Zululand - Travel Guide, Maps, Weather

Destination: Zululand

Traditional Zulu arts and crafts in Zululand.
Photographer: Gillian Scoble
Take a stroll in the harbour at Richards Bay.
Photographer: Justin Fox
The view from a hill in Ubizane Wildlife Reserve in Zululand.
Photographer: Gillian Scoble

North of the Dolphin Coast lies Zululand, the heart and pulse of the proud Zulu Kingdom. Travellers will be enchanted by the rolling green hills dotted with Zulu villages, cattle farms and pretty historical towns set against lush forests. Visitors are welcomed to experience the Zulu culture in villages like Shakaland and witness rural wedding ceremonies, traditional dancing and visit a sangoma (traditional healer). Shaka's birthplace, the Emakhosini Valley, is a renowned gravesite for seven Zulu Kings. It is close to Ulundi, the former capital of Zululand and site of the final battle of the Anglo-Zulu War. Bird lovers can discover more than half of South Africa's bird species on the Zululand Birding Route, renowned as ‘Southern Africa's birding diversity hotspot'.

Places to stay

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Features and Blogs

Retreat to Lilani Hot Springs in Zululand

This retreat is wonderfully simple, hidden deep in a vale between Kranskop and Ahrens, and is reached by a winding dirt track that clings to hilly contours.