Explore · KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
The Valley of a Thousand Hills, the Drakensberg and the Indian Ocean.
Crestholme looks out over Inanda Dam and the Valley of a Thousand Hills, half an hour above Durban and its beaches. It is a good base for two very different things: the birds, gardens and reserves right on the doorstep, and the bigger journeys — the Drakensberg escarpment, the battlefields, the game reserves of Zululand and the coast.
The outlook
A thousand ridges folding away to the horizon with the dam below, best at sunrise and again when the afternoon thunderstorms build over the valley.
On the doorstep
Inanda Dam
Below the houseWater below the ridge for fishing, boating and long views from the shore road.
Birding in the valley
At the houseThe gardens run into indigenous bush — hornbills, sunbirds, louries and raptors over the ridge. Bring binoculars.
Krantzkloof Nature Reserve
20 minutesGorge walks, waterfalls and cliff viewpoints in Kloof, with real forest inside the suburbs.
1000 Hills Craft Market and Umgeni Steam Railway
15–25 minutesCraft stalls, tea and, on scheduled Sundays, a steam train down the Inchanga valley.
Durban and the coast
Durban beachfront
40 minutesWarm Indian Ocean swimming, the promenade, uShaka Marine World and the harbour.
Umhlanga and the north coast
45 minutesThe lighthouse, the lagoon boardwalk and quieter beaches running north to Ballito.
Durban food
Bunny chow, curry and the spice market on Warwick Avenue — the city's real character.
Whale and dolphin season
Humpbacks pass offshore from roughly June to November; bottlenose dolphins year-round.
Wildlife
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
2.5 hoursThe oldest proclaimed reserve in Africa and the place white rhino were saved. Big five, hilly and beautiful.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
3 hoursA World Heritage coastline of lake, dune forest, hippo, turtles and empty beach at St Lucia.
Tala and Nambiti
1–2 hoursCloser private reserves for a day or an overnight if Zululand is too far.
History
Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift
3 hoursThe 1879 Anglo-Zulu War battlefields, still bare hillside and cairns. Worth taking a guide.
Inanda heritage route
30 minutesOhlange Institute, the Phoenix Settlement where Gandhi lived, and Ekuphakameni — all just across the valley.
Pietermaritzburg
50 minutesVictorian brick, museums and the railway station where Gandhi was thrown off the train.
Where to eat
Curry and bunny chow in Durban, view-terraces and country kitchens up on the ridge.
The Pot & Kettle, Botha's Hill
15 minutesA long-running country kitchen on Old Main Road with a terrace over the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Breakfast and lunch.
Millflour Café & Baking Co, Hillcrest
20 minutesBakery-café with outdoor tables and big views — the easy breakfast or coffee stop.
Lupa Osteria, Hillcrest
20 minutesItalian cooking and wood-fired pizza, the standard local dinner out.
The Hussar Grill, Kloof
20 minutesSteak done properly, for the night nobody wants to decide.
1000 Hills Chefs School, Hillcrest
20 minutesThe training-school restaurant — ambitious cooking at gentle prices. Book, and check opening days.
Durban curry and bunny chow
40 minutesWorth the drive down: the city's Indian kitchens and the Warwick spice market are the real Durban meal.
Mountains and Midlands
Drakensberg
2.5–3 hoursThe escarpment at Champagne Valley, Giant's Castle and the Amphitheatre — the finest walking in the country, plus San rock art at Kamberg and Didima.
Midlands Meander
1–1.5 hoursStudios, cheese, trout, gardens and Howick Falls on the road towards the mountains.
Karkloof and Umgeni Valley
1 hourCanopy tours, waterfalls and a large bird hide reserve near Howick.
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