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Tour Dates :
This tour is available on request.
Tour Information :
In our country of remembrance there are many areas of great historic importance – many of the great events which formed the character of modern South Africa, occurred in this region. This is the cradle of the Zulu Nation, shrouded in secrecy and hallowed by legends. The region is also full of memorials commemorating the stormy past between the Boer and the British, the Zulu and the British and the Boer and the Zulu. There are also good memories of success stories across the colour and cultural boundaries. It is indeed an area worth visiting.
This tour has especially been designed to enable us to share a bit of everything with you, including the wild life, nature, history, food and culture of the majority of inhabitants of this part of KwaZulu-Natal.
Day 1 – Newcastle
We depart from the Durban International Airport at approximately 0930 to our first overnight stop at Newcastle. Along the route we stop for a late breakfast.
We stop at Pietermaritzburg for a short while to visit the monuments of the Anglo-Boer War and the Boer-Zulu War. Amongst others we shall visit the Voortrekker Church (museum) before continuing our journey.
At Frere we turn off the N3 and take a route through Colenso to Ladysmith. On this route we stop at certain monuments and places of historic importance. Amongst others there is the place where Winston Churchill was taken prisoner. En route to Newcastle we visit a German Mission Church dating back to 1896, which was recently restored to its former glory.
Newcastle, most important trade and industrial centre of northern KwaZulu-Natal, was established in 1864 and named after the Duke of Newcastle, the then British colonial secretary. The town is situated in an area with lots of water and is ideally suited for cattle and sheep farming. The Drakensberg Mountains form the western border of the town.
When we arrive at our overnight accommodation, we kick off our shoes, sit back and relax before sitting down to supper.(breakfast and supper)
Day 2 – Normandien and Muller’s Pass
After an early breakfast we depart on a day excursion and the route takes us up the Normandien Pass, over the Drakensberg Mountain range to Memel. In Memel we pay a visit to the well known marshland area where our birdwatcher friends can spend some time watching birds from an elevated walkway built on wooden poles.
After a refreshing tea and coffee break, we begin our journey back to Newcastle, but this time taking the route over the Botha’s Pass. Both the Normandien and Botha’s Passes present beautiful views, vegetation, flowers and birds. When reaching the foot of the Botha’s Pass, we drive through Newcastle to view some of the sights.
We reach our overnight accommodation during the early afternoon where we can relax before sitting down to supper. (breakfast and supper)
Day 3 – Lüneburg
After breakfast we depart for Lüneburg and the route takes us over Volksrust and Wakkerstroom. With this leg of the tour we take a short look back in history and see what role the German settlers and missionaries played during the founding years of this region.
In Volksrust we stop at a monument which was erected in honour of German women and children. The German citizens of Lüneburg and Bergen were subjects of the Z.A.R. and they heeded the call to take up arms. They formed a commando under the leadership of field-cornet Friedrich Meyer and they were bitter-enders during the war. When Lord Kitchener started his “scorched earth” policy, German women and children were sent to concentration camps where many of them lived under horrible conditions and died atrociously.
When reaching Wakkerstroom, we pay a visit to the marsh land adjacent to the town to see which birds we can spot before we continue our journey to Lüneburg.
Lüneburg is the oldest Lutheran congregation in northern Natal and it was regularly caught up in the political unrest of the area. The German community and congregation have grown over the years and today they are part of a larger German community in this part of KwaZulu-Natal. We spend the night in a beautiful German guest house and for one evening become part of this remarkable group of people.
Day 4 – Paulpietersburg/Natal Spa
We depart after breakfast and the route takes us through Paulpietersburg.
Our guide will tell us much more about all the interesting aspects of this town which form part of a very rich history.
Paulpietersburg was named after President Paul Kruger and General Piet Joubert.
Today Paulpietersburg is known for its agricultural activities. Diversified farming is very successfully practiced in this area: beef, dairy, maize, sorghum, peanuts and legume. Large blue-gum, pine and wattle plantations can also be found in the area.
After a short tour of the town, we continue our journey to the Natal Spa. This holiday resort with a warm mineral spring is situated approximately 30 kilometers to the south east of the town. The water contains carbonate, chloride and sulphate and comes out of the spring at a temperature of 40 degrees centigrade. The healing qualities of this spring is very well known.
We should arrive at the Spa at lunch time and the rest of the day can be spent relaxing in the different warm water swimming pools.
