South Africa holidays offer a rich bounty of choices that will fill your schedule with activities, whatever your interests may be. With the natural, cultural and historical wonders packing the country from end to end, the temptation can be strong to be rushing about, making the most of all the Rainbow Nation has to offer.
One place, however, calls for you to stop and rest awhile: the Midlands in KwaZulu Natal. It is an idyllic spot lying between the coast and the mountains, filled with grassy expanses and rolling woodland hills, where stretches of farmland, quaint towns and picturesque scenery combine with fresh mountain air. It's just the perfect place to spend leisurely days exploring on your South Africa holidays.
The Art of Nature
Green pastures, hills and forests with sparkling mountain rivers and streams dot the area, and you can spend lazy afternoons on your South Africa holidays fishing or just drinking in the peaceful scenery. A number of game reserves are also in the area, where you can enjoy nature's creativity in the huge variety of colourful birds, rare butterflies and other animals - as well as the ferns and other flora that abound in the area.
The Art of Man
Caves in the foothills of the Drakenberg Mountains exhibit man's timeless desire to create, and here is where you will find splendid examples of rock art from the bushmen of yesteryear, who inhabited the area until around one hundred years ago. Explore the Main Caves in the Giant's Castle Game Reserve on this leg of your South Africa holidays, and be amazed at the more than 500 rock paintings in one spot. The Midlands is also home to the Zulu, and a visit to one of the many cultural Zulu villages can offer insights in to the history and way of life of one of South Africa's largest ethnic groups.
Where to Go And What To Do
The Valley of A Thousand Hills is the scenic gateway to the magical Midlands, lying between coastal Durban and Pietermaritzburg, the provincial capital. Here you will find green suburbs where you can spend time on your South Africa holidays taking leisurely walks browsing through crafts, curios and collectibles. There are also higher end shopping centres in Hillcrest, Botha's Hill and Westville.
The Midlands Meander is the famed 80-kilometre route between Pietermaritzburg and the Mooi River, where weavers, cheese makers, potters, woodcraftsmen, leather workers, metalworkers, beer brewers and artisans of all persuasions join forces to create the biggest arts and crafts attraction on South Africa holidays.
Bed and breakfasts, inns, restaurants, galleries, crafts studios, churches, cheese dairies and more, along with the charming countryside atmosphere, make it a delightful shopping and browsing trip where you can pick up wonderful souvenirs of your South Africa holidays.
Pietermaritzburg, the second-largest city in KwaZulu-Natal, is renowned to be one of the best-preserved Victorian cities in the world. A walk through the city will definitely leave a distinct impression of country's colonial heritage, making visitors feel as if they were in Victorian London, instead of on South Africa holidays. Don't miss the National Botanic Gardens in the city, where majestic trees, ferns and azaleas make for an explosion of joyful colour.
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