City: KwaZulu-Natal
Top Things to do in KwaZulu-Natal
What to do and see in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: The Best Places and Tips
KwaZulu-Natal (/kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl/; also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, enjoying a long shoreline beside the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg and its largest city is Durban. It is the 2nd most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng.
Restaurants in KwaZulu-Natal
1. Nambiti Big 5 Private Game Reserve
Overall Ratings
5 based on 283 reviews
Reviewed By Kris M - Aylesford, United Kingdom
A large group of us stayed here for 2 nights following a family wedding. The Reserve offers sightings of the Big 5 along with many other species. A fantastic time here and saw many animals on our game drives in the early morning alnd late afternoon which was a real treat.
Accomodation was brilliant where we stayed at the Springbok Lodge the staff were brilliant namely Beth, Bronwyn and Shaun our rangers and guides.
Food and drink were awesome
2. Drakensberg Mountains
Overall Ratings
5 based on 158 reviews
The major portion of the 200-kilometer-long mountain range named the "Barrier of Spears" lies in the kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal.
Reviewed By kdgarlipp - Pretoria, South Africa
The Drakensberg mountain area is a world heritage site and is always pleasant to visit. There are a large number of rock painting sites and some are relatively easy to access. The environment is pleasant, with streams and Forests and wildlife. The baboons are however becoming a problem in some areas.
3. Isandlwana Battlefield
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 145 reviews
Reviewed By MimieW - Spokane, Washington
This is definitely a must-tour with a guide. We were driven here with our Zulu guide Sibo who knew another guide Theba. They partnered together to give me and my husband a very educational tour of the Isandlwana Battlefield.
A beautiful place that was witness to a very sad story. While here, don't forget to visit the Rorke's Drift as well.
Visiting these places encouraged me to buy the movie (with Michael Caine) and watch the depiction of the battle and the bravery of the warriors on both sides involved.
4. Shongweni Farmers Market
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 120 reviews
This market oozes with stereotypical country charm. It's almost mandatory to pack up the family and dog, take a sturdy basket and arrive early. Treat yourself with breakfast and, from your vantage point on a hay bale, decide your method of attack. Peruse stalls at a leisurely place as hands-on producers passionately talk you through their wares from traditional English sausages to decadent baked goods, handcrafted organic cheeses, breads and rustic French staples like terrines and rillettes. You'll also find Middle Eastern and Mediterranean specialities from baklava to falafel. If you're shopping with a conscience you can buy organic veg or a pre-installed, irrigated system to grow your own organic vegetables.
Reviewed By Thuli Z - Johannesburg, South Africa
Went on Sunday 7 January 2018 after two year hiatus. Great to see the growth in crafts and food stalls. Particularly enjoyed the new patterns at Ento Ceramics and great coffee at Caffe Mobile. It was an exceptionally busy Sunday due to a dedicated market train from Durban. Food stalls were tricky to get to. I agree with previous comments to try beat the crowds and be there early. We got there at 8:00 it was busy, after 9:30 it was tricky to navigate.
5. Sani Pass
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 523 reviews
Reviewed By Mohnomishe - Maputo, Mozambique
We took our Toyota Prado to the Sani Pass summit recently. A great day trip that shall be long remembered for the adventurous drive and the spectacular views. Fortunately it was a fantastic day, clear skies and Sunshine. Given the poor state of the road, I can just imagine the difficulties involved in doing the drive in adverse weather conditions... at least being a pretty inexperienced 4x4 driver. At the top we were rewarded with a good lunch at the restaurant, after a smooth passage through the Lesotho immigration. So one more item ticked off our bucket list.
6. iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By craigallan-za - Durban, South Africa
Isimangaliso Wetland Park, name is a remarkable place, even if the name does not trip lightly off an English tongue.
Say it like "ee see mung go lee saugh"
It is built around the huge St Lucia lake which has a lot of hippos and a lot of crocodiles. There are over 1000 hippos living in the lake and grazing in its surrounds, which is very amazing.
Take a boat trip from St Lucia town to see the hippos - the boats (there are lots of operators) will bring you within 10 yards of families of hippos lolling in the water. On any one trip you will get to see about four or five families up close and personal. Not thousands, but its a big lake and the hippos are spread out widely.
The best time to see hippo is at night, when they come out of the water and are grazing their 80kg per night of grass, but its a time when they are most dangerous, so there are no tours.
You'll also see a croc or two. Crocodiles are harder to spot, as they lie up on the banks in long grass and bushes for most of the day.
