Things to do & places to visit in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

KwaZulu-Natal #3 destination in South Africa 2023. The average rating score is 4.41 based on 37.4k traveler reviews, of 633 attractions. Timezone: Africa/Johannesburg, current date and time: Sunday, May 05, 2024, 11:07.

KwaZulu-Natal Weather Statistics view more »

General weather summary in May

74°F - 58°F

Temperature Highs - Lows

Mildly cool with a gentle breeze

Feels like

14%

Chance of rain

71.0 millimeters

Amount

12.1 mph

Wind speed

65%

Humidity

10.7

Daylight length

6:33 AM

Sunrise

5:12 PM

Sunset

70%

Cloud cover

Sweater

What to wear

Top things to do (39)

Top destinations in KwaZulu-Natal 100

See more 88 destinations »

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Heritage Day Tours & Safaris (832 reviews)
- Great experience!
Sunday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Safaris • Historical & Heritage Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

The service was amazing. Very friendly, and had a ton of knowledge. The weather wasn't great the day we went out, but he managed to make the most of the few sightings we did see. We were lucky to be the only couple in van that day(thanks covid!) so the conversation was very casual. Lunch braai was bigger than I thought(a good thing), I recommend if you not a big meat eater, like myself, just to let them know in advance. Definitely coming back next season! Bringing the family next time! See more..
5.0 EuroZulu Guided Tours & Safaris (488 reviews)
- Awesome full day safari at Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve
Safaris • Nature & Wildlife Tours

Amazing full day safari to Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve. Pick up at our guesthouse at 5AM to make sure we were the first people going through the gates of the park. After a few sightings we got a delicious breakfast served. We spotted 4 out of the big 5 in one single day. Amazing guide (Johan) was really energetic and also celebrated when we spotted a black Rhino closely, showing he really has passion for the work he does. Near the end of the safari we got a nice "braai" served before we went back to the gates. Awesome day in relaxed setting. See more..
5.0 Falcon Ridge Bird of Prey Centre (378 reviews)
- Incredible display of these remarkable creatures!
Nature & Wildlife Areas

I am always hesitant about going to rehabilitation or rescue centers for animals (or of the sorts), as you never truly know if it's for a good cause or purely for profit. Happy to have my mind put at ease and know that Falcon Ridge truly do what they do for the good of the cause and to create awareness around these remarkable birds of prey! The show only runs once a day starting at 10:30 AM (closed on select days). I would recommend arriving a bit earlier to get a good spot and to see some of the birds in their enclosures before the show begins. Incredible photographic opportunities (if you are fast enough with the shutter), but ultimately a great place to really sit back and enjoy the show. The owners seem extremely passionate about what they do, which really makes you immerse yourself in the experience even more. I also loved how they got their teenage kids involved in the show, which just shows how this legacy will be carried on for generations to come! See more..
5.0 Nambiti Big 5 Private Game Reserve (365 reviews)
- Serene experience on safari at Nambiti Game Reserve...
Spent 2-3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas

We arrived at the Woodlands gate after driving from the Talana museum in Dundee and entered the park and then parked our vehicle at the secure, private parking facility. Collected from there by our guide for four days, we then had a mini safari on the way to our incredible accommodation, Nambiti Hills Private Game Lodge. A magnificent place to stay and relax, five star formula and it lived up to its bill from the moment we arrived. Very friendly and efficient staff, fantastic cuisine throughout, grand nights sleep but best of all the amazing safari experience. Excellent guide/ranger in Joe, so relaxed, he just knew the best way in approaching the animals, reading the situation and all the big five apart from the elusive leopard were viewed at close quarter throughout. An experience never to be forgotten, well managed and the perfect place to visit before heading into the Drakensberg's. See more..
5.0 Drakensberg Boys Choir School (295 reviews)
- Music from the heart
Sunday: Spent 2-3 hours Universities & Schools

