KwaZulu-Natal
Drakensberg mountains, Durban's coast, and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi — the country's oldest game reserve.
Trip Role
Ideal stay
Best for
Our take
Underrated. Mountains, beaches, and safari in one province, with fewer crowds than the Cape.
Underrated. Mountains, beaches, and safari in one province, with fewer crowds than the Cape.
- Trip Role
- Base
- Ideal Stay
- 5–8 days
- Best For
- Hiking, beach, safari combos
Where to go here
Mooi River Farm Stall
A Midlands Meander farm stall on the N3 — cheese, biltong, and the Joburg-to-Durban halfway stop.
Victoria Street Market
A historic spice-and-curio market in Durban's inner city — the Indian Ocean trading coast in one covered hall.
I Heart Market
A first-Saturday-of-the-month producer market on the Durban beachfront — growers, bakers, and the KZN food crowd.
Mandela Capture Site
The spot where Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962 — now marked by a steel sculpture made of 50 columns that resolve into his face.
KwaMuhle Museum
A Durban museum of segregation and labour — housed in the building that ran the city's apartheid-era pass system.
Phansi Museum
A museum of southern African craft and material culture in a Durban home — masks, beadwork, and the everyday art of the region.
Ballito Beach
The main beach of the Dolphin Coast resort town — warm water, a protected cove, and daily dolphin sightings.
Cape Vidal
A wild beach inside iSimangaliso where you can snorkel, whale-watch from the dunes, and spot game on the drive in.
Durban Golden Mile
A mile of warm-water beachfront in central Durban — promenade, surf schools, and the South African beach-holiday archetype.
Hibberdene
A family South Coast beach with a tidal pool, warm water, and the first real stop south of Durban.
Mtunzini
A mangrove-and-beach village on the KZN North Coast — a lagoon walk, a warm swim, and the gateway to Zululand.
Blythedale
A long, quiet North Coast beach at a river mouth — the beach you get to yourself an hour from Durban.