Kwazulu Natal - 5* Bush & Beach Experience - Valid until 14 Dec.22

Durban

Durban is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and beaches.

It is thought that the first known inhabitants of the Durban area arrived from the north around 100,000 BC, according to carbon dating of rock art found in caves in the Drakensberg. These people were living in the central plains of KwaZulu-Natal until the expansion of Bantu people from the north sometime during the last millennium. Little is known of the history of the first residents, as there is no written history of the area before it was first mentioned by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who came to the KwaZulu-Natal coast while searching for a route from Europe to India. He landed on the KwaZulu-Natal coast on Christmas in 1497, and thus named the area "Natal", or Christmas in Portuguese.

Duban is characterised by a mild sub-tropical climate with warm wet summers and mild moist to dry winters. Frost does not occur in the city, however due to large altitudinal variations, some western suburbs can get very chilly in the winter.

Surfing is a popular pastime in Durban and the beaches along the coastline offer some excellent breaks to suit beginners and the most experienced. The beaches off Durban are world renowned for their breaks and are easy to find but can get very crowded on weekends.

Durban nightlife is vibrant and diverse. A number of bars and clubs play a variety of music from charty and cheesy to jazzy and funky. Eating out in Durban can be bewildering, as there are so many restaurants to choose from. Indian cuisine is a Durban speciality reflecting the influence of the large Indian community here - Indian takeaways are a cheap way to fill up if you’re on a budget.