8 Day KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, Cultural & Wildlife Tour

Day 1 to Day 3:  Giants Castle
We will meet you at the Durban Airport and depart from the Airport to the spectacular Drakensberg area.  Approximate 3 hours drive.  The Drakensberg area is known for its unspoilt wilderness of grass-covered hills, ravines forests, spectacular mountains and waterfalls.  We will stop along the way and you will experience the area for its dramatic scenery and beauty.    WE will make our way to Giant’s Castle KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife.  The first 3 days of our tour will be spent in this area.  You will be able to explore, visit and enjoy the superb surroundings the Drakensberg area has to offer.

Giant’s Castle Game Reserve takes its name from the silhouette of the peaks and escarpment that resembles the profile of a sleeping giant. Historic Giant’s Castle Game Reserve, home of the eland and the majestic bearded vulture, lies in the Central Berg region of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park, a World Heritage Site.

Giant’s Castle camp is situated on a grassy plateau among the deep valleys running down from the face of the High Drakensberg, offering glorious views for hikers and mountain climbers. Superb rock art is high among its special attractions. The renowned vulture restaurant is open in winter for visitors to watch bearded vultures and other endangered species feeding. Visit the Main Caves Museum for a fascinating insight into the past lifestyle of the San people.
Day 4 to 5:  Battlefields Area
After a delicious breakfast we will checkout and depart the Battlefields of Natal.  The drive will be approximately 2 hours and we will be stopping at various historical landmarks en route.

FIRST STOP – Ladysmith: The Museum shows relics of the towns’ siege for 115 days during the Anglo-Boer War. Historical Areas: Wagon Hill, Caesars Camp, Lombards Kop and Umbulwana Hill.

SECOND STOP – Dundee: Natal’s Coal Capital with Anglo Boer War relics; battlefield of Rorkes Drift, Isandhlwana, Fugitives Drift, crossing over the Buffalo River.  Blood River: a reconstructed site.  On January 22 1879, it was the site where approximately 22 000 Zulu warriors defeated a contingent of approximately 1350 British and Native troops. The force was largely wiped out by the Zulus under Cetshwayo and the battle remains the single greatest defeat for the British Army at the hands of a native army.

We will also visit Blood River, the Ncome and Talana Museum during the day. Blood River Monument is a tribute to the battle of Blood River in 1838. The granite Jaw-bone Monument and bronze wagon laager was built on the original site of the 1838 wagon laager. It consists of 64 replica Voortrekker wagons cast in bronze situated on the site of the famous battle between the Afrikaners and the Zulu. The Ncome Museum is built in the shape of a Zulu war horn formation. The museum offers a re-interpretation of the 1838 battle and the Zulu culture in general. The last stop of the day will be at the Talana Museum, named after the hill at the base of which the museum is situated meaning “the shelf where precious items are stored”. The museum was opened in 1979 to commemorate the Anglo Zulu war.

Overnight accommodation will be in the Dundee area.  Here you will be able to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a peaceful, quiet and homely atmosphere.

Day 6 to 7:  Hluhluwe Game Reserve
An early morning breakfast will be enjoyed before we depart on our wildlife safari.  We will check in at our Hluhluwe accommodation venue before we begin to explore the wildlife at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve (which is renowned for the variety of bird and animal life). Besides the Big Five (elephant, leopard, lion, buffalo and rhino), elusive cheetah, wild dogs and many other well-known species inhabit the park, offering visitors a rich game viewing.  Lunch a dinner will be enjoyed at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve.  You will be able to spend your evening enjoying the star filled sky while listening to the sounds of the wildlife surrounding you.

Description of Hluhluwe KZN Wildlife:
Set in the heart of Zululand, the oldest game reserve in Africa where Zulu kings such as Dingiswayo and Shaka hunted and put in place the first conservation laws, where today the “Big Five” of African legend stalk the verdant savannah. Established in 1895, game viewing is the prime attraction. Viewing hides overlook pans and waterholes enabling visitors to see animals at close range. As the home of Operation Rhino in the 1950s and ’60s, the Park became world renowned for its White Rhino conservation.

The park covers some 96 000 ha and contains an immense diversity of fauna and flora. Hluhluwe is characterized by hilly topography, and this northern section of the park is noted for its wide variety of both bird and animal life.
Day 8: Depart to Durban via Sodwana
Sodwana Bay is about 2 hour’s drive from Hluhluwe and is flanked by majestic sand dunes on one side, and an intricate ecosystem of wetlands and unspoilt beauty. A Leisurely drive while stopping a various scenic places before we return to Durban Airport. 

On arrival at Durban, further arrangements on request. 
Tour price, availability and what our tour includes/excludes available on request.

PHOTOS:

GIANTS CASTLE	BATTLEFIELDS
GAME TO SEE AT HLULHUWE	GAME TO SEE AT HLULHUWE

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm and is filed under Places of Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.