Day Tours & Activities

This is the wet ‘n wild city, where the sun shines all year round, where the warm Indian Ocean calls, and the fun never sets. From the dramatic peaks of the exquisite Drakensberg mountain range to traditional Zulu villages, magnificent game reserves, historic battle sites and the warm Indian Ocean lapping onto wide, sandy beaches, KwaZulu-Natal is a tourist’s paradise. Let Thompsons Africa help you discover the treasures of this region.

DURBAN CITY TOUR

HALF DAY TOUR

Departs Daily between 08h30 & 09h00 • Returns at ±12h30 Our tour begins as we travel along the brand-new Golden Mile, the revitalised beachfront promenade which hugs the beckoning beaches of Durban viewing the newly upgraded Point Waterfront. We move through the City, viewing the majestic City Hall, and enjoying its humorous history! We continue to the small craft harbour viewing the 8th largest harbour in the world. Drive past the sugar terminals and very busy harbour warehouses on our way to the University of Natal – Durban Campus where we view lovely sights of the harbour down below. Then we visit the bustling African/Indian Markets at Warwick Triangle – home to 9 distinct markets developed around Durban’s largest public transport interchange and where approximately 6 000 street vendors ply their trade, to an average of 460 000 daily commuters – an authentic experience. Visit the fascinating Phansi Museum - home to the largest publicly accessible collection of Southern African artefacts and traditions, including beadworks, headrests, Zulu clay pots and various other treasures. (Closed on weekends and entrance fee for own account). From culture to nature, we visit the peaceful Durban Botanic Gardens founded in 1849, a treasure trove of massive trees from Asia, Africa and America, and a magnificent orchid house. We then conclude with a visit to an icon of Kwazulu Natal, the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Your experience highlights:

• Durban beachfront • Point Waterfront • Durban City Hall • Markets at Warwick Triangle • Phansi Museum (own account) • Durban Botanic Gardens • Moses Mabhida Stadium

DRAKENSBERG WORLD HERITAGE TOUR

FULL DAY TOUR

Departs Tue, Thu & Sat between 06h00 & 06h30 • Returns at ±17h30 Discover the beauty of the undulating Drakensberg Mountain range as we travel through such breathtaking vistas as we visit the World Heritage Site of Giant’s Castle. The enigmatic Bushman paintings in the vicinity are not far, so we set off on foot for a leisurely 3km round hike to the site of the caves to discover this magical legacy of the bushmen (moderate fitness level required). Our guide there will share his knowledge of the paintings which date back 2 000 years. We’re bound to have built up an appetite, so we’ll tuck into the hearty lunch laid on. Our return to Durban is via a visit to the Nelson Mandela Capture site – a historically significant moment in South African history and now commemorated with a world class sculpture, in memory of Nelson Mandela and his heroic role in the struggle against apartheid.

Your experience highlights:

• Drakensberg Mountain range • World Heritage Site, Giant’s Castle • 3km foot hike (moderate fitness level required) • Explore caves • Bushman paintings • Lunch • Nelson Mandela Capture site

SANI PASS/LESOTHO TOUR

FULL DAY TOUR

Departs Mon, Wed & Fri between 05h45 & 06h15 • Returns at ±19h00 Note: A passport is required & visa conditions may apply For those with a sense of adventure, a 4x4 drive up the highest road pass in Africa will certainly provide you with a hefty dose of adrenalin. For your efforts, you’ll be rewarded with its breath-taking scenery. From Durban, we drive through the green hills of the Midlands towards the little country town of Underberg. Here, our 4x4 vehicle awaits us... the only form of transport equipped to tackle Sani Pass! You’ll have your passport stamped as we enter the Kingdom of Lesotho, and we stop at a nearby Sotho Village for you to enjoy a taste of the local culture. Lunch is served at the highest pub in Africa – truly – and, it stands to reason, the views are utterly breath-taking. Once you’ve recovered your breath, we wind down the Pass very slowly, and wind our way gently back to Durban. You’ll certainly have had a day filled with altitude!

Your experience highlights:

• Midlands Meander • Underberg • 4x4 Sani Pass experience • Sotho village • Lunch

FULL DAY TOUR

Departs Wed & Fri between 06h15 and 06h45 • Returns at ±19h30 Historians will love it for sure, but if you enjoy a really great story, the Battlefields tour is for you too – it’s both a thriller and a drama. KwaZulu-Natal is rich in Anglo-Zulu war history, where two of the most famous, at times heart-wrenching battles fought between the Zulu and British Armies took place. We visit the eerie battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, and let your imagination paint mental pictures of the battle scenes played out here. Our tour includes lunch, and we wind our way home thereafter through some of the most spectacular scenery in the province of Kwazulu Natal. *A specialist Battlefield Guide is available at a surcharge on request.

