Durban - KZN- Budget Accommodation, Game Lodges, Luxury Accommodation

ADVERTISE IN THE 2010 SOUTHERN AFRICA TRAVEL GUIDE SERIES  |  HOME  

Back one page

Province: Kwazulu Natal
Region: Durban
City: Durban

Suburbs:
Amanzimtoti | 

Harnessing together the welcoming smiles, inviting splendours of nature, unique cultural experiences and pulsating celebrations of four distinctly characteristic slices of holiday heaven... Durban Metro is Africa's ultimate coastal playground in the sun! The enchanting, vibrant, historic city and townships of Durban have gathered around them the ideal family getaways of The South, luxury resorts and casino of our northern Sugar Coast... plus rolling, green, country treats of the Valley of 1000 Hills. Cosmopolitan and sophisticated, this idyllic outdoor lifestyle in subtropical paradise offers you that much more - more buzz for your buck...pleasure for your pound...rave for your rupee! Africa's largest, busiest port and economic powerhouse of our Zulu Kingdom, we boast investment opportunities aplenty - more yield for your yen! Durban Metro also extends the warmest welcome to our Kingdom's many, compelling treasures...gateway to two World Heritage Sites among majestic Drakensberg peaks and vast Game Reserves of the Zululand Bush, plus history-drenched Battlefields, fascination- filled Midlands and a resort-dotted coastline that stretches seemingly forever in both directions.

Life's a Beach
Durban seafront has exerted a magnetic pull since time immemorial... first attracting San hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age from their icy mountain fastness with the mildest winter imaginable. Iron Age peoples from Central Africa began infiltrating about two thousand years ago...pirates and shipwrecked European explorers of the modern era made temporary homes here during the 1700s...and in 1824, British adventurers deceived King Shaka and raised the Union Jack over this gem of his recently-founded Zulu realm.

The Golden Mile
This quaint, rather antiquated description of Durban beachfront - and the fact that it's still popularly used - bears witness to both its radiant beauty and the easy-going charm that evokes memories of 'modest' bathing suits and sepia-tinged holiday photographs. Merely a few paces from an enticing selection of international-class, ultra-modern and meticulously maintained colonial-style tourist accommodation, clean golden sands and warm Indian Ocean beckon with irresistible allure. Protected year round by shark nets and expert lifeguards, our sea has rhythm...and invites you to leap and frolic in waves perfect for surfing and body-boarding 'aquabatics'. 

Designated areas keep bathers and surfboard riders a safe distance apart, so there's no chance of being speared by an errant piece of sporting equipment! If you re new to surfing or board-sailing, sheltered Addington Beach has ideally-small waves for learning the 'three- dimensional dance with nature's energy'. Hawaiian kings may have invented surfing, but we caught on very quickly...and Durban's own 'hang-ten' history is displayed with devotion at the Timewarp Surfing Museum. Curated by (grand)father-figure of the Durban surf scene, Baron Stander, one of the museum's aims is to enthuse new generations...particularly those youngsters kept alienated from surfing culture by the racially-segregated beaches of our recent past.

Further added dimensions to the beachfront's surf, sand and sun are daily dolphin shows and fascinating marine life at Sea World, thrilling spray-filled rides at Water World, the spine- chilling inhabitants of our Snake Park and scaled-down perspective of Mini Town. Salt-water paddling ponds and olympic-size swimming pool ensure we cater for water-babies of all ages and exercise- regimes!

Among all these attractions are cinemas, restaurants and taverns, fast-food outlets, amusement arcades, flea-markets and the opportunity to watch traditional Zulu arts and crafts in the making. For a low-flying bird's-eye view, survey the scene from our cable-car route...or stroll the long, water's-edge promenade for a more orthodox panorama. Come sundowner time, there's little more satisfying than to relive a day of dedicated sun-worshipping over tall, cool glasses on a sea-facing verandah!

North of the Golden Mile, Country Club Beach, Tekwini Beach and Laguna Beach are away from hotels and self-catering holiday apartments overlooked...instead by two golf courses and major sporting complexes. At the wide Umgeni River mouth, Blue Lagoon Beach is Durban's most popular fishing locale...while beyond the river, La Lucia and Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve offer long, tranquil walks along empty sands.

Shark-net and lifeguard protection resume at the satellite- resort and capital of our northern boundary Sugar Coast - Umhlanga.

On the southside, meanwhile, suburban residents of The Bluff - a gigantic headland that forms the southeastern 'arm' of Durban Harbour - enjoy a stiring of safe and protected beaches that make a pleasant change from their 'city cousins' . Brighton Beach, Cave Rock Beach, Anstey's Beach and Garvies Beach are all highly popular, with interesting walks through coastal bush that ends almost at the water's edge. This stretch of shoreline continues beyond industrial areas and Durban International Airport to become seaside playground of The South and its 'capital' - Amanzimtoti.

