 |
KZN - Durban (cont.) |
 |
|
On KwaZulu-Natal's East Coast.
Umhlanga Rocks This fashionable residential and seaside resort, 18 kilometres to the north of the city centre, has all the visitor amenities - luxurious hotels, guest-houses, gleaming apartment complexes, a variety of excellent restaurants, a lagoon and golden sands. The lagoon is within a Nature Reserve; the waters and the surrounding dune forest a magnet for birds - including the famed African Fish Eagle. The area is also the location of the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board's Headquarters, which welcomes visitors (audio-visual presentations, dissecting demos; book in advance). Botha's Hill On the Old Main Road inland from Durban; an upland area famed for its magnificent vistas (notably of the Valley of a Thousand Hills, see below). The small village of Botha's Hill itself, and its immediate surrounds, have much to offer the visitor, including charming little shops, a Zulu kraal, a snake park and roadside stalls that stock an enticing variety of Zulu craft items (basketware, pottery, beadwork). Valley of a Thousand Hills This scenically stunning, 65-kilometre long valley, girded by a vast jumble of peaks and plateaus and wooded hillsides, follows the course of the Umgeni River from a flat-topped massif known as Natal Table Mountain (near Pietermaritzburg) down to the Indian Ocean. Parts of the valley are densely populated, but much of the area remains a splendid, tropically luxuriant wilderness where flowering plants - arum lilies, red-hot pokers, crimson aloes and much else - delight the eye. PheZulu In the Botha's Hill area (see above). PheZulu is a cultural showcase featuring Zulu dancing, displays of African crafts and domestic routines (cooking, thatching, brewing, spear-making, beadwork, wood-carving and so forth). It also offers an insight into the ways of the sangoma, the Zulu spirit medium and diviner. There's an art gallery and tea room on site. A prime tourist drawcard. Assagay Safari Park Close to PheZulu (see above) and also popular with visitors. The focus here is on the Nile crocodile, of which you'll see more than a hundred specimens in the scatter of ponds and pools. There's also a crocodile museum, and a restaurant. Durban Ferry Services run day and night cruises of the harbour, departing on the hour from the jetty next to the Maritime Museum. Other enterprises advertise ocean-going excursions and deep-sea fishing trips. A pleasant sightseeing option is offered by the Umgeni steam train that puffs it way between the upland centres of Kloof and Inchanga, just to the west of the city. The shoreline running from Durban down to the Eastern Cape border is a holiday maker's paradise, a stretch that offers a marvelous subtropical climate, golden sands, lushly fringed lagoons and river estuaries, warm Indian Ocean waters that are ideal for bathing, surfing, scuba-diving, snorkeling, shore and sea-angling. The shoreline is dotted with a score and more charming little seaside resorts that welcome visitors with a smile. They are linked by a good coast road; special points of interest en route include: Port Shepstone, at the mouth of the Umzimkulu River. The river is navigable for about 5 kilometres upstream; the local golf course ranks among South Africa's best. Tree-shaded parks, tidal pools and lovely beaches beckon the leisure-bent visitor. Rather special is the Banana Express, a vintage steam train that makes its sedate, narrow-gauge run between Port Shepstone and Paddock twice a week. Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve. The sanctuary, about 20 kilometres inland from Port Shepstone, was originally established to conserve the dwindling population of the oribi antelope, though none remain in the area. But some 40 mammal species, including monkey, baboons and various buck species, thrive within the reserve, as do about 270 different kinds of bird. The real attraction, though, is the gorge itself and its spectacularly rugged surrounds. The canyon, carved from the sandstone rock layers, is 24 kilometres long, 5 kilometres wide in places and nearly 400 metres deep, and the views from various lookout points (notably Hanging Rock) are memorable. Margate and Ramsgate Two of the more prominent resort centres along what is known as the Hibiscus Coast. Both offer wide golden beaches, safe bathing, golf, bowls, good hotels and restaurants, guest-houses, self-catering accommodation. Margate has an Olympic-size pool; Ramsgate is known for its lagoon, a mecca for wind-surfers. Drakensberg This splendid, 250-kilometre long range of mountains, which is easily accessible from Durban, forms KwaZulu-Natal's rugged border with the kingdom of Lesotho. Climbers in quest of challenge are drawn to the higher parts; most visitors, though, head for the gentler countryside of the foothills, where they are welcomed by a dozen or so resort hotels ranging from the luxurious to the simpler, family-orientated establishment. Venues of special note include the Royal Natal National Park in the north, the Giant's Castle Reserve in the centre (part of the wider Drakensberg National Park) and Sani Pass in the south. The pass is the only high route into Lesotho from the east; you really need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to negotiate it; the vistas on the way up are unforgettable. Maputaland The far northern KwaZulu-Natal region, known informally as Maputaland, ranks as one of the world's great wildlife areas. Access is easy; a good road leads along the coast. Highlights include the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, which covers an immense segment of subtropical and tropical countryside embracing lakes (biggest is the St Lucia itself), grasslands, forest, swamplands, huge coastal dunes, marine reserve and beautiful offshore coral reefs. Prime game areas are the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi complex of reserves, the Mkuzi Game Reserve, and the Ndumo Game Reserve (renowned for its bird life). Gardens and Parks Botanic Gardens Part of the city's 'green lung', which also includes the famous Greyville racecourse (host to the Durban July) and the Royal Natal Golf Club. The gardens are graced by a quite lovely array of flowering trees both indigenous and exotic; of special interest are the rare cycads, 'living fossils' which covered much of the earth before the advent of flowering plants. Other notable features are the orchid house, the sunken garden, the highly scented area created for visually impaired visitors, and the tea garden. Treasure Beach A seafront sanctuary that's of special interest to botanists - it encompasses fully nine different types of habitat that support an impressive variety of plants. There's also some fascinating marine life forms in the rock pools. Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve On the lower reaches of the Little Mhlatuzana River (which eventually discharges into the southern part of Durban harbour). The reserve protects grassland and coastal forest and also serves as home to zebra, antelope and to about 150 different kinds of bird. The KwaZulu-Natal Conservation Service offers night game-viewing drives - a taste of the 'real Africa', only minutes away from city centre. Also self-guided trails and picnic sites. Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve One of the last of the region's once-thriving mangrove patches. The word 'mangrove' is a loose term for plants and trees whose aerial (above-ground) roots enable them to live in brackish swamps and salty tidal waters on the fringes of tropical bays and river estuaries. They are environmentally valuable, serving as 'nurseries' for fish and as self-generating barriers against storms that would otherwise destroy fragile estuarine ecosystems. The reserve is on the northern bank of the Umgeni River mouth; visitor amenities include bird hide, picnic site, nature trails, and caravan-camping sites. Umgeni River Bird Park Also on the river's northern bank; regarded as one of the best of its kind in the world. Three huge walk-through aviaries, set among pleasantly landscaped grounds, contain an eye-catching variety of indigenous and exotic bird species. Beaches These are quite magnificent, stretching a good six kilometres from the Bluff north to Umhlanga Rocks and beyond. Those from Addington to Blue Lagoon are protected against sharks and patrolled by lifeguards. Sport Spectator Sports Cricket (at Old Kingsmead), rugby (King's Park) and horse-racing (Greyville) rank highly. Amazulu is the premier local soccer club. Greater Durban supports almost 40 bowling clubs. There are some excellent golf courses in the area; the Windsor Park municipal course is near the beachfront; all welcome visitors. Water-related Sports There are limitless options for sailing; leading bodies are The Royal Natal Yacht Club, The Point Yacht Club and the Mainstay sailing academy. Bathing can of course be enjoyed all the way along the Golden Mile (seafront); there's also freshwater swimming in various pools, including the Olympic-standard one at King's Park. Surfing is superb, especially in the Bay of Plenty (which has hosted the annual Gunston 500); so are opportunities for deep-sea fishing and coastal angling (off both beach and rock). Bird-Watching Very rewarding at a number of venues, including the Parks and Reserves mentioned above. Also in the Bluff (harbour), Burman Bush (Morningside) and Virginia Bush (Berea) Reserves; in Pigeon Valley Park, and in open spaces on the peri-urban fringes (see below). Hikes and Walks Each of the Parks and Gardens described above offer pleasant nature rambles. Of special note is the Kenneth Stainbank Reserve, which has six short (30 to 60-minute) self-guided trails, a two-hour circular walk and the 600-metre trail for the physically handicapped. Much of what lies between these protected areas, though, is also good walking terrain - green corridors are being established in terms of a programme called the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (DMOSS). Each trail is mapped and described in a brochure. The Ingweni trail is a 35 kilometre, two to three day hike that takes a horseshoe-shaped route through gorges, grassland and sandstone escarpment in the Pinetown-Kloof-Gillets area; attractions include three lovely waterfalls, tree-ferns, wild poplar trees and splendid views. The trail is part of a private initiative developed by local schoolchildren in association with the Wildlife Society and the Lions Club. The city itself can also be explored on foot, along various charted thematic routes - the Oriental Walkabout, the Durban Experience, the Historical Walkabout, the Architectural Meander and so forth. Details from Durban Unlimited (the publicity association). Consult the local newspapers for what's on details. The Playhouse complex (see above) is the focus of the conventional performing arts. You can enjoy choral, orchestral, pop and jazz at the city hall; brass-band concerts in some of the parks on Sunday afternoons; chamber and jazz recitals at the Little Abbey Theatre; concerts, recitals, traditional Zulu maskanda music, drama at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre at the university; soirees and recitals at the elegant Nederburg Theatre, which is attached to the Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery at New Germany, some way out of Durban. For the rest, Durban offers an exuberant nightlife - it is, after all, the country's holiday capital. The local papers, the Natal Mercury and the Durban Daily News, cover the scene fully. For jazz, visit the BAT (Bartle Arts Trust) centre at the Small Craft harbour. Durban offers the shopper everything expected of a big and modern city. For local interest, try the African Arts centre (see above), the Bat Shop (off Victoria Embankment), the Tourist Junction Shop in Pine Street, and The Bazaar in Gillespie Street, close to the beachfront (small trading and home-industry stalls). For the exotic, visit the Victoria Street market (see above). The city's cavernous old (Victorian) railways maintenance area has been renamed The Workshop and transformed into a retail showpiece, boasting a myriad speciality outlets done up in rather appealing colonial style with lots of wrought-ironwork, brass trimmings and coloured glass. The Workshop is in Aliwal Street. The Arcade (speciality outlets), fronting on West, Field and Pine streets, is also worth exploring. Among lively, regular street and crafts markets are those located at the Amphitheater (North Beach; Sundays); the Bluff showgrounds (first and last Saturday of the month); Church Street (crafts; daily); Farepark (between West and Pine streets; daily) and the South Plaza exhibition centre (Sundays). |
NOTE!
DURBAN CONT. Western Cape
|
|||||||