We overnight at the Spa. (supper and breakfast)
Day 5 – Vryheid, Blood River and Dundee
Vryheid indirectly owes its founding and existence to the Anglo-Zulu War when land was obtained from Dinizulu as compensation to the Boers for their help as mercenaries for Dinizulu during his war with his enemy Zibhebhu.
On the 16th of August 1884, after obtaining this piece of land, the Boers declared the New Republic with Vryheid as capital and Lucas Meyer as president.
The economy of the town is based on beef, maize and coal. Our guide will tell you more regarding this town during our short tour.
We continue our journey and visit the Blood River Monument, commemorating the battle on the 16th of December 1838 in revenge for the murder of Piet Retief and his men by Dingane. After a visit to the Talane Battlefield at Dundee, we return to the Horsehoe B&B, Normandien.
Day 6 – Wartburg
We continue our journey and travel through the following small towns on our way to Wartburg: Ladysmith (we visit the Danskraal and Platrand Monuments), Colenso (Thukela Heights Battlefield & Clouston), Muden, Weenen and Greytown. After arriving in Wartburg there will be enough time to browse around in the gardens of the Wartburg Inn.
This small German hotel was designed in true Bavarian style and it is also home to a German beer brewery. This brewery is part of the Beer Brewery Route of Natal. This will indeed be an experience which will take you back to past tours in Germany. This little piece of Germany is surrounded by other German towns with names such as Harburg, Kirchdorf, New Hanover, Lillienthal, Schroeders en Hermannsburg. Wartburg was named after the castle in Eisenach where Dr Martin Luther King translated the Bible into German. We spend the night here and will most definitely get a taste of the beer and German cuisine. The hotel also boasts a small gholf course on the premises. (supper, bed and breakfast)
Day 7 - Wartburg area and Hermannsburg
After breakfast we travel through the surrounding area and later during the morning we pay a visit to Hermannsburg. This is another small German town and German school rich in history dating back to the first German missionaries and settlers. The school was opened in 1856 and is the oldest German private school in South Africa. The Natal Midlands with its numerous small towns is indeed a beautiful area worth visiting. Our guide will share many interesting details with you.
During the late afternoon we return to the Wartburger Inn where we shall spend the night.
Day 8 – Umdloti Beach
After a scrumptious breakfast we depart for Umdloti Beach on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Umdloti is approximately 15 km north of Durban. After our arrival you will have the rest of the day free to spend on the beach, which is very safe and sheltered.
Day 9 – Umhlanga Rocks and Durban
We get off to an early start and go and watch the Natal Shark Control Board Show in Umhlanga Rocks. The first shark nets in KwaZulu-Natal were put into place in 1962 and today they are responsible for more than 400 shark nets at 46 beaches on the KwaZulu-Natal coast. We then leave for Durban where we pay a visit to the Indian market. The Indian Market in Victoria Street is a feast of colour and aroma where shopping can never be the cheerless Western practice where money changes hands silently. Price bartering is just as much part of the experience as the exotic spices and curry powders. Afterwards we visit the Ushaka Marine World, the largest marine park in Africa. Ushaka consists of an aquarium housing many species in several large tanks, a dolphinarium, shops, restaurants, a ship wreck, pools, water slides and smooth white sand. We are really going to spend a delightful couple of hours here. We will have lunch in a restaurant housed partly in an old ship wreck and partly in the aquarium. Late afternoon we stop at the Gateway Shopping Centre before returning to Umdloti. This shopping mall has more than 280 shops and is one of the largest shopping centres in Africa.
Day 10 – Tour ends
Relax on the beach.
The last day of the tour will be lengthened or shortened according to flight times and must be seen as the return journey.
Please note that we adjust the itinerary and accommodation from time to time according to the availability of hotels, etc. Route adjustments may also be necessitated by factors outside our control. The route and accommodation will be confirmed prior to our departure.
JJ du Preez / Pumba Tours Destination RSA(Pty) Ltd trading as Pumba Tours PO Box 101016 Meerensee Richards Bay 3901 Tel: 035 753 3677/035 753 3962 Fax: 035 753 5875 E-mail: pumbatrs@iafrica.com
Price:
The total price for the full duration of the tour is available on request.
The price includes the following:
· All traveling costs · All accommodation as per itinerary or similar · All gate and entrance fees to the different sights as set out in the itinerary · Transport in luxury four wheel drive vehicles · 1 Free bottle of mineral water per person per day · All meals as per the itinerary · Public liability insurance of R20 million · Passenger liability insurance of R10 million · Full colour photos of the entire tour on compact disc (CD) · Complimentary DVD of the entire tour · Well trained drivers and accredited guides. Phillip & Marina van Vuuren
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