If you’re planning a visit to South Africa, for a major sporting event or a sun-soaked holiday, there’s no better time to come! With an extremely beneficial exchange rate, you’ll find South Africa a wonderfully affordable and exciting destination, peopled by a warm and friendly cosmopolitan mix of residents. Durban, the premier City in the Kingdom of the Zulu, KwaZulu-Natal, would like to extend an invitation to sample our glorious year-round weather, unique attractions, entertaining events, stunning beaches and mouth-watering taste treats. Add Team Durban’s unique experiences that we’ve created for you, and you’ll soon come to realise why Durban has come to be known as South Africa’s playground!
All elements of South Africa’s Rainbow Nation are evident in the melting pot that is Durban. Zulu, Indian and colonial cultures combine in a friendly and warm atmosphere, guaranteed to make your stay an occasion to be remembered.
Durban’s subtropical climate ensures sunshine for at least 320 days per year. In Winter, it’s really the only place to be, with temperatures ranging from 16 to 25 degrees Centigrade, our glorious beaches offering tanning weather not experienced in any other part of South Africa. Click here for a comparative table of temperatures and rainfall for 2010 World Cup host cities.
Durban is the gateway to the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which plays host to some of South Africa’s most beautiful wildlife parks. Well worth visiting are KZN’s two World Heritage sites - Isimangaliso (formerly St. Lucia) Wetland Park and the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg National Park. Also on offer are the Midlands Meander and the Zulu/British and British/Boer Battlefields.
Built specifically for FIFA World Cup 2010, the Moses Mabhida Stadium is set to be an iconic feature on the city’s landscape. The recently-completed centre arch is 106 metres high, and incorporates a cable car to afford visitors a breathtaking 360 degree view of the city and Indian Ocean. The Stadium is named after struggle hero Moses Mabhida, who was a dominant figure in South Africa’s trade union movement, the ANC and the CPSA, both inside South Africa and in exile.
Durban has positioned itself as Africa’s sporting and events capital, and plays host to some of South Africa’s truly unique events, among which are the Comrades Marathon, Beach Africa, Indaba (World Travel Show), the July Handicap, the Sardine Run, the ‘Duzi Canoe Marathon, the Durban International Boat Show and many more.
Members of Team Durban have put together several unique experiences to enhance any visitor’s stay - from luxury cruises in the Bay or out to sea, Superbike breakfast runs, meet your hosts at genuine South African braai, Indian and African evenings, International golf days during the World Cup, Arts experiences and much, much more!
Long famous for its miles of sandy, welcoming beaches, Durban has so much more to offer. There’s a huge list of things to do and experience in our outdoor city - eating out, shopping, theatre, jazz, music, nightlife, art, museums, markets, sports, casinos, theme parks etc etc. A plethora of interesting and fascinating experiences will keep the whole family enthralled and entertained, with something for everyone, whatever your interest.
From Salt Rock in the North to Amanzimtoti (Sweet Water) in the South, including the famous “Golden Mile” along Durban’s beachfront, we have some of the cleanest and most welcoming beaches in the country, and some of the best surfing conditions in the world. Further North and South, the KwaZulu-Natal coastline, stretching from the Mozambique border to Port Edward, boasts some of the most pristine beaches to be found anywhere.
The influences of Asian, Zulu, English Colonial and Afrikaans cultures have made Durban a veritable treasure house of architectural styles. We can also boast one of the best selections of Art Deco architecture in any world City.
From the original Khoi/San (Bushmen) inhabitants, through the arrival of the Nguni people, visits by Portuguese and Dutch explorers, colonization by the British Empire and the arrival of indentured Indian labourers to work the sugar cane fields, Durban has a unique history, peopled by remarkable personalities and statesmen such as King Shaka, Matahma Ghandi, John Dube (founder of he ANC), Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and many more.