Hotels, resort complexes, self-catering establishments and caravan parks follow the beaches at Doonside, Warner Beach, Winkelspruit and Illovo leading to Metro Durban's southern boundary at the Mkomazi River. Named the Place of Whales by King Shaka after marvelling at the giant creatures basking in the river mouth, the broad Mkomazi River's southern bank is crowned by the spectacularly-sited town of Umkomaas. Now within Durban Metro limits, but also regarded as the first destination of our South Coast region. Umkomaas is worth an extra mention because 5km offshore lies the internationally renowned scuba-diving combination of Aliwal Shoal and the Nebo - a steamer that sank in 1884. More proof that our beaches have exuded magnetic qualities for a very long time!

Wide, clean and easily-negotiable streets lead from the Beachfront to the heart of Durban's Central Business District. It's not a long walk - and there are some interesting sights en route - but public transport is regular and reliable, taxis are plentiful and we also boast a fleet of Thai-style 'tuk-tuk' three-wheelers for a more exotic, if somewhat slower, journey. Almost every street bears the name of an historic figure, and you'll soon notice that Durban architecture is an eclectic mix of old and new.

Our International Convention Centre is a gleaming example of the latter between seaside and downtown. Relatively new but already the host of such high-profile gatherings as the World Economic Forum, Non- Aligned Movement, Commonwealth Heads of Government and World AIDS Convention, the ICC's successes have earned it the title of Africa's best...and placed Durban firmly on the world map of decision-making venues. The adjacent Durban Exhibition Centre attracts curious-minded folk to trade fairs, cat-and-dog shows and the alternative- inclined series of Body, Mind and Spirit Festivals.

A little closer to town, day-glo 'Liberation Struggle' graffiti marks the site where Durban Central Prison once stood - demolished along with the 'Old South Africa'. And a few hundred metres beyond another former 'building of iniquity' now houses the definitive, dramatic audio-visual and standing representations of local history. The story around KwaMuhle Museum is arguably the most fundamental and crucial in the annals of our Zulu Kingdomi...if not the entire country. It was within these walls that Durban's colonial authorities innovated and refined the principles and structures of urban racial segregation - the blueprints of South Africa's abhorrent apartheid policy. Ironically, 'KwaMuhle' means 'Place of the Good One'...the 'Good One' in question being J.S. Marwick, who earned his Zulu praise name at the outbreak of the Anglo- Boer War in 1899, when he marched home to safety about 7 000 Zulu labourers from the Transvaal goldfields. Marwick went on to manage of the first-ever 'Native Administration Department', and the name KwaMuhle stuck to these premises...even though it perpetrated on African people indignity upon indignity for some half a century. It was from here that segregation was imposed, townships and single-sex worker compounds devised, and orders given for bizarre practices such as 'sheep-dipping' all Africans entering the town. Yet because all Africans seeking work in Durban had first to pass through these corridors, KwaMuhle became their social hub, and radiated a vibrancy that helped shape the unique character of our city. This tale and others - including how authorities financed and enforced their grand schemes with 'Zulu money' - are vividly displayed at this 'must see' museum! A short distance away is the Old Fort...where in 1842 a small contingent of British soldiers held out against Boer guerillas while Dick King and his Zulu aide, Ndongeni, rode to the Cape Colony for reinforcements. The subsequent Boer defeat led ultimately to our Kingdom's annexation as a British Colony. Warrior's Gate M.O.T.H. Museum is part of the Old Fort complex, and here you'll find a rich collection of militaria that focuses on South African involvement in the two World Wars.

Across town, the Old Court House Museum presents fascinating replicas of Durban's early settlements, and among its collections are photos, artefacts and documents that relate to Mahatma Gandhi's spiritual and non-violent political 'apprenticeship'. The life of Durban's colonial settlers is well depicted within the Old House Museum's Victorian architecture...this typical verandah- style home containing original furniture and fittings of the day.

Our 1910, Edwardian neo-baroque City Hall - inspired by the Belfast original - is a much photographed landmark that houses the intricately-detailed Natural Science Museum, main Public Library and the Durban Art Gallery. With many fine examples of national and international artworks in all media, the gallery has moved away from concentrating on 'by-gone eras' to a focus on contemporary South African creations. Performance artists of all disciplines found a new 'home' at the Durban Art Gallery when government funding cuts curtailed activities at our flagship Playhouse Theatre. Their 'Red Eye' gatherings have breathed new life into inner city culture attracting the classical and avant-garde from all points country-wide.

A stone's throw from the City Hall, Durban's original railway station building is now the picturesque home of Tourist Junction...your one- stop source of every holiday-planning requirement! In keeping with our 'East meets West in the Zulu Kingdom', the Indian High Commission is located here...plus your entry is greeted with a warm Zulu reception and an impressive bust of Mahatma Gandhi.