The Drakensberg Boys Choir School is one of the few South African Schools whose fame extends around the world. This school offers a unique educational opportunity for boys; it stimulates their spirit of adventure and exploration in our beautiful surroundings, while nurturing the development of the mind and expression in innate musical talent. Set on a 100Ha estate, the school draws its inspiration from the majestic Drakensberg Mountains, a World Heritage Site in KwaZulu-Natal, and is filled with the sound of boys singing, surely one of the purest of musical delights in the world. Don't miss our popular Wednesday concerts at 15h30, every Wednesday during term time! See more..
5.0 Shakabarker Tours - Day Tours (279 reviews)
- Fascinating Boat Cruise at Sunset
Sunday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Bike Tours • Boat Tours • Night Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

On a previous trip to St Lucia I had been on a boat cruise so I had decided not to do one on this trip. However my mind was changed when another traveler told me about the Shakabarker boat cruise. The primary reason I changed my mind was being told how knowledgeable the guides were and how interesting it had been. I would strongly advise taking the last trip of the day as it includes a sunset which was stunning the evening we went. See more..
5.0 ScubaCo Diving & Travel (234 reviews)
- Amazing shark dive
Scuba & Snorkelling

We would recommend ScubaCo without hesitation to any diver who wants to explore Aliwal Shoal. Their service is world class - warm friendly hospitality, well-stocked dive shop, equipment in excellent condition, and some special touches that I’ve never experienced elsewhere. Special mention must be made of our skipper who was the most skilled we’ve ever seen. We had a great dive with approximately 40 ragged-tooth sharks. Truly memorable! See more..
5.0 Aqua Planet (221 reviews)
- GLORIOUS, and safe and inclusive
Scuba & Snorkelling • Shark Diving

GLORIOUS! I joined a trip organised by Aqua Planet to Sodwana in January 2020 as part of my Open Water PADI. The entire experience was an absolute delight with me overwhelmed by the dive experience, the excellent insights and really getting to experience the treasures of the sealife. At one point i did not feel there was enough space in the sea for me - there were just so many fish1 Joining the group as an individual, Kym and the team made me feel welcome, and engaged from trips to lakes and drinks in swings and buddied on the boat. Most importantly I felt safe, confident and considered in all levels of the trip - particularly in the dive, boat practices, coaching and scuba practices. And of course, the added requirements for a Covid safe trip. THANK YOU Kym for organising such an amazing trip, with great people where i always felt both safe and expanding my skills. See more..
5.0 Drakensberg Mountains (197 reviews)
- Sentinel Hike
Mountains

The major portion of the 200-kilometer-long mountain range named the "Barrier of Spears" lies in the kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal. See more..
5.0 Amoray Diving (173 reviews)
- Amazing amoray
Sunday: 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM Scuba & Snorkelling

Great diving company - great location - superservice. This crew has all that it takes and more. The divesiites in sodwana bay are plenty and diverse, with some serious treats (not threats!). Captain Pieter runs it like clockwork and the divemasters (chester for one) make the dive pleasant and interesting without becoming restrictive. Highly recommended. We are advanced divers and seen a lot! See more..
4.5 uShaka Marine World (4.365 reviews)
- Great for kids. . .of all ages!
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Water Parks • Aquariums

uShaka Marine World is a 16-hectare theme park in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It comprises 8 attractions: uShaka Sea World, uShaka Wet 'n Wild, uShaka Sea Animal Encounters Island, uShaka Beach, uShaka Village Walk, uShaka Kids World, uShaka Dangerous Creatures and Chimp & Zee. uShaka Sea World is the fifth largest aquarium in the world. uShaka Wet 'n Wild water park has the highest slide in Africa. See more..
4.5 iSimangaliso Wetland Park (1.573 reviews)
- Amazing
Spent More than 3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Parks

We chose to visit on the last day of the year but cars are limited so there is no over crowding. Just get there early to ensure entrance. The roads are great and offer little side loops to maximise the. Jew of animals. We had an an amazing elephant sighting on the main road with at least a dozen elephant including calves. Very special. Lots of monkeys at the beach parking areas and they can be bothersome so watch your belongings. See more..
4.5 Moses Mabhida Stadium (1.314 reviews)
- Cuba Lounge
Sunday: Spent 1-2 hours Arenas & Stadiums

