Activities:
There are a number of popular beaches and the
Golden Mile, which extends from Rutherford Street to Playfair
Road at North Beach, boasts theme parks, nightspots, entertainment
centres and pavilions. Attractions include
Waterworld with
its landscaped gardens, swimming pools and chutes,
Funworld
which has a variety of rides for both adults and children and
Mini Town which displays replicas of local landmark buildings
and is adjacent to the
Fitzsimmons Snake Park. To the south
is the very popular
uShaka Marine World which features dolphins, sharks and
stingrays, seals, penguins and a varied selection of marine life
including colourful corals and anemones. The
Natal Sharks Board is the only shark research centre worldwide
and is well worth a visit. Educational material including a shark
dissection is presented and replicas of various species are on
display.
Durban Ice offers various extravaganzas during the holiday
season and there is a paint ball arena on Tara Road as well as
bowling alleys at the Pavilion and
Gateway. The latter also offers an amusement arcade, go-carts,
mini-golf and a science centre. Hiking trails are available at many
of the nearby parks and nature reserves and helicopter flips over
the city, various boat cruises and a trip with the
Umgeni Steam Railway ensure that visitors don't get bored.
Numerous tours are also available, including an eleven-day
itinerary which offers game reserve accommodations and visits to
the battlefields at Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift as well as the
annual
Zulu Kings Reed Dance at Nongoma in the heart of
Zululand.
The
Jumma Musjid, which is sometimes called the Grey Street Mosque
and dates from the 1880’s, is the largest mosque in the southern
hemisphere. Durban also has a number of Hindu temples and a visit
to the
Hare Krishna Temple at Chatsworth is recommended. The
Mariannhill Monastery just outside Durban was built in 1882
by Trappist monks and boasts carved wooden interiors, frescoes and
sculptures. It is also home to St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
A wide variety of ballet, theatre, opera and orchestral music shows
are regularly presented and there are plenty of galleries,
exhibition centres and museums such as the
Killie Campbell
Museum which is located at the original home of Sir Marshall
Campbell in Muckleneuk and includes an Africana library, a
selection of Zulu crafts and period furniture. Both the
Natural Science Museum, which features exhibits on wildlife and
natural history, and the
Kwa-Muhle Museum which is dedicated
to 20th-century African urban life, are also noteworthy.
A collection of Indian jewellery, icons and costumes can be viewed
at the
Cultural and Documentation Centre and exhibits
include a photographic display relating to the two decades Mahatma
Gandhi lived in South Africa from 1893. Other places of particular
interest include:
* Warriors’ Gate
* Port Natal Maritime Museum
* Elizabeth Sneddon Theater
* Alayam Hindu Temple
* Emanuel Cathedral
Shopping:
Gateway Theatre of Shopping is the largest shopping complex in
South Africa and one of the largest in the southern hemisphere.
Facilities include the
Barnyard Theatre and the
Wave House which features a skate park, artificial waves and
live entertainment. Other places of interest to shoppers include
the Workshop with Victorian-style barrow stalls, the
Pavilion and the Musgrave Centre. There is also the Wheel,
which is a large shopping and entertainment complex with speciality
shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants and the
Victoria Street Market which is a great place to haggle for
bargains and features numerous spice stalls as well as meat, fish
and fresh produce markets. A variety of flea markets can be found
along the beach-front and at the Durban Exhibition Centre.
Dining & Nightlife:
For an unusual dining experience book aboard the
Allen Gardiner and enjoy a cruise of Durban Harbour whilst
dining. Other popular options are
The Cargo Hold Restaurant and the
Roma
Revolving Restaurant. Morningside is also particularly
well-known for its dining options and includes venues such as the
Quarters Brasserie and the eclectic
Bean Bag Bohemia.
There are many nightclubs, discos, dinner-dance and cabaret venues
throughout Durban. Options include favourites such as the
Casablanca, China White and
Joe
Cool's, as well as Blue Bottles at the Point Waterfront. A
popular choice is the
Suncoast Casino, which also houses the
Cafe Vacca Matta theme bar.
Art & Culture:
A notable collection of local art is displayed at the African Art
Centre which is housed in the
Old Station Building. This is also home to the KZN tourist
information bureau and the starting point of various walkabouts,
including an Oriental walkabout and an architectural tour to view
historically significant buildings. Sunday afternoon Jazz recitals
are presented at the
City
Hall and tours of the building, which houses a library as well
as the Natural History Museum and Art Gallery, are available and
offer visitors the chance to enjoy its 1910 architecture. Various
Art Deco buildings such as the Colonial Mutual Building and Adams
Building are located in West Street, which is also the main
commercial street where many African crafts are sold by street
vendors. Nearby Smith Street boasts Hollywood Court, which was the
highest building in Durban when it was completed in 1939.
Adjacent to the
Hilton
Hotel you will find the
Durban
International Conference Centre and the Durban Exhibition
Centre, which is one of the largest in South Africa and offers a
venue for various shows, sports events and annual festivities. The
Durban International Film Festival (July) and a
Contemporary Dance Festival are only some of the highlights
on a full calendar of events. The
Playhouse offers lunchtime concerts, exhibitions and a variety
of theatrical performances. The
BAT Centre (Bartle Arts Trust) is located near the
Maritime
Museum and provides studios for artists, sculptors and
musicians. Evening theatrical productions are presented and
facilities include shops, galleries and a bar which overlooks the
harbour. The nearby
Wilson's Wharf also houses the
Catalina Theatre and is the starting point for
NSB boat tours.
Sport:
The
Mr Price Pro surfing championship is part of the annual Durban
Beach Africa Festival which is held along the
Golden Mile in July and includes activities such as jet skiing,
body-boarding, volleyball and night surfing events. Indoor
board-sport can be found at the
Wave House and other options include cricket at
Kingsmead, rugby at King’s Park, various squash courts, fitness
studios, hang-gliding and
skydiving for adrenalin junkies. There is also racing at
Greyville and the
July Handicap is an annual highlight on the social calendar.
Golf enthusiasts will enjoy the
Durban Country Club or
Royal Durban Golf Club.
Nature:
The
Umgeni River Bird Park is highly rated and boasts roughly 300
exotic and local species in a setting which features gigantic
walk-through aviaries and waterfalls. There is also a small zoo at
Mitchell Park and both the
Botanic Gardens which were founded in 1849 and the Japanese
Gardens with its pagodas and wooden bridges are of particular
interest.
A selection of small reserves and conservation areas such as the
Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve which protects a number
of estuarine species, the
Bluff Nature Reserve with its many pathways and hides for
bird-watching enthusiasts and the
Silverglen Nature Reserve with its angling and sailing options,
ensure that visitors can relax in natural surroundings.
The
Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Trail is a hour-and-a-half trail
with picnic sites and offers visitors the opportunity to explore
dunes, swamps and forest and to view the remnants of an early Iron
Age midden circa AD 600. A 25-minute drive from Durban leads to the
Shongweni Resource Reserve, which offers game drives to view
the buffalo, buck, wildebeest and more than 200 species of birds.
This Natural Heritage Site includes picnic options, 15km of hiking
trails and a dam for fishing and canoeing.