KwaZulu Natal is a province of incredible diversity ideal for self-drive holidays. Reasonable driving times and decent roads lend themselves to a holiday of different experiences, amongst some of South Africa’s most beautiful landscapes. Underrated by the international visitor for far too long, the Drakensberg Mountains have been listed as a World Heritage Site in recognition of their exceptional landscapes. Towering escarpments and dramatic amphitheatres frame a number of luxury mountain retreats. This is the place for hiking, mountain biking, horse riding and fly fishing by day and delicious dinners and nightcaps by a log fire at night. At the southern tip of the mountain range, a guided 4WD tour up the Sani Pass into Lesotho for a passport stamp and lunch at Africa’s highest pub is a popular day trip.

The centre of KwaZulu Natal is a kaleidoscope of rural Africa: undulating scrublands dotted with rocky hillocks, small villages and a planted fields. This is where the Anglo-Zulu and later the Anglo-Boer conflicts where played out and is now home to a number of lodges specialising in battlefield tours. Isandlwana, Rorke’s Drift and Spioenkop are some of the most evocative names in the history of British involvement in Southern Africa and even non-historians find these tours engaging and moving.

There are a number of Big Five safari lodges which offer an excellent alternative to the Kruger and Eastern Cape. Established in 1895, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is South Africa’s oldest game reserve and famous for its role rescuing the white rhino from the brink of extinction.

The coastline here is not noted for its five star resorts, but the diving is world class and the iSimangiliso wetlands area which covers most of the northern coast has been recognised as a World Heritage Site due to its natural beauty and the vast range of water and land-based life it supports.

For information about places to stay, see KwaZulu Natal accommodation. Our experienced consultants can easily build any of these experiences into a tailor-made South Africa holiday quote for you.