Attractions, Places of Interest & Popular Destinations
KwaZulu Natal is a world in one province: to the North of Durban you will find the best of African game reserves and pristine beaches, to the West lie the majestic Drakensberg Mountains and temperate Midlands while to the South there await superb golf courses, fishing spots and miles of subtropical coastline.
Did you know? The province of KwaZulu Natal is home to a multitude of attractions, with something to suit every taste, budget and relaxation requirement. It also has a subtropical climate, making it ideal to visit at almost any time of the year.
Known as the Kingdom of the Zulu, KwaZulu Natal is a melting pot of African, European and Indian cultures. This province boasts two World Heritage Sites, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and the majestic Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park.
KwaZulu Natal offers superb beaches, sunny weather, game reserves, rolling green hills, numerous sugar cane plantations and relics of the great battles in South African history. There are 8 distinct regions and numerous 'must-see' attractions in KwaZulu Natal.
Top Attractions
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
The Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park is the only park under formal conservation in KwaZulu Natal where the Big Five occur. Established in 1895, this is the...
Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park
The Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park has exceptional natural beauty in its soaring basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks, and golden sandsto...
Battlefields Route
The KwaZulu Natal hinterland has witnessed some of the most brutal and significant battles to be fought in South Africa. These historical sites f...
Midlands Meander
The enchantment of the Midlands has long inspired many a visitor and resident to creativity and as a result, local artists, potters and weavers c...
uShaka Marine World
uShaka Marine World in Durban is a world-class entertainment and tourism destination. At the end of Durban's Golden Mile is the beginning of uSha...
Valley of 1000 Hills Route
The Valley of 1000 Hills Route is one of KwaZulu Natal's best kept secrets. The Valley of a 1000 Hills forms around the majestic valley created b...
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Now known as the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, St Lucia Wetland Park lies on the north eastern edge of KwaZulu-Natal. The incredibly beautiful serie...
Aliwal Shoal
Rated as one of the top 10 dive spots in the world, but regular divers say it is second only to the rocky ride over breakers to get there, the ma...
Route 66 Zululand Heritage Route
Whilst the name of the route brings the battlefields of Ladysmith, Colenso, Dundee and Volksrust to mind, Route 66 is of a slightly different nat...
Sardine Run
The Sardine Run is an annual migration of sardines along South Africa's east coast, between May and July. These tiny fish migrate from the cold w...
Umhlanga Beaches
The Umhlanga Coast is characterised by long stretches of sandy beaches that promise stunning backdrops against which to swim, surf or sunbathe. T...
Destinations / Regions of KwaZulu Natal
Greater Durban Metro
Overnight? Accommodation in Greater Durban Metro
The Greater Durban Metro is more than just the city of Durban with its natural harbour, busy port and Golden Mile of impressive international hotels and glorious beaches - regarded as the definitive coastal ‘playground in the sun’...
The City of Durban
Overnight? Accommodation in The City of Durban
Bustling Durban is the hub of the province’s business and industry and pulses with all the energy of a major port city. Luxury hotels abound on Durban’s beachfront, and this city is often referred to as South Africa’s Miami Beach. Durban is...
Pietermaritzburg
Overnight? Accommodation in Pietermaritzburg
Set in the heart of the Natal Midlands in KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg is a city of charm and dignity, at its loveliest in spring when masses of azaleas burst into bloom. When the first Voortrekkers arrived in 1837, they found a tranquil...
Umhlanga Coast
Overnight? Accommodation in Umhlanga Coast
Only a short drive from Durban, the Umhlanga Coast begins more or less at the landmark lighthouse that dominates Umhlanga's beach.
From here, the long, sandy beaches are a cosmopolitan collection of white hotel buildings and blocks of timesha...
Valley of 1000 Hills
Overnight? Accommodation in Valley of 1000 Hills
The Valley of a 1000 Hills forms around the majestic valley created by the Mngeni River and it's tributaries. A magnificent gorge between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, the Valley of 1 000 Hills is about more than its spectacular greenery and the ...
South Coast
Overnight? Accommodation in South Coast
South African visitors that are looking for the ultimate summer holiday getaway are spoilt for choice when they choose to stay along the South Coast in KwaZulu Natal. This stretch extends from the holiday (and surfing) hotspot of Amanzimtoti (wh...
Drakensberg
Overnight? Accommodation in Drakensberg
The accommodation in the Drakensberg region is extraordinary, thanks to the dramatically beautiful setting. This region is home to the awe-inspiring mountain range of the same name and can predominantly be found in the KwaZulu Natal Province. Th...
Natal Midlands
Overnight? Accommodation in Natal Midlands
Inland of Durban, lying in an area that acts as something of a respite for all who go there, between Pietermaritzburg and the Drakensberg, is a beautiful region filled with stretches of farmland, charming little towns, a wonderful arts and craft...
Battlefields
Overnight? Accommodation in Battlefields
Not only the place of some of the most picturesque landscapes in the country, the sweeping hills and knotty rock formations that pepper the rolling plains and valleys of northern and central KwaZulu Natal are also the site of a concentration of ...
Zululand
Overnight? Accommodation in Zululand
Just north of the Dolphin Coast, in a malaria-free area, Zululand extends up to Richard's Bay along the north coast of KwaZulu Natal and inland into the rural heart of KwaZulu Natal, extending north to Pongola, and including the little towns of ...
Elephant Coast
Overnight? Accommodation in Elephant Coast
KwaZulu Natal's Elephant Coast stretches from the world heritage site of Lake St Lucia in the south to Kosi Bay, virtually on the Mozambique border.
Did you know? Although the Elephant Coast is a great all year round holiday spot due to its w...
Dolphin Coast
Overnight? Accommodation in Dolphin Coast
KwaZulu Natal's north coast has become known as the Dolphin Coast, due to frequent sightings of bottlenose dolphins who ride the waves of the Indian Ocean in large frolicking schools.
It is an enviable strip of coastline that stretches from t...
Additional Reading
Find accommodation in KwaZulu Natal
South Africa Accommodation / KwaZulu Natal Accommodation
isiGodlo Villa
Amakhosi Private House, also known as "IsiGodlo" meaning a Chief residence, is our private house which overlooks the meandering Mkuze River and i...
mFulaWozi Biyela Lodge
mFulaWozi Biyela Lodge offers accommodation in Hluhluwe and is an oasis of privacy and eco-luxury in the mFulaWozi Wilderness Reserve. The lodge ...
Madwaleni River Lodge
Madwaleni River Lodge is located on the Babanango Game Reserve offering an ultra-luxury lodge situated in the heart of Zululand. The lodge is nes...
Rhino Sands Safari Camp
Rhino Sands Safari Camp offers five-star accommodation in a tented, luxury safari destination, that is designed to bring an authentic safari expe...
mFulaWozi Mthembu
mFulaWozi has an earthy character with panoramic view of the water and the Wilderness. The cylindrical flat stone roofs and clay-coloured façade ...
The Farmhouse @ Cheetah Ridge
Situated in the southern section of the Nambiti Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal, The Farmhouse offers self catering accommodation for ten g...
Rhino River Cottage
Rhino River Cottage offers Hluhluwe accommodation in a private safari home, reminiscent of a British cottage with a nod towards African-inspired ...
Rhino River Homestead
Rhino River Homestead offers Hluhluwe accommodation on a privately-owned game reserve with some of the best game viewing Zululand has to offer. W...
Thonga Beach Lodge
This intimate, luxury 24 bed lodge is nestled on the pristine coast of Maputaland, within the Isimangaliso Park. It's the ideal place to explore ...