Welcome to the Wonderful World of the KwaZulu Natal Battlefields Route

With 82 battlefields, museums, old fortifications and places of remembrance the Route boasts the largest concentration of significant Battles and war related sites than anywhere in South Africa.

But that is not all! within this same area, or close by, are some of the best game parks and conservancies in the country where you can see the Big Five, fantastic bird viewing areas, the magnificent mountains of the Ukahlamba/Drakensberg Heritage Park, numerous adventure sports sites and of course Zulu Culture and Heritage sites.

So when you plan your holiday in South Africa look first at what the Battlefields Route of KwaZulu Natal has to offer.

Advice on Visiting the Battlefields

For maximum pleasure and understanding visiting the Battlefields should not be done in an haphazard manner, but rather one should choose an era, war or campaign and then select the sites you want to visit. To assist you in this respect we have divided the route into the various eras and wars and listed the sites accordingly.

Whether you choose to use the services of a specialist guide, and for maximum enjoyment we always advise you to do so, or whether you are guiding yourself, it is always advisable to read up a little on the sites and war before making your visit. For this reason you will find reference to various books and authors that are specialists in their field. We also recommend that you have a good road map in your vehicle at all times.

The contents of this site are not intended as a source of historical reference but merely to provide the visitor to the region with some background knowledge of the events that took place and what they can expect to find on the site.

Most visitors drive to accommodation near the sites they wish to visit and then either drive themselves to the sites they want to see or organise with a Guide to go with them to the sites. However if they do not want to use their own car, they can engage a guide who will take them. There are also guides who will collect from points like Durban and Johannesburg and take clients to the sites requested by their clients.

It should be noted that there is a fair amount of travelling on gravel roads, but those to all the major sites are generally passable for your average car except at the height of the rainy season in January and February when you need to check the condition before hand.