Travel to Battlefields

intelligent and inspirational battlefield tours

Although this large area of northcentral KwaZulu Natal has quite a lot to recommend for itself scenically, it’s the turbulent history of the place which tends to preoccupy the minds of most visitors.

A handful of top lodges in the area offer really intelligent, inspirational and eye-opening tours, bringing to life both the battlefield history and the Zulu culture.

Isandlwana

In 1879 a mighty Zulu army inflicted a notable defeat on the British invaders at the famous battle of Isandlwana, an event which was almost immediately followed by the heroic British defence of Rorke’s Drift, immortalised in the famous blockbuster movie ‘Zulu’ (which is still very much worth watching).

The best lodges in this area are the long-established Fugitives Drift Lodge and Fugitives Guest House, established by renowned historian David Rattray.

Spioenkop

A little further west, towards the Drakensberg Mountains, in 1900 the Boers inflicted an even bigger defeat on the British. The hill upon which the battle was fought was called Spioenkop, the origin of the name of the famous stand at Anfield, the stadium of Liverpool FC.
In this area the stand-out accommodation option is Three Tree Hill.

Nambiti Reserve

A little further north lies the 220 square kilometre in Nambiti Reserve, a relatively modest but very well priced safari area, which contains several accommodation options. However, very few of our guests tend to include this area in trips, since they are visiting higher rated safari areas elsewhere in their trip.