DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive in Durban

You will be met at Durban Airport and transferred to your hotel on the warm North Coast, renowned for its wonderful beaches and excellent holiday weather.

Check in and relax on the shores of the warm Indian Ocean.

Day 2: Transfer to Hluhluwe National Park

This morning enjoy the beauty of rural Zululand, renowned for its outstanding beaches, mountains and wildlife as you transfer 3 hours to Hluhluwe National Park.

After checking in to your lodge, in the afternoon enjoy a thrilling open-top game drive with a lodge ranger. Game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately and hopefully you will see several species of antelope, zebra, wildebeest and maybe even giraffe - as well as several of the Big Five before dinner.

Days 3 & 4: Game Drives

Today enjoy game viewing by open-top vehicle in Hluhluwe National Park.

One of South Africa’s most beautiful game parks, Hluhluwe is home to all the Big Five - lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino - as well as the subcontinent’s largest population of endangered rhino, which this park saved from extinction. Hope to see many other interesting species too including giraffe, hippo, kudu, crocodile, waterbuck, warthog and baboon. With over 300 different bird species, outstanding bird watching is also guaranteed.

After a beautiful African sunset, enjoy the balmy evening and pristine stars of the southern hemisphere.

Note: children < 6 are not allowed on open top game drives.

Day 5: Transfer to Zulu Battlefields

After some final early morning game viewing in Hluhluwe, today transfer 3 hours to the remote battlefields at Isandlwana in rural Zululand.

Check in to your lodge and enjoy dinner, whilst absorbing some of the fascinating history of this great conflict between Britain and the proud Zulu Kingdom.

Day 6: Isandlwana & Rorke’s Drift

This morning join a full day tour arranged by your lodge to the poignant Zulu Battlefields.

Your guide will recount the events leading up to the fateful battle of Isandlwana, where in 1879 the mighty British army suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in its history following the controversial invasion of Zululand. See for yourself the events portrayed so passionately in the film ‘Zulu Dawn’, as the regiment was wiped out almost to a man by 20,000 Zulu warriors.

After returning to your lodge for lunch, in the afternoon we visit the famous mission station at Rorke’s Drift where later that day a handful of British soldiers (outnumbered 30-to-1) fought off over 4,000 Zulu warriors for almost 12 hours. This battle - unforgettably brought to life by Michael Caine in the film ‘Zulu’ - saw 11 Victoria Crosses awarded, which is more than in any other engagement in the history of the British Empire.

Day 7: Transfer to Boer War Battlefields

Today transfer 4 hours from Zululand to the South African War Battlefields in the beautiful Natal Midlands. The Anglo-Boer War of 1899 started shortly after the conquest of Zululand, as the British Empire turned its attentions to the lucrative Transvaal goldfields.

Travel through Ladysmith, which was besieged for 118 days during that war, before checking in to your lodge near Spion Kop, with distant views of the dramatic Drakensberg Mountains.

Day 8: Spion Kop

This morning enjoy a shared tour to the Spion Kop Battlefield.

We drive through stunning scenery to the place where one of the bloodiest battles of the South African War (Anglo-Boer War) of 1900 took place in efforts to relieve Ladysmith, which was besieged for 118 days. Visit the mass graves atop Spion Kop hill and see for yourself how poor military decisions affected the outcome of this battle. Incredibly three future world leaders were in the area at the time this battle took place - Winston Churchill as a young newspaper correspondent, the future Mahatma Gandhi as a stretcher bearer, and Louis Botha as the Boer general who would go on to become the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa.

Afterwards transfer 1.5 hours to the spectacular uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains, recognised as a World Heritage site for its vast collection of San (Bushmen) rock art paintings. Known locally as the Barrier of Spears the dramatic Drakensberg Mountains form the backbone of Southern Africa, running all the way down from the Great Rift Valley. Check in to your mountain resort in this area of unspoilt natural beauty.

Days 9 & 10: Drakensberg Mountains

At leisure to relax in the Drakensberg Mountains and enjoy the facilities of your resort, with superlative scenery and fresh mountain air making it ideal for walking holidays at any level of fitness. Your hotel will organise guided walks each day – typically one short walk and one long walk, or a walk to a Bushman painting.

Your hotel has a swimming pool and offers many activities in or near the resort including golf, horse riding in the mountains, fly fishing, tennis, lawn bowls, badminton, mountain biking, table tennis, darts and pool. The mountains also offer an outstanding location for bird watching – particularly raptors, but also sunbirds, waxbills and the numerous other species found in the grasslands, riverine scrub and natural forests.

Day 11: Drive to Durban

This morning enjoy the beauty of the Natal Midlands on your 3 hour transfer to your hotel on the Durban North Coast, renowned for its wonderful beaches and warm holiday weather.

Check in to your hotel and relax in your lush subtropical surroundings on the shores of the warm Indian Ocean.

Day 12: At Leisure

At leisure to relax on the warm golden beaches of the Durban North Coast.

Many optional activities are available such as a marine cruise to search for dolphins, turtles, sharks, whales (in season) and other fascinating sea life. Championship golf, horse riding and deep sea game fishing are also available.

Day 13: Fly Home

Transfer to Durban Airport for your flight home.

PRICING

Price is based on two adults sharing en-suite accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, with full board whilst on safari. All transfers, park fees, game drives and battlefields tours are included. International flights are not included and will be quoted separately.

We offer a choice of hotels at different prices, so please discuss your requirements with us. All hotels are subject to availability.

It is essential that you have personal holiday insurance. The FCO should also be consulted.