Around the park is a protected area where you an see quite a lot of large mammals. For animal watching the nearby iMfolosi-Hluhluwe park or the Mkuze park are better options, but you'll spot easily waterbuck, zebra, gnu, buffalo and maybe rhino in the Isimangaliso park. You can self-drive, if you have a car, or hire a space on a tour in St Lucia from one of many operators. Its a nice little park.
There are also the huge beach dunes, all covered in forest, along the coastal side of the park. In the forest you will probably spot two types of duiker, including the elusive red duiker.
There are several public Beaches, of which Cape Vidal is the nicest, but also the most distant. Cape Vidal has a rocky outcrop making a little sheltered cove which is nice for recreational swimming. The main St Lucia beach is a long sandy beach which is very popular, but swimming is normally dangerous due to a deep channel just off the beach and a strong side-wash. There are no life-guards and no shark nets. Its Africa, take your chance. If you are public spirited, please pick up and properly dispose of some of the many beer bottles left by less considerate guests.
Don't swim in the estuary. The hazards include crocodiles, hippo, sometimes Zambezi sharks, leeches and bilharzia. It's deeply unhealthy.
7. Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 366 reviews
Reviewed By bestregards f
Hluhluwe imfolozi was our favourite game park in South Africa with its beautiful setting of rolling hills, winding rivers and great game viewing opportunities.
It turned out to be the greatest disappointment of our 3-month and 7-game park trip. If the park is still beautiful, its management & staff are terrible and totally ruined our experience. We stayed at the Hilltop (that is SOOOO expensive for what it is) and do yourself a favour: don’t!
- The rooms are old, smelly, and not well maintained (leaking taps, non-working fans, overgrown bush on the balcony completely blocking the view (that was beautiful 9 years ago), rooms not well attended to (no soap, or coffee creamer but no coffee, always something missing - not ok for the price and stars)).
- If the breakfast was good, the à la carte dinner was a total rip off with low quality meat that is completely over cooked and sides that are too salty to be eaten. The dinner buffet was not of the greatest quality but ok.
- The worst part of all is the attitude of the staff that is unprofessional, nonchalant and arrogant (room staff, restaurant staff, and rangers).
- The game drives with the rangers were also very disappointing. First of, we spotted a lot more than the rangers (and this on every drive) who seemed to not be able to be bothered. We had a break on a parking lot outside the park where there was nothing to look at (9 years ago, it was on a beautiful and scenic spot for sunrise and sunset). And one of them was over speeding to make it back.
We signalled some of these issues to the manager who was listening, said he would follow up, and has never done so. So we can only conclude that the management is not good and the staff is just a reflection of it.
Also, the place was empty but every time we called to make a booking, we were always told that it was fully booked. The manager was very surprised to hear so as the occupancy had been low. So don’t book over the phone as someone doesn’t want to get the job done there. Go online or show up and insist.
Bottom line: go to Hluhluwe: it is a beautiful park with great game. But do everything on your own: self drive and self cater. It’s just a shame that the management and staff are not passionate, nor professional and ruined our (honeymoon) experience.
8. Hluhluwe - iMfolozi Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 188 reviews
Reviewed By f2s - Glasgow, United Kingdom
To be honest I find these short visit "safari" visits rather poor value. Lots of vehicles, few animals up for a photo shoot! Bear in mind the drive arround can be very bumpy/rough.
9. Saint Lucia Estuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 623 reviews
This estuary is part of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park and includes fishing, hiking tours, boat tours and a crocodile center. The crocodiles make swimming an ill-advised idea.
Reviewed By Michelle a
We did a tour of the Estuary and the wild life. What a fascinating visit. We’re a family who love the Big Blue and the Big Five so touring the Estuary was a real treat for us. The beautiful surroundings, the bird life and the hippos are well worth the time, the visit and the investment going with an experienced tour guide.
10. African Bird of Prey Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 99 reviews
The African Bird of Prey Sanctuary is a bird park specializing in the public awareness and conservation of Africa's indigenous raptors. From the smallest to largest, you can visit them all in this natural bush setting. You can catch the aerial predators in action during the daily flying displays at 10:30. Vulture feeding sessions take place at midday on weekends and public holidays. Please note the sanctuary is closed Mondays.
Reviewed By Hill_Belle - Hillcrest, South Africa
A really interesting outing, much different from the norm. The bird flight show is well done and the explanation of the excellent work done by this organisation is superb.
The explanation leaflet that is given at the entrance is very informative. Well worth another visit in the near future.
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