If you're planning a trip to India, a mini-preview of 'downtown Delhi' is waiting a few blocks away in the bustling area around Grey Street's Great Mosque. Segregation also meant separate business districts, and this was declared 'Indian Town'. Curry-house proprietors, discount jewellers and the purveyors of exquisite silk- and-gold attire rub shoulders with mendicants, holy men and street- hawkers. A couple of blocks further...the 'Indian Market' has undergone a dramatic face-lift and acquired the more polite title of Victoria Street Market. Packed with traditional treasures wrought from copper, brass and gemstones - plus enough incense and spice powder for instant olfactory overload - the Upstairs Emporium presents an array of diners to ponder the bargains below while sampling the finest curries outside India. This would probably present the perfect moment for a Bunny Chow - the uniquely Durban curry-filled half-loaf of bread. By no means indicative of the delicate Indian dishes on tempting offer throughout our city, the 'Bunny' is nevertheless a (very thick) slice of Durban history and ought not to be overlooked with disdain! The 'Indian Connection' with countries to our north brings to the market finely- crafted curios from Malawi, Kenya and the like, but for a truly Pan- African experience, head for the hubbub of Warwick Junction a heady mix of people and produce. This is 'roots' territory - literally so when marvelling at a traditional healer's array of natural curatives.

For genuine Zulu art, though, you'll need to back- track several blocks to the central area of office towers, boutiques and department stores. The African Arts Centre is home-from-home for the many rural artists who sell their work here, sales that often provide the family's only income. The centre's 30-year history has aimed at shifting public opinion away from 'meaningless' knick- knacks to African art as an authentic expression in its own right. Tourist Junction houses a retail outlet of the centre.

Durban's CBD fringes on our spectacular harbour, and it's at this water's edge that you'll discover another wonderful haven for traditional artists - the BAT Centre. An acronym for the Bartle Arts Trust, this multi-functional, multi-discipline arts and culture centre offers studio workspace, a 300-seat theatre, rehearsal facilities, exhibition galleries, audio-visual resources, cyber-cafe and the only restaurant in town serving authentic African dishes. Harbour views are stunning - during daylight hours, the intricacies of Africa's busiest port are laid out before you, including the comings-and-goings of the Yacht Mole and Small-Craft moorings. Come nightfall, the entire scenario transforms into a fairyland of lights reflecting on the vast, still water. Great is the temptation to spend many an hour on the BAT Centre deck... There is, however, another fascinating attraction a mere hundred metres or so away at our Maritime Museum. From a lovingly- restored old tugboat to demonstrations of stevedoring skills, standing and audio-visual displays detail the history of this vital factor in Durban's evolution and project what the future holds in store. Exploratory launch-trips of the harbour offer rare close- ups of giant ships and our ultra-modern facilities that service them.

One of these is our world-famous Sugar Terminal...crowning achievement of an industry that indelibly changed the 'face' of our Zulu realm. From the 'sweet sand' offered to King Shaka by early British adventurers in exchange for hunting rights, to the arrival of indentured plantation labour from India and re-moulding of our coastal vegetation, sugar has remained an omnipresent force. Guided tours of the terminal include a wide-screen presentation of the complete story and a peek inside the silos. Having pounded the downtown sidewalks, consumed vast amounts of inner city culture - including a Bunny Chow - and cruised Africa's biggest harbour, it's time to discover what our tree-filled suburbs have to offer...

Facing away from the sea, you can't help but notice the prominent ridge overlooking Durban, more or less parallel with the shoreline. The first 'whites-only' settler suburbs arose here, but the demographics have been slowly changing since the abolition of 'Group Areas'.

To reach these tree-lined streets and avenues from the city, though, you need to skirt around - to the north or south - Durban's first and longest-running sports venue - Greyville Racecourse. The headline- making 'grandstand' of 1890 is a far cry from the magnificent structure that today holds thousands of cheering punters for such nationally-prestigious meetings as the Gold Cup and Durban July Handicap. Among favourite colonial pastimes, golf finished a 'photo- finish' second to playing the horses, and in 1935, the centre of Greyville's circular track was sculpted into the Royal Durban Golf Club's championship course. This illustrious 6 000m, 71-rated challenge still offers the rare experience of pausing on fairway or green as the field thunders by on race-day!

Durban's oldest natural attraction - the Botanic Gardens - is but a short stroll away. Established in 1851 and renowned for the finest collection of botanic species anywhere in Africa, the indigenous and exotic trees are now huge...and attract as much attention as the Orchid House display. Birds are everywhere, including the tea garden...where it's considered 'impolite' to not share your cream scones with the 'cheeky little fellows' hopping about among the tables!

