If Nigel’s golf tour of the KwaZulu-Natal has whet your appetite, why not use the opportunity to extend your stay and explore more of this dramatic region of South Africa.
KwaZulu-Natal is known as South Africa’s playground with spectacular mountain ranges, miles of golden beaches, battlefields and some of the best game reserves in the country. So, if you have room in your diary and in your suitcase, add your walking shoes and hit the road.
Drakensburg national park
Drakensburg
Drakensburg, west of Durban, is a great place to start. The Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park has rightly been declared a World Heritage Site in 2000. Known to the Zulus as the Barrier of Spears, this mountain range is breathtaking.
Spreading over 200 kilometres and more than 3300 metres in height at its peak, there are hundreds of hiking trails, many of which are suitable for golfers used to walking four miles at a time. You will be energised by the spectacular natural scenery.
Great food and hospitality
You will deserve a great meal after a day exploring the mountain ranges and we recommend Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse. This gorgeous lodge is renowned for its gourmet food, roaring log fires and luxury hospitality. Head chef and owner Richard Poynton creates masterpieces in the kitchen for your dining experience. We are happy to book you a stay here and recommend early reservations as it exceptionally popular with South Africans who revere this great chef.
Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse
History comes alive
North of the Drakensberg are the Battlefields. Steeped in history and the scene of some of the worst battles in South African history between the Boers and the British and the Zulus , the area has many museums and heritage sites to visit.
Some of the most iconic battles were fought here: Rorkes Drift, Isandlwana, Blood River and the Siege of Ladysmith. If you are keen to visit another game reserve after your two night stay at Hluhulwe Game Park during your golf tour with Nigel, here’s the place to go, with several game reserves offering Big 5 game viewing.
The Big 5
You can combine both with a stay at Fugitives’ Drift, a 5000 acre Natural Heritage Site, which overlooks Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift and offers memorable battlefield tours, abundant game and birdlife and superb food and wine, of course!
African Elephant Photo by Kelly Arnold Unsplash
Dolphins and whales
To put the icing on the cake of a holiday in the KwaZulu Natal the Dolphin Coast is the perfect viewpoint to spot the schools of dolphin who frequent the area. It’s the ideal time for whale watching too with humpback whales and occasionally Southern Right Whales in the area until mid-December.
See schools of dolphin
On your way back to Durban Airport spend your final night back at Umhlanga Rocks before joining a once in a lifetime early morning Boat Tour with the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board. This fantastic organisation is world-renowned for its work protecting swimmers along the coastline and its research on sharks.
We would be delighted to assist with hotel and car hire bookings for any extra days in Kwa-Zulu Natal. It’s an easy way to turn a golf tour to remember into a holiday of a lifetime. Contact nigel@golfplanetholidays.com.
