KwaZulu-Natal incentive highlights

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KwaZulu-Natal has so much to offer the incentive traveller and is an ideal destination for incentive planners. Here are some KwaZulu-Natal incentive ideas...

The KwaZulu-Natal coastline is known for its exceptional beaches. Whether you are in Durban or heading along the North or South Coasts, there are excellent swimming beaches.

Durban itself has numerous swimming and surfing beaches to choose from including North Beach, South Beach, Addington Beach and Anstey's Beach. If you head up to the North Coast you'll find the family-friendly beaches of Umhlanga, Umdloti, Ballito and Salt Rock.

The South Coast is renowned for its pristine beaches, and there are a number of Blue Flag beaches on offer including: Margate Beach, Marina/San Lameer Beach, Ramsgate Beach, Trafalgar Beach and Alkantstrand Beach in Richard's Bay.

KwaZulu-Natal's subtropical Elephant Coast stretches from Lake St Lucia in the south to Kosi Bay in the north. It is an extraordinary untamed area known for its incredible variety of habitats and ecosystems and for offering an unforgettable blend of adventure, unspoilt scenery and unique experiences.

Named after the country's largest herd of indigenous African elephants that have lived in sand forests in this region for centuries, the Elephant Coast includes the renowned Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, the oldest game park in Africa and the place where the white rhinoceros was brought back from the edge of extinction.

The Elephant Coast also features the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, known as one of the jewel of South Africa's coastline and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you will find the highest sand dunes in the world, beaches, coral reefs, wetlands, mangrove swamps, lakes, woodlands, coastal forests and grasslands. This is the site of one of the world's great turtle hatcheries and is also a scuba diver's paradise.

Getaways to this coastline are rich in adventure. If you're not game viewing, bird watching, scuba diving, game fishing, snorkeling, hiking or on a horse trail, then you're surely out on a boat to see dolphins and humpback whales, or watching turtles lay eggs on the beach.

Walk in the footsteps of the great warriors and military strategists of our time with a visit to the KwaZulu-Natal battlefields. Here the legends of Winston Churchill, Shaka, Cetshwayo and General Louis Botha live on. Revisit the famous battles of Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift, Spioenkop and Blood River as you absorb South Africa's turbulent past. The KwaZulu-Natal hinterland has witnessed some of the most fierce and significant battles to be fought in South Africa and you can explore this history by following the Battlefields Route through 14 historical towns whose surrounding areas boast the largest concentration of battlefields in the country.

For outdoor adventure and in-your-face scenic beauty, the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is unbeatable. The Zulus named this mountain range ‘The Barrier of Spears', while the Voortrekkers referred to it as the ‘Dragon Mountains'. The range includes Giant's Castle, Cathedral Peak, Devil's Tooth and many other dramatic expressions of basalt and sandstone. This park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and biodiversity hot spot. It is home to leopards, antelope, over 2 000 plant species, 299 bird species (including the Verreaux's eagle and the protected bearded vulture) and a gallery of indigenous San rock art.

The Drakensberg Mountains are just 2 hours' drive from Durban, and 3.5 hours from Johannesburg. For outdoor adventure, the Drakensberg is unbeatable. There are innumerable hiking trails that range in skill and fitness requirements throughout the entire Drakensberg. There are also horse trails, canopy tours, white water rafting, abseiling, team challenges and much more.

If you love country life, enjoy great food and wine and have a thing for arts and crafts, then KwaZulu-Natal's Midlands Meander is a great region for further exploration. This route incorporates wonderful restaurants, cosy guest houses, bed and breakfasts, a wealth of arts and crafts, galleries and studios. You'll also find some wonderful adventure-tourism activities in the area - and along Nottingham Road you'll even find a local beer brewery.