That's the southern fringe of Greyville Racecourse - the north leads to Morningside, where Florida and Windermere Roads are lined with Victorian cottages and buildings restored to their colonial glory and transformed into trendy taverns, restaurants, antique shops and decor- emporia. Your first encounter, though, will be a century-old church housing Durban's newest theatre. Sympathetically restored by the retired head of Natal University's Drama Department, Pieter Scholtz, the historically-listed building now incorporates an auditorium, courtyard for outdoor performances, bar and coffee shop. Named KwaSuka - from the Zulu equivalent of 'Once upon a time...' regular productions include many award-winning fringe plays, plus ongoing seasons of children's theatre and puppet extravaganzas.

Florida Road leads ultimately to Mitchell Park, a large and tree- filled family favourite that boasts a magnificent aviary complex and colony of tortoise that certainly appear to be as old as Durban itself! And here, too, on the restaurant's wide patio, you'll meet feathered friends that cock a longing glance at your chef's recommendation... Driving south from Mitchell Park along the ridge crest you'll pass many grand, colonial-era homes set in lush, sub-tropical gardens with commanding views of the city. One of these - a neo-Cape homestead - is the Killie Campbell Museum that houses a renowned private collection of Africana. Once the home of sugar baron Sir Marshal Campbell, this gracious residence contains a Furniture Museum, a Museum of Ethnology and an Africana Library...plus a truly remarkable selection of contemporary South African art.

This stretch of suburbia is the Berea, site of our most- photographed example of Durban Art Deco - Surrey Mansions. Designed by William B. Barboure in 1937, the imaginative and sensitive detailing of his multi-storeyed apartment building regularly attracts groups of sketchpad-wielding architecture students. A hundred metres away - directly above the earlier-mentioned Botanic Gardens - a small park presents camera-toting tour groups with an unparalleled panorama of our beautiful city. You'll take in the downtown area, harbour, beachfront, ships at anchor and the vast Indian Ocean horizon...almost all the way to Australia! Many fine old churches grace the Berea, along with one of Durban's most modern, up-market shopping and cinema venues at Musgrave Centre...plus a 'mushrooming' host of restaurants.

A couple of kilometres further along, the green surrounds of Bulwer Park welcome you to KNSA Gallery's new, custom-designed premises. Three separate exhibition spaces are augmented by the indoor/outdoor Arts Caf and a gift shop filled with unusual, hand-crafted delights. Natal University's Durban campus lies a few kilometres beyond, and its Sneddon Theatre regularly presents high quality stage productions that range from Shakespeare to ballet and mime. Music ventures include avant garde electronica, African jazz and township jive with poetry and prose festivals taking place campus-side at the Centre for Creative Arts. 

While aerial views of Durban Metro will show it dotted with bird sanctuaries and enclaves of bush complete with walking trails...a glance westwards reveals that large-scale nature awaits a mere 35km from the city centre. This 'real Africa' on our doorstep is the Valley of a Thousand Hills...magnificent countryside filled with diverse African culture, meandering reserves, wildlife, arts and crafts. 

An old saying declares that 'getting there is half the fun' - never more true than this particular journey! To begin with - and only a few kilometres into your journey - The Pavilion beckons with somewhat whimsical architecture to explore its vast, multi-level array of upmarket shops, restaurants, coffee bars and cinemas. This enormous and ambitious undertaking is perhaps worth a day trip in its own right!

The ascent towards the hills begins just beyond our mainly industrial satellite of Pinetown...the delightful scenery of Field's Hill offering a taste of the grandeur to follow. For a spiritual 'diversion', turn south from the main road to absorb the wonders of Mariannhill Monastery, built along traditional Romanesque Revival lines. Trappist restraint and self-reliance is reflected in the fact that all building materials - including stained glass - were manufactured by the craftsmen-monks themselves. The understated monastery chapel has a meticulously crafted wooden interior, while in contrast, the St Joseph's Cathedral's richly decorated interior glows with colourful, 19th century German Nazarene style. Personal retreats can be arranged without requiring conversion to the monastery's predominant faith.

Returning to our Thousand Hills journey...Kloof, Everton and Gillits were the first 'elevated' suburbs beyond Durban's belt of humidity, and their many stately homes and formal garden-scapes still delight the eye. The Krantzkloof Nature Reserve offers easy walks through its densely forested river gorge...alive with birds and small animals, and blessed with spectacular views at every turn.

Another highly recommended religious attraction is found a short distance north of this area, alongside the Inanda Dam. In 1913, a 'voice from above' directed Isiah Shembe from his workingmen's barracks in Durban to this place, where he further received the Laws of the Shembe Church and instructions to build a holy citadel. This was duly carried out, and 400 000 adherents of the Shembe faith now gather here regularly to perform their acts of worship - a blend of Christian and traditional beliefs. One intriguing aspect of the Shembe sect is their uniform-code of kilt, fringed tunic and pith helmet...also received by the prophet in a dream.