Magnificent Kwazulunatal

South Africa has always evoked many exotic images, so when an opportunity to visit it arose, I could not refuse. We arrived to Durban (via Johannesburg) mid-morning and headed straight to an area I have never heard of before, Midlands Meander. This was such a nice surprise as the countryside had gently rolling hills and place names like Nottingham, which made you feel like you were back in the UK! Granny Mouse Country House was our first stop and what a place to stay - a fabulous boutique property with excellent fine dining and wines to match! Moving further inland we arrived at the Drakensburg National Park and promptly went for a walk, before the sun set. The mountains rose high in the clear blue sky as the spectacular sunset sank below the horizon. As this was a whistle-stop tour of the province, we were on our way far too soon, headed to visit the Battlefields of the Zulu wars accompanied by the most interesting talk at the Rorkes Drift (the famous film Zulu was based on this battle). The Isandlwana Lodge was our rest for the night and the view from here is amazing, overlooking another important battlefield, the Rock of Isandlwana. Our travels continued further North now, taking us to a 5 star private game reserve called Thunda Lodge. On our arrival we did an evening game drive and within ten minutes spotted three lions no further than five metres away from our open top land rover. Then as the sun was setting two cheetahs graced us with their presence and appeared to pose for our photos - very laid back! The compulsory drinks (wine or hot chocolate) stop was very welcome and the star gazing the southern skies was a fab way to end the drive. Another game drive next morning (5:30 am) was worth getting up for as we saw the zebras, giraffes, buffalo, wilder beast and an enormous elephant bull, only metres away from us. All too soon, we left the fabulous Thunda Lodge heading for St Lucia Wetland Park (or iSimangaliso in Zulu) to join an afternoon boat ride in search of hippos, humming birds and crocodiles. We were not disappointed; hippos seem to wallow in the warm estuary unaffected by us endlessly clicking the cameras at them. Our final destination was Durban and an iconic hotel to stay in the Oyster Bay hotel, due north of the city, just fifteen minutes from the airport. The hotel has recently been re-opened and has already become the place to stay. It reminded me of The Raffles (Singapore) and other iconic hotels with sumptuous decor and unbeatable locations. We did a boat trip from Durban in hope of seeing whales, but ended up seeing loads of dolphins instead, who chased our boat and almost performed for us. It was a fantastic way to finish our all too short visit to this spectacular part of South Africa. I am definitely going back again!