About Umhlanga Ridge

Umhlanga Ridge, Umhlanga Coast

Umhlanga Ridge is just that - a ridge of land that sits at the top of Umhlanga Rocks Drive with to-die-for views out over the Indian Ocean. Quite a few corporations have their head offices here - Rand Merchant Bank, Unilever, Liberty Life, Discovery Health and Deloitte. It is also the heart of recent developments in this sought after part of Durban - north.

In the heart of Umhlanga Ridge is New Town, a development on 50 hectares or so of what was Tongaat-Hullett land, sandwiched between the Gateway shopping complex and Prestondale. New Town has, to all intents and purposes, simply joined Gateway and St Lucia Office Park Ridge on Umhlanga's Ridge. What was once fields of sugarcane (some time ago) is now what is termed an 'edge city' - a city on the edge of another city, just 15 kilometres from the CBD of Durban.

Office space, a huge shopping mall (Gateway), a landscaped park, tree-lined walkways, and mixed-use residential developments have combined in a work-live-play theme that is known as New Town. It allows younger buyers who normally coudn't afford a house in the suburb as much chance to live here as those with a lot of mulla for whom houses in these types of neighbourhoods are an investment.

And it's all been rather thoughtfully done. Despite its modern look and high-density living, there is a lot of green and open space here that has turned the ridge into a thoroughly modern, much sought after part of the city. It is a perfect place to stay - close to shopping, a gorgeous surf and swim beach, La Mercy airport and the outer ring road. What more could you want from your visit to the Umhlanga Coast?