Place of Endless Hills
THE undulating hills of Zululand, dotted with the trademark kraals (huts) of the fiercely proud Zulu nation, coupled with a staggeringly beautiful and idyllic coastline, make this region of South Africa irresistible to many travelers. To add to its allure, Zululand is home to some of the finest game parks and wilderness areas in the country, including Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, St Lucia, Phinda, Ndumo and Rocktail Bay.
One of the best ways of exploring this area is by car, or by air charter directly to the prime locations. From Durban, the motorist travels north on a superb toll road, before crossing the Tugela River to enter what is traditionally called Zululand.
Here, in 1879, mighty Zulu warriors confronted the full might of the British Empire's red-coated invaders, who suffered major disaster before succeeding in crushing the Zulu warrior-king Cetshwayo. Travelers interested in history will find many signs and memorials to those who died in these mighty skirmishes.
Today, the Zulus remain a proud, hospitable nation who have retained their traditional love of pottery and beadwork, and fine examples of these can be found in many places around Zululand.
But they also run some of the best managed game reserves in Africa, and the Kwa Zulu-Natal Parks Board is an acknowledged leader in conservation on the continent. At Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, visitors are almost assured of fine sightings of white and black rhinos, elephant, antelope, zebra, giraffe - and if lucky, one of the Big Cats, which also populate the hills and ravines.
A bird-watchers paradise awaits the visitor to the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, where angling, snorkeling and diving are also major attractions, as are guided wilderness trails on foot through this magnificent sub-tropical region.
The golden beaches of this area are home to the leatherback turtles (October to February if you want to see them come ashore), while ammonites and other marine fossils which dot the beaches take the visitor back in time millions of years.
Further north, the magical havens of Ndumo and Rocktail Bay lure the traveler to experience the unique, unspoiled nature of this special corner of South Africa.
Some of the most glorious sunrises in the world can be seen from the lake and sea shores of this eastern coastline.