Moses Mabhida Stadium offers adventure activities for fun seekers. Try out the SkyCar ride to the top of the arch or walk 500 steps to the sky platform on the Adventure Walk. All Access Tours, Segway Tours and the world's only stadium Big Swing can be found here too along with a variety of shops and restaurants. See more..
4.5 Durban Botanic Gardens (1.216 reviews)
- Fantastic quick tour of the Botanic Gardens
Gardens

Rare plants, exquisite orchids and charity tea parties draw visitors to this botanical garden. See more..
4.5 Umhlanga Main Beach (951 reviews)
- Just Amazing
Beaches

The beach is located in the city centre right next to the Whalebone Pier and a few miles from the main shopping mall. On getting there, we found it easy to park on the road and walk down to the beach. The life guards were easy to spot as they were constantly patrolling the area. Umhlanga beach is a self sufficient place - there are lots of food and drink options available, a place to rent surf boards, chairs and an umbrella if you want to try surfing or just relax. There is a wheel chair / child buggy accessible path - which we found very good and useful See more..
4.5 Hluhluwe - iMfolozi Park Wilderness Area (871 reviews)
- Tour game drive , A true African Expierence
Spent More than 3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas

The visit to the game reserve would not have been a highlight to my family if it was not for the impeccable service rendered by A enthusiastic youngster who has a tour operator permit and vehicle to take my family on the 3 hour tour of the game park. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the wild and the education of the environment and the animals in the reserve was second to none. It was indeed a pleasurable expierence that my family immensely enjoyed. Mzoe of Mzoeafrica89 tour company comes highly recommended by myself and my family. Try him and get the true African Expierence. I look forward to doing another tour drive with him when possible. Regards Mr Salim Tootla See more..
4.5 Saint Lucia Estuary (705 reviews)
- Great day trip
Bodies of Water

This estuary is part of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park and includes fishing, hiking tours, boat tours and a crocodile center. The crocodiles make swimming an ill-advised idea. See more..
4.5 Things to Do in KwaZulu-Natal (651 reviews)
- Worthwhile drive
Mountains • Scenic Drives

Breathtaking views!!! The question I had before going up was , is it really as difficult as many of the reviews say it is? The short answer is No. I used a nissan Navarra pro 4x to go up in sunny conditions and it was a breeze. I also own a hyundai ix35 AWD and there is no doubt that it would go up there with no problem. A 4x2 with diff lock would have zero issues with going up on a rainy day. Drive slowly and sensibly and it would take you about 50 mins to 1 hour and 30 mins with some stops for pictures. Coming down make sure to keep your gears low and use wide turns on the switch backs. See more..
4.5 Gateway Theatre of Shopping (641 reviews)
- Best shopping complex in Durban
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Shopping Malls

More than a shopping centre, but a giant theater that is dedicated to entertaining you. We specialize in taking the therapy of retail to a whole new dimension. Prepared your senses for overload at the biggest shopping complex in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the coolest malls in the country. Grab your ticket and prepare to be thrilled, excited and asking for more. See more..
4.5 The Valley of a 1000 Hills (453 reviews)
- Gorgeous
Valleys

Densely forested and dotted with gorges, streams and villages, this valley makes for a stunning scenic drive. See more..
4.5 Heritage Tours & Safaris (449 reviews)
- Amazing Elephant traffic jams!
Sunday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Multi-day Tours • Safaris

We booked our first Sunset Tour on the Eastern shores and it was so much more than we expected. We spotted rhino, hippo, buffalo, zebra, kudu, impala and had an amazing encounter with the elephants. Bheki Yamkela was our guide, he has excellent knowledge of the park and animals as well as a wicked sense of humour. He is very professional and attentive and made sure we were always safe and comfortable, even when the elephants decided to make leaving the park difficult. We will be booking our next tour with him nd can recommend his services to anyone visiting the area. See more..
4.5 uShaka Wet 'n Wild (380 reviews)
- It was great as ways
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Water Parks

A fun fresh water world of slides and pools, uShaka’s Wet ‘n Wild caters for the adrenaline junkie and those less adventurous! See more..
4.5 Phezulu Safari Park (350 reviews)
- Such a nice place
Nature & Wildlife Areas