Your experience highlights:

• Isandlwana • Rorke’s Drift • Lunch

SHAKALAND TOUR

FULL DAY TOUR

Departs Tue, Thu & Sat between 08h30 & 08h45 • Returns at ±16h30 Experience traditional Zulu culture and customs at the largest Zulu kraal in all of Zululand, look into the future with an iSangoma or traditional healer... all this and more, packed into one exhilarating day. We’ve laid on some traditional Zulu beer for you to sample, while the craftsmen and community who make the spears, shields, beadwork, pots and their huts, open their doors so you can witness their skills and artistry. The Zulu dancers will thrill with their grace and energy, and we’ve made sure you’re treated to a most satisfying lunchtime feast! Come live a day in the life of a traditional community – you’ll find it informative and a far cry from anything you’ve ever experienced!

Your experience highlights:

• Zulu kraal • iSangoma or traditional healer • Sample Zulu beer • Discover Zulu skills and artistry • Zulu dancing • Lunch

FULL DAY TOUR

Departs Mon, Wed & Fri between 06h30 and 06h45 • Returns at ±19h00 *Optional open safari vehicle game drive is available at a surcharge. This magnificent Big Five game park is not only home to 84 species of game, but it’s the oldest proclaimed reserve in Africa, world-renowned for its highly successful white rhino conservation programme. A day on safari in the magical Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park doesn’t stop at the thrill of searching for the Big Five, but the hilly terrain offers spectacular views of the Reserve and your camera is going to love it. We’ve arranged lunch at the lofty Hilltop Camp – or similar – and it’ll give you a chance to check how close your bird count has come to the 425 listed birds in the Park. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park is Kwazulu-Natal’s pride and joy, and after your visit, you’ll understand why.

Your experience highlights:

• Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park Big Five game drive • Lunch

PRIVATE TOUR - AVAILABLE DAILY ON REQUEST

Departs daily at 08h30 • Returns at 17h00 Note: Tour does not operate 24 Dec – 27 Dec & New Year’s Day *All Entrance fees and meals for guests own account Arrive at the historical memorial monument by 10h00 – a tribute to Nelson Mandela. It was here that Nelson Mandela was arrested while driving incognito from Durban to Johannesburg on the 5th of August 1962, after having been on the run from the Security Police for seventeen months and where he said goodbye to freedom for 27 years. Spend time marvelling at the fascinating sculpture, by artist Marco Cianfanelli. Made up of 50 steel poles that symbolize the 50th Anniversary of the arrest, they range in height from 6 – 10 meters, and, over 20 metres wide, and lined up, form a portrait of Mandela, when viewed from a distance of 35 meters. We depart for Tsonga Shoes & Bags. The time-perfected art of handstitching beautifully-styled leather uppers to their uniquely designed soles is a Tsonga tradition, kept alive by local Zulu women who craft each shoe and handbag with a spirit of their authentic African heritage. Our next stop is Swissland Cheese (closed Tue-Thu)! Here the pure, healthy milk of a small herd of free-roaming goats, is made into a large range of Swissland goat cheeses, free of antibiotics and colourants. Enjoy a tea and cheese picnic. We visit Ardmore Ceramic Art, where functional, superb quality ceramic and non-ceramic products including dinnerware, tapestries, furniture, fabrics for soft furnishings, and more, are on offer. Artists from the Ardmore studio are given training, direction, materials, a studio and a guaranteed market for their work, and, over the years, have won numerous awards and exhibited widely in South Africa and around the world. Before returning to Durban, stop at Blueberry Hill for tea and eats, while taking in the beautiful views across the Drakensberg Mountains. The adjacent shop stocks a range of beautifully crafted furniture, home accessories and other goodies.

Your experience highlights:

• Historic memorial monument • Tsonga Shoes & Bags • Swissland Cheese • Ardmore Ceramic Art • Blueberry Hill • Tea and eats Departs daily at 07h00 and returns at ±12h00 (weather and sea conditions dependent) Enjoy some of the most exciting scuba diving in the world on Aliwal Shoal. Dive with ragged tooth sharks, tiger sharks and manta rays, dolphins and whale sharks. Guests can rest assured that the professional and dedicated team will have one aim in mind…to ensure you have a experience of a lifetime!

Your experience highlights:

• Professional, qualified crew • Dive gear provided • Ten reef dive options • Two wreck dive options

BALLITO COOKING EXPERIENCE

Departs Mon to Sat at 10h00 and returns at ±12h00 and 14h00 and returns at +- 16h00 Let us introduce you to the hidden gems of the North Coast, between King Shaka International Airport and the mighty uThukela River to its north: A domain of rolling hills covered with sugar cane plantations, coastal forests and popular coastal resorts. At the Marketplace in the heart of bustling Ballito, treat yourself to great coffee and a unique culinary experience: a ‘taste of local’ cuisine created by award-winning chef Phumlani Mthembu. Let Phumlani teach you to make ‘Kasi Taste’ dishes that are a fusion of Zulu and Indian flavours.

Your experience highlights:

• Coffee and culinary experience • Learn to make Kasi Taste dishes • Coffee, water and community contribution