"Welcome to ..." a Province of KwaZulu-Natal Travel Page by MikeAtSea

Washed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) with its subtropical coastline, sweeping savannah in the east and magnificent Drakensberg mountain range in the west, generously caters for just about every taste imaginable.

Known as the Kingdom of the Zulu, KwaZulu-Natal is a melting pot of African, European and Indian cultures. This province boasts two World Heritage Sites – the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park. KZN offers fantastic beaches, sunny weather, game parks, rolling green hills, numerous sugar cane plantations and relics of the great battles in South African history.

Traditionally, a popular holiday destination for holiday-makers from other provinces flocking to its sandy shores and wonderful surf, KwaZulu-Natal is South Africa’s busiest local holiday destination.

Overview
KwaZulu-Natal forms South Africa’s east coast, stretching from Port Edward in the south, to the Mozambique boundary, in the north.From its early days, the province has been the scene of many fierce battles - being the bone of contention between the Zulus and the Voortrekkers; the British Empire and Boer settlers (Anglo-Boer War); the Zulus and the British Empire. KwaZulu-Natal has the largest population in the country with some nine million people living on 92 100 km2 of land. Seventy-five per cent of its inhabitants are black, mainly Zulu-speakers. Some 15 per cent of the population are Indian, while white people make up the remainder.

The KwaZulu coast has one of the greatest harbours on the African continent, Durban, which geographically divides the North and South Coasts. Visitors to KwaZulu-Natal can either disembark at Durban International Airport or the Durban harbour, or make use of the extensive national road network.

KwaZulu-Natal is known to be a province that experiences eternal summer, although temperatures do differ from region to region. This province has a tropical climate and rainfall is generous during the summer months. During the Christmas holiday season, it can get extremely hot and humid along the coastline, although temperatures are milder as one moves inland.

Durban enjoys an average temperature of around 27 degrees C (81 degrees F) during the month of January, and a daily maximum of roughly 22 degrees C during July.