3 Day Natal Battlefields History Tour Durban to Durban

DAY 1: Durban – Pietermaritzburg – Spionkop – Ladysmith – Dundee

We travel westwards to Pietermaritzburg, the capital of KwaZulu-Natal, for a brief city tour. Stop at the railway station where Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off the train because of the colour of his skin, and see the waiting room, wherein the silence of the night he formulated his philosophy of passive resistance. Visit the Church of the Vow that was built as a result of the Battle of Blood River between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus in 1838. Then onwards to the hills where the Battle of Spioenkop took place. Here, famous personalities like Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and General Louis Botha, were active in different capacities.  Standing on the spot, the terrible incident unfolds again. At Ladysmith, we visit the war museum for an insight into the siege of Ladysmith and stories of suffering and heroism. Our overnight stop is outside Dundee after we visited the Talana Battlefield – the site of the first battle of the Anglo-Boer War.

Overnight Battlefields Country Lodge. 

DAY 2: Rorke’s Drift – Isandlwana – Blood River

This morning we cover the famous and awe-inspiring battlefields of Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana. The next battlefield we visit is at the battle of Blood River where a life-size bronze model of the ‘Boer’ laager is an eerie reminder of what happened. It is also one of the only battlefields where you get a glimpse of both sides’ perspectives. Return to your lodge.

Overnight Battlefields Country Lodge.

DAY 3: Babanango – Ondini – Umgungundhlovu – Durban

Today we travel via Babanango to Ulundi to visit Chetswayo's Kraal, Ondini, where the British army revenged the battle of Isandlwana. At our last stop, we get an insight into the clashes between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus.  We visit Umgungundhlovu, the reconstructed home of Dingaan who was responsible for the massacre of the Voortrekker leader, Piet Retief, and many of his men. This, in turn, led to the Battle of Blood River in 1838. Here we visit the grave of Piet Retief, as well as the grave of Zulu after whom the Zulu Nation was named. We return to Durban via Melmoth and Eshowe and arrive early evening.