Upon arrival at Durban International Airport (King Shaka International) you will collect your rental car and make your way to The Oyster Box Hotel located in Umhlanga Rocks, a mere 20 minute drive from the airport. Over the next couple of days you can unwind and enjoy the incredible facilities at the hotel as well as the endless sandy beaches on your doorstep.
Umhlanga Promenade, a 3km long paved walkway which winds along the beautiful beaches, is located right in front of the hotel
The next leg of your adventure takes you on a 2 1/2 hour drive through the rolling green hills of the Midlands (the heart of KZN) onto the Central Drakensberg. The landscape is dotted with farmlands and charming little towns with wonderful arts and crafts. Download the Midlands Meander Guide to plot your route and places of interest. Not to be missed is the Nelson Mandela Capture Site with its cool optical illusion sculpture of South Africa's first black president.
The Cleopatra Mountain Hotel will be your home for the next 3 days where you will be surrounded by spectacular natural beauty and you can immerse yourself in a host of thrilling outdoor activities. For food lovers this will be a real treat!
Today your 2 hour drive will take you up north to the historically famous Natal Battlefields. Three Tree Hill is set against the magnificent backdrop of the Drakensberg Mountains and overlooking the secluded Mfazimnyama Valley of the Spioenkop Game Reserve. This intimate lodge offers the perfect location to base yourself for exploring the major Anglo-Boer War Battlefields in KwaZulu Natal (Battles of Spionkop and Colenso), the Northern Drakensberg Mountains (world heritage site), and within easy (2hrs) reach of the Anglo-Zulu War Battlefields (Battles of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift).
At the lodge you can enjoy guided nature walks, mountain biking and guided horse riding trails. At the nearby Spionkop Game Reserve, you can go for game walks. Bushman Rock Art visits, Authentic village tours and hot air ballooning can all be arranged.
Unwind, marvel at your stunning surrounds and immerse yourself in history, culture and nature.
After breakfast you will check out of your accommodation and make your way to your next and final destination - Thula Thula Elephant Lodge located in the Thula Thula Game Reserve. The drive should take approximately 4 1/2 hours. Here you will be treated to twice daily game drives and bush walks by highly knowledgable game rangers, and a chance to observe elephant, rhino, buffalo, hippo, leopard and a spectacular variety of indigenous species, great and small. It is also home of the matriarch Nana and the special herd of elephants made famous in the best-selling book "The Elephant Whisperer" by Lawrence Anthony.
Extra activities include therapeutic massages, a visit to a rural local village to meet with the Shangaan, a boat cruise on St Lucia Esturary to view hippo and crocodiles or French cuisine cooking classes.
Today you will self-drive 1 hour to Richards Bay Airport, where you will return your rental car and board your domestic flight to Johannesburg.
