, Dundee, Churchill,
Blood River, Cetshwayo, Boers ... are some of the terms which
are associated with this internationally renowned area of South
Africa. For decades various factions of Native African, Imperial
British Forces and "Voortrekkers" from the Cape fought over
this piece of land, each time adding to the rich history of
all nations. This is a story tellers paradise and a journey
with an experienced guide will make it an unforgettable experience.
This is a full day tour, or better still if enjoyed with an
overnight journey, staying at Fugitives Drift Lodge.
Killie
Campbell Museum - The William Campbell picture collection
contains one of South Africa's finest collections of work by
black South African artists such as Jabulani Ntuli, Gerard Benghu
and Dsmt Mnguni. The collection also includes 250 paintings
by Barbara Tyrell, depicting Zulu social life and customs. The
museum is still furnished much as it was when the Campbell family
was still there. Viewing by appointment only.
The Drakensberg - Recognized by the ancient
mystics of our land as breathing new life into the human spirit,
the inescapable allure of this 200- kilometer- long wonderland
owes much to its intense relationship with people...the million-plus
years of Stone Age occupation in particular. This culminated
in the tragic disappearance, during the late 19th century, of
the San hunter-gatherers colloquially referred to as Bushmen.
Migrating chiefdoms from the Great Lakes of Central Africa had
in the 13th century been humbled by the sheer magnitude of this
uKhahlamba - Barrier of Spears - destined to become the western
extreme of their Zulu Kingdom. The ox-wagons of Boer settlers
finally negotiated its precipitous passes in 1837 on the Great
Trek from British dominion in the Cape Colony to a 'Promised
Land'. The name Drakensberg was coined forty years later when
a Boer father and son reported seeing a dragon - a giant lizard
with wings and a tail - flying high above the cloud-shrouded
mountain peaks.
The inscription in late 2000 of uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
as a World Heritage Site brought long-overdue recognition of
its universal value to mankind. Meeting the criteria for both
Natural and Cultural listings, the site can now officially boast
'superlative natural phenomena and beauty, unique richness of
biological diversity, the conservation of all-important endemic
and threatened species plus masterpieces of human creative genius
in the form of 35 000 'San rock art images'. Many people have
known this for a long time!
From the massive basalt cliffs of its northern reaches to the
soaring sandstone buttresses in the south, the Berg - as it's
popularly known - offers a myriad delights to anyone of any
age who needs to 'get away from it all'. Peace and quiet is
the catchphrase amid this unsurpassed grandeur where the world's
second- highest waterfall (Tugela Falls) tumbles down a series
of breathtaking cascades
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PerryGolf
