Zululand

The Zululand region abounds with wildlife in famous, extensive reserves within easy reach of Durban. For many travellers to South Africa Zululand is the first and often the only taste they get of the real Africa. The region is dominated by one tribal group, the Zulu, and a place replete with their customs, historical traditions and culture.

The largest of these is the reserves in Zululand is the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Reserve where the white rhinoceros was rescued from extinction. A great thing to do to get the feel of the reserve is a night drive within the reserve with skilled rangers who point out sights of nocturnal animals going about their business in the darkness. Visitors can also go for game walks in the reserve accompanied by experienced, armed rangers and have the opportunity of coming to within a few paces of rhinos, giraffe, buffalo, elephant and a range of other African animals.

Much of Zululand is a mass of attractive rolling hills. The climate becomes steadily hotter as you go north and summers are steamy and almost tropical. Although few white South Africans live here, there are several major holiday centres, especially in the St Lucia area. The humid coastal air causes frequent dense mists on the inland hills, with visibility cut to a few metres. In the sugar areas slow-moving vehicles are common.

Zululand is situated on the east coast of South Africa and is home to the mighty amaZulu people. Explore this kaleidoscope of experiences and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime. It is a haven for the tourist who wants a holiday with a difference.

The eastern plateau region (including Johannesburg) has a dry, sunny climate in winter with maximum temperatures around 20ºC and crisp nights with temperatures dropping to around 5ºC. Between October and April there are late-afternoon showers often accompanied by spectacular thunder and lightning, but it rarely gets unpleasantly hot. Heavy hailstorms cause quite a lot of damage each year. It can, however, get very hot in the Karoo (the semi-desert heart of all three Cape provinces) and the far north (the Kalahari). The Western Cape has dry sunny summers with maximum temperatures around 26ºC. It is often windy, however, and the southeasterly 'Cape Doctor' can reach gale force. Winters can get cold, with average minimum temperatures of around 5ºC, and maximum temperatures of around 17'C, with occasional snow on the higher peaks.
The coast north from the Cape becomes progressively drier and hotter. Along the
south coast the weather is temperate, but the east coast becomes increasingly tropical the further north you go. The Transkei region and KwaZulu/Natal can be hot and unpleasantly humid in summer, although the highlands are still pleasant; this is also a summer rainfall area. The Mpumalanga and Northern Province lowveld get very hot in summer, when there are spectacular storms. In winter the days are sunny and warm.