I came here on impulse taking an Uber from Durban and I didn’t regret it! It wasn’t very busy on a Saturday, I was able to get a ticket to the nearest game drive which I enjoyed very much. We saw zebra, all kinds of antipopes, giraffes and smaller animals really really close, took great pictures, and the views were fantastic. After the game drive I got a combined ticket for the reptile park and Zulu dancing show. I went to the reptile park first and was told that I’d be welcome to come back again with the same ticket after the Zulu show, which was super nice. The Zulu dance was a staged show but it was quite fun, I felt like it would be even better if they lit a fire and let the viewers dance with them lol. They let me play a Zulu drum after the show which felt amazing. Overall the place felt super friendly and relaxing and has very nice hill views! See more..
4.5 Umgeni River Bird Park (290 reviews)
- Good choice of bird parks
Parks

I emailed the park before hand, and they were quick to answer with the requests that I had. The bird show was very well presented, and interacting with the birds was the highlight. There are a wide variety of birds there, and I even had a friend join us there. The feeding of the lorakeets were an experience and I loved it. Mum got some lovely pictures of the birds too! See more..
4.5 Karkloof Canopy Tour (259 reviews)
- What a great experience!
Nature & Wildlife Tours

Some of the lines are quite daunting, but all of them are exciting and offer amazing views – If you can remember to look while you are zip lining! One of the great sights is a waterfall by the 2nd and 3rd platform – and there is even a pipe connected to it so that you can drink fresh spring water. All three guides, Sibi, Musa and Innocent were great – but Musa really stood out. Not only is he the photographer, but also the joker who took some of the fear out of the high drops and remained patient during nervous times. The set-up at the base station is well organized and make sure you spend some time under the lush trees and beautiful forest. Booking was online and confirmed within minutes. This is an absolute must. See more..
4.5 Shoreline Hippo and Croc Cruises (253 reviews)
- Amazing and well worth the money
Safaris • Boat Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

We went on the 4.30pm tour which stayed out until the sun was coming down and it was absolutely stunning! We seen so many hippos (including babies) and crocs it was unreal, they are absolutely fascinating to watch and the boat is such an enjoyable experience. Lovely staff and refreshments on board so you can get juice and sweets etc for the kids. Very reasonably priced and well worth the money. See more..
4.5 Emdoneni Cheetah project (246 reviews)
- a MUST-DO for cat lovers
Nature & Wildlife Areas

Cat Project with Cheetah, Serval, African Wildcats and Caracals See more..
4.5 Talana Museum (214 reviews)
- Very good museum
Speciality Museums

A quiet and peaceful museum to visit located just outside Dundee KZN. Spread over a 20 acres the museum has exhibits from the coal mining industry, original buildings, as well has artifacts from local families and businesses. A comprehensive history of the area from the 1800's, through the Zulu and Boer wars is very well shown, as well as some of the transport used through the years and lots of original items in the various buildings. The museum has a memorial to Mahatma Ghandi who spent some time in Dundee. The Miners Rest restaurant is an ideal place to relax and have a bite to eat and a drink after, or during your visit. Well worth a visit any day of the week. See more..
4.5 Thompson's Bay Beach (213 reviews)
- Thompsons beach
Beaches

Thompsons Tidal pool is very big and has life savers . There is high rock just across the bay as well worth looking at as it has good history the Zulu worriers used to push there enemies off the rocks . There is a nice beach to tan and swim a bit rocky . See more..
4.5 Wild 5 Adventures (189 reviews)
- wild 40 five birthday
Sunday: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM River Rafting & Tubing • Adrenaline & Extreme Tours • Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks

This is truly an amazing place where nature affords you the opportunity to see her full wondrous glory. This sense of wonderment is soon replaced with palpable fear onece I commited to the largest gorge swing in the world. What better way to enter my 45th year on this planet by doing something new for the first time and escaping the rut of doing grown up stuff. Sometimes in life milestones in your life are started with just 5 seconds of bravery and looking back conquering fear with a leap of faith is something I will always remember. Kudos to the amazing staff that made this possible and helped me reach just that little bit deeper within myself and to gravity that let me defy her for 2.5 amazing seconds.... See more..