KwaZulu Natal holiday, South Africa tailormade
| country: | South Africa |
| location: | KwaZulu Natal |
| departures: | This trip can be arranged at any time to suit you and adapted to your requirements as necessary. |
| price: | From £1290 (8 days) excluding flights, based on twin share for 2 people. In order for us to put together a detailed response it would be very helpful if you could provide full details in your enquiry as listed below |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Enjoy KwaZulu Natal's prolific wildlife, stunning scenery and turbulent history on a short but picturesque and fascinating trip.
Central KwaZulu Natal is the Zulu heartland, and the Battlefields stretch across it from the Drakensberg to the coast. Britain had decided that the Zulu king Cetshwayo posed an obstacle to a confederated South Africa, and set him a series of impossible ultimatums. In January 1879 British troops crossed the Tugela River into Zulu territory, and were confronted by a huge Zulu army, who defeated them at a sphinx-like hill called Isandlwana.
The remaining British survivors retreated, crossing the river at a place that came to be called Fugitive's Drift, heading for the military hospital at Rorke's Drift, which they successfully defended against the Zulu army – a battle in which a record 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded.
The Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, near Ulundi, is renowned for its variety of animal and bird life, and a varying landscape of valleys, hills, forests, rivers, thicket and savannah. Besides the Big Five, elusive cheetah, wild dog and many other bushveld species inhabit the park. The park covers 96,000 hectares. Hluhluwe is characterised by scenic, hilly terrain, while Umfolozi's drier, open bushveld has its own appeal. It is a great place to see rhinos (black and white) since conservationists at this park were the main force behind stopping their extinction. Accommodation here varies from self-catering to luxury lodges, and you can self-drive or have guided game drives, take short walks on set trails or go on longer Wilderness Trails with a guide.
Close to the southern border of Swaziland, Itala is a very scenic mountainous park with many white rhinos and plains mammals including zebras and giraffe. There are no lions here, so it is not a place to go if you only want to see the Big Five. It is, however, an excellent place for a relaxed game viewing experience in stunning surroundings. The main rest camp, Ntshondwe, has won several awards for the best game reserve rest camp in South Africa.
Central KwaZulu Natal is the Zulu heartland, and the Battlefields stretch across it from the Drakensberg to the coast. Britain had decided that the Zulu king Cetshwayo posed an obstacle to a confederated South Africa, and set him a series of impossible ultimatums. In January 1879 British troops crossed the Tugela River into Zulu territory, and were confronted by a huge Zulu army, who defeated them at a sphinx-like hill called Isandlwana.
The remaining British survivors retreated, crossing the river at a place that came to be called Fugitive's Drift, heading for the military hospital at Rorke's Drift, which they successfully defended against the Zulu army – a battle in which a record 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded.
The Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, near Ulundi, is renowned for its variety of animal and bird life, and a varying landscape of valleys, hills, forests, rivers, thicket and savannah. Besides the Big Five, elusive cheetah, wild dog and many other bushveld species inhabit the park. The park covers 96,000 hectares. Hluhluwe is characterised by scenic, hilly terrain, while Umfolozi's drier, open bushveld has its own appeal. It is a great place to see rhinos (black and white) since conservationists at this park were the main force behind stopping their extinction. Accommodation here varies from self-catering to luxury lodges, and you can self-drive or have guided game drives, take short walks on set trails or go on longer Wilderness Trails with a guide.
Close to the southern border of Swaziland, Itala is a very scenic mountainous park with many white rhinos and plains mammals including zebras and giraffe. There are no lions here, so it is not a place to go if you only want to see the Big Five. It is, however, an excellent place for a relaxed game viewing experience in stunning surroundings. The main rest camp, Ntshondwe, has won several awards for the best game reserve rest camp in South Africa.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | On arrival in Durban, you will be met and transferred to eKuthuleni Zulu Homestay. Dinner here is included and will be followed by traditional Zulu singing and dancing. (D) |
| Day 2: | After breakfast will meet your Zulu guide who will explain about various traditional remedies and their preparation. You will also meet the herd boys and find out about the role of cattle in their culture. After a picnic lunch you'll visit a lady who makes traditional beadwork. Later you will collect your hire car and drive to Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve, about one hours drive away. You have a 2 night stay at Hilltop Camp. (B,L,D) |
| Day 3: | A free day in Hluhluwe. There are various activities available here including guided walks and game drives, all of which can be booked at the camp's reception. (B,D) |
| Day 4: | Travel to the historic battlefields of Zululand, maybe seeing Ulundi or the Valley of the Kings on the way. (D) |
| Day 5: | Spend a fascinating day on the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift with expert guides sharing the drama of the day with you. (FB) |
| Day 6-7: | Travel north (2 hours) to Itala Game Reserve and stay at the lovely Ntshondwe Camp for 2 nights. Game drives and guided walks can be booked locally. (B,D) |
| Day 8: | Drive back to Johannesburg, via Newcastle and Standerton or via Paulpietersburg, Piet Retief and Ermelo. Either route will take about 5 hours. (B) |
tailor made holidays
This trip can be tailor made to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more luxurious trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments before relaxing in comfort. As this trip can be tailor made it would be helpful if you could you provide the following information: rough budget per person (stating with or without flights), your address and postcode, contact phone number, preferred date of travel, length of trip, number of passengers, preferred countries and areas within those countries, specific interests & type of accommodation.award winner
This tourism business was a winner of our First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards in 2005, and was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards. The Responsible Tourism Awards are the largest of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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SIMUNYE: This is a real Zulu village north west of Durban, which offers accommodation and a cultural experience for visitors. It is now managed by a hotel group, but nevertheless benefits the local community greatly.HLUHLUWE – UMFOLOZI: This is the best place in the world to see rhinos (both black and white) since conservationists at this park were the main force behind stopping their extinction. Numbering less than 20 animals in 1900 white rhino now number in excess of 10 000 world wide. The Natal Parks Board's famous Rhino Capture Unit is based here.This company were voted most responsible tour operator by UK NGO Tourism Concern. On average 75% of the cost of your trip - excluding flights - remains in the destination.
Flights are automatically carbon offset through The Travel Forest, which plants 10 indigenous trees on your behalf (currently in northern Tanzania). Whilst the primary motivation for planting the trees is to offset carbon emissions, the project also works as a poverty alleviation and environmental improvement scheme. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |