Itinerary Highlights
- Hike and explore the magical Drakensburg
- Delve in the history of the Battlefields
- Cruise on the Pongola River
- Search for big game in Hluhluwe Game Reserve
- Relax and indulge at the luxurious Oyster Box Hotel
What's Included
- Flights
- Accommodation Throughout
- Car Hire
16 nights from £3,405 - £4,085 per person
Helen Kennedy
Travel Specialist
Our KwaZulu Natal Meander is a relaxed two-week South Africa self-drive holiday. The journey includes a stay at a stunning and award-wining (yet unpretentious) spa hotel in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, walking in the Drakensberg Mountains and hearing moving accounts of heroism in the historical Battlefields around Spione Kop and Rorkes Drift. Along the Elephant Coast, enjoy a variety of safari experiences to get up close to the iconic wildlife, including embarking on game drives in Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Enjoy the peace and tranquillity of Rhino Ridge Lodge, before ending with a final two nights of sea views and convivial evenings at the rooftop bar of the luxurious Oyster Box Hotel.
Itinerary
Day 1 London - Johannesburg
Depart from London Heathrow on your overnight flight to Johannesburg.
Day 2 Fordoun Hotel and Spa
Arrive in Johannesburg and connect with onward flight to Durban. Collect your car hire and drive inland, approx 1.5 hours, to Fordoun Hotel and Spa, where you will spend the next two nights with bed and breakfast in a luxury room.
Your highlight here is the peace and tranquility of staying in such a beautiful and vast setting.
Day 3 Midlands Meander
Fordoun is situated in the beautiful and scenic KwaZulu Natal midlands. Enjoy wonderful views of the surrounding country side and the Drakensberg Mountains in the distance.
Your time here can be spent on a variety of different activities, including a visit to the local Sangoma/Inyanga (Herbalist), for a private consultation. As part of this unique experience the Sangoma uses herbs from his own garden and the Spiritual healing powers of his ancestors. He also offers guided tours of his herb garden and local rural Zulu village
Fordoun is surrounded by the Midlands Meander a renowned tourist route, as well as two golfing gems. There is also the opportunity to go horse riding, mountain biking, hot air ballooning and clay pigeon shooting.
If this is all too much then how about spending a day relaxing in the Fordoun Spa being pampered, there are a wide range of treatments on offer from massages to facials and manicures, most use their signature range of products.
Staying at
Fordoun Spa Hotel
Day 4 Cleopatra Hotel
Leaving Fordoun behind travel northwards along winding scenic roads to the Cleopatra Hotel, in the Central Drakensberg. Two nights dinner, bed and breakfast in a standard room.
This haven is tucked away in the Drakensburg mountain range. This area is famous for its rock art and hikes in the mountains. We have included dinner here as the restaurant has won many awards for their food and it is not to be missed!
Day 5 Drakensberg Mountains
The mountains offer some of the most beautiful hiking and climbing trails in Southern Africa and the hotel can organise guided hikes to waterfalls as well as some more adventurous and difficult hikes. Some of the best ways to enjoy the beauty of the area is by horse back or mountain bike, as well as appreciating the sheer beauty from above by either helicopter or micro-light.
If you fancy a slower pace, spend the morning trout fishing in the mountain lakes and streams.
Staying at
Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse
Day 6 Three Tree Hill
Leaving the spectacular Drakensberg behind you head to the famous battlefields of KwaZulu Natal, where the Boers fought the British and the British fought the Zulus in a series of bloody conflicts.
Here you will spend the night with dinner and breakfast included.
Staying at
Three Tree Hill Lodge
Day 7 Fugitives Drift
Visitors to the area enhance their experience by walking in the footsteps of famous military strategists - Shaka, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and General Louis Botha, with the help of a knowledgeable guide who talks about each battle, debating the strategies used, the numbers who perished and the medals and rewards won by the brave.
Spend 2 nights with all meals included.
Day 8 Battlefields
The battles of Isandlwana, Rorkes Drift, Spioenkop, Blood River and Cetshwayo come alive in the guides stories, even though the only visible evidence is seen in national monuments and museums or at lone forts and small graveyards on these undulating landscapes ringed with rocky outcrops. It is highly recommended that you spend your free day here on a guided tour of the battlefields (Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana), the Lodge can organise this and uses enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides.
Staying at
Fugitives' Drift Lodge
Day 9 Ghost Mountain Lodge
Depart the battlefields for the drive to Ghost Mountain Inn. KwaZulu-Natal is home to one of Africa’s most proud and once most feared tribes under the rule of the legendary King Shaka. Visitors to the region are welcomed with wide smiles. At the foot of the legendary Ghost Mountain in Mkuze, in the heart of northern KwaZulu Natal lies the privately owned Ghost Mountain Inn, where you will spend the next two nights.
Two nights bed and breakfast in a superior room.
Day 10 The Elephant Coast
Set on five acres of indigenous garden Ghost Mountain Inn is the ideal location to explore the surrounding array of wildlife and coastal reserves. Take an ox wagon to a traditional Zulu village of bee-hive huts and experience warm Zulu hospitality, or attend a rural wedding ceremony, visit a sangoma (traditional healer) or take in the vibe of the taverns and shebeens. Arrange your game drive and boat cruise with the team at reception.
Staying at
Ghost Mountain Inn
Day 11 Hluhluwe Safari
Today you will make your way to Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge in the heart of the Hluhluwe National Park, where you will spend the next 2 nights with all meals and safari activities included.
Day 12 Hluhluwe National Park
Hluhluwe is the oldest proclaimed game reserve in Southern Africa with excellent birding and home to the Big 5. As the name would suggest, many of South Africa's Rhino Population are in this reserve. This includes the elusive Black Rhino, although we cannot guarantee you will see one, this is where you will have a really good chance of a sighting!
Staying at
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
Day 13 Umhlanga - The Oyster Box
Depart Rhino Ridge Safari driving to your final destination at The Oyster Box. This luxurious and elegant hotel is situated in the upmarket village of Umhlanga. Set literally a step away from the beach, with private swimming pool and sub-tropical gardens. Somewhere for you to relax and unwind before you return home. Stay two nights bed and breakfast
Day 14 Umhlanga
With the Indian Ocean on your door step you will be happy to go for a dip in the warm water here. Activities in this area includes some lovely nature trails, surfing, scuba diving, whale watching and dolphin viewing as well as plenty of restaurants and markets. There are also many golf courses nearby should this be on your list of things to do.
Staying at
The Oyster Box
Day 15 Drive to Durban Airport and return ...
Drive to Durban Airport and return hire car. Depart on the flight to Johannesburg. Depart Johannesburg on the overnight flight to London Heathrow.
Day 16 Arrive in London...
Arrive in London
Helen Kennedy
Travel Specialist
Pricing Information & Dates
16 nights from £3,405 - £4,085 per person
Itinerary Dates
Pricing
10th Jan 2023 -
15th Dec 2023
15th Dec 2023
£4,085
1st Dec 2020 -
15th Jan 2021
15th Jan 2021
£3,495
16th Jan 2021 -
30th Apr 2021
30th Apr 2021
£3,405
Helen Kennedy
Travel Specialist
Price Includes
- Return International Flights as per the itinerary
- All airport taxes and security charges
- Accommodation and meals as specified
- Transfers as specified
- Activities and excursions as specified
- All entrace fees on sightseeing tours as specified
• International and domestic flights from London
• Airport taxes
• Car hire - 4 door sedan vehicle with comprehensive insurance cover and unlimited mileage
• Accommodation
• Meals as specified
Price Excludes
- Travel Insurance
- Any meals not specified in the itinerary
- Tips and gratuities
- Optional excursions
• Visa fees
• Meals other than specified
• Drinks
• Personal Items
• Car hire refundable deposit, contract fee and fuel.
Why Choose Us?
Passionate travel experts
- We've been leading wildlife travel since our first South Africa tours over 25 years ago
- Our Travel Specialists have lived in their specialist area for years
- We work with local guides to immerse you deeper in our diverse range of experiences
Personal & tailor-made
- You'll speak to your own expert who'll share their first-hand knowledge
- We'll make your itinerary seamless with 24/7 emergency contact available
- Your Travel Specialist will listen to ensure you have the best chance of seeing the wildlife you love
Responsible by nature
- We take care to actively contribute to the conservation of environments we visit
- For select countries, we make a charitable donation on your behalf when you make your booking
- We've partnered with conservation experts and NGOs to curate responsible tours
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
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