Kwazulu Natal South Africa: Big 5, Beaches and a taste of the ‘real’ Africa

I have just been lucky enough to spend 12 days exploring the Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa courtesy of the south African Tourist Board and British Airways and couldn't wait to share my experiences with you all! I've got so much to say it's spread over three blogs so be sure to check out the other two after reading this one! Kwazulu Natal is a year-round destination and in my opinion, it is ideal for second time visitors to South Africa. If you love SA, but you’ve already visited Cape Town, the Garden Route or taken a safari before, this area offers a new experience of a familiar country. A beautiful place where you can experience everything; Stunning beaches, breath-taking mountains and vast savannahs alongside spotting the ‘Big 5’. I flew direct with British Airways to Johannesburg then a short one hour connecting flight to Durban. This time I was lucky enough to experience World Traveller Plus on the outbound journey - upstairs on the A380 aircraft. Day 1 – Midlands Meander A short drive into the Drakensberg to the stunning 5* Fordoun Hotel and Spa. A multi award winning boutique hotel and spa nestled in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains - a luxury retreat with incredible facilities and cuisine. Day 2 – Howick/Winterton This morning we headed to the Nelson Mandela Capture Site for an emotional and educational morning. The exact site near Howitt, where Mandela was captured and arrested on the main highway between Durban and Johannesburg on 5th Aug 1952 is now home to a cultural and historical exhibition centre where you can learn more about the life of Mandela and visit the sculpture in his honour. The memorial is made of 50 steel columns that have been cut by laser to form an image of the former president when viewed at the correct angle. This monument is situated at the end of a winding path, which represents the long walk to freedom that he took towards his goal of political equality. We had lunch at Piggly Wiggly, a country village near the capture site. Situated in the centre of the Highgate Wine Estate, Piggly Wiggly offers a variety of local shops, a lovely coffee shop and a pizza place. Piggly Wiggly is a lovely environment for families, friends, couples and pensioners, with something to suit everyone. A picnic area with playground, mini-train rides and a zip-line, it’s a lovely day out on its own! Then further into the Drakensberg, we headed up into the mountains to Cathedral Peak Hotel for an afternoon of horse riding through the estate, more amazing food and a one-night stay. Day 3 – Winterton/Ladysmith No time for brekkie today. An early morning wake-up call from the local wildlife (see pictures) and straight into action with a tour of the Drakensberg Mountains on quad bike. This is an amazing way to take in the breath-taking scenery of this World Heritage Site and view the incredible unspoiled surroundings of Cathedral Peak. An hour’s drive and on to Ladysmith, Winterton for tonight’s stay Spionkop Lodge. An afternoon plains game drive in the bush surrounding the stunning Tugela River, sundowner drinks on the Spionkop Damn and finishing off with the most breath-taking sunset I think I have ever seen on all my travels Day 4 – Ladysmith/Rork’s Drift Our fabulous host Raymond at SpionKop Lodge whisked us away on a private half day tour of the Spionkop battlefields. An education on one of the most significant battles that ever took place on SA soil; The Second Boer War 1899-1902 was fought between the British Empire and two Boer States, over the Empire’s influence in SA. We visited Mount Alice Memorials and Spionkop Mountain to see the actual site where the battle took place and see the memorials dedicated to all the brave, fallen soldiers that fought tirelessly to try and protect their lands. For those of you who didn’t know, this is the war that Ghandi, Churchill and Botha all participated in and survived. Hard to imagine how history would have panned out if these iconic figures had been amongst the fallen men of the Boer War! A few hours’ drive out of the Midlands and on to Rorke’s Drift where we met our guide for an afternoon visit to another of the battlefields, this one the spot of one of the most famous and significant battles in the Anglo-Zulu war. If any of you have seen the film “Zulu” this is what it’s all about! An extremely informative and enthusiastic recollection of the events that took place here by our wonderful guide. Tonight, we stayed local at the fabulous Fugitive's Drift Lodge and Guest Hous. This is a selection of luxury en suite cottages with private verandas overlooking the plains and Buffalo River Gorge. Day 5 – Hluhluwe Five hours by road, east to the beautiful Hluhluwe for a two-night stay at Hluhluwe Rievr Lodge. Twelve beautiful, authentic, thatched roof chalets located in an indigenous forest setting with sweeping views of False Bay and the Hluhluwe river floodplain. It's a true home-from-home spot with bike trails, safari, birding and walking trails on offer. An incredible scenic drive, super safe and easy if you were thinking to self-drive. A route even enjoyed by the locals (remember they drive on the same side of the road as the UK so it makes life much easier). As this part of Kwa-Zulu Natal becomes gradually closer to the coastline, the breeze of the Indian Ocean keeps the air moister, it’s much more crop rich and the scenery becomes ever increasingly green as we travelled towards our destination. Day 6 – Hluhluwe An early morning game drive in the Hluhluwe National Park where we spent around five hours with our fabulous guide for a “Big 5” experience. As well as the big guys we were also blessed with an extremely rare day sighting of an ardvark. It’s practically unheard of for one of these little guys to be seen during daylight, even the guide was super excited and had his camera out! It’s the oldest nature reserve in Africa and spans 960km2 so you could literally drive round all day admiring the scenery and wildlife. Check out my further two blogs to read on.....