The Ultimate Zulu War Tour

This is the ultimate Anglo-Zulu War battlefield tour run by The Cultural Experience who believe in using the best guides available to offer tours that make the past come alive.

 

This is the only fully inclusive battlefield tour that currently offers the opportunity to explore every major site of interest to the 1879 war. It includes visits to the often-neglected coastal sector – Fort Pearson, the site of the Ultimatum Tree, the battles of Nyezane and Gingindlovu and the sites around Eshowe – as well as the northern battlefields of Ntombe Drift, Hlobane and Khambula.  It culminates thereafter in finishing in the central column area after taking the Battle of Blood river and the site of the death of the Prince Imperial en route in the Battles of Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift.  Here there is ample opportunity to explore the entire battle ground, enabling you to get an understanding of the ground and a sense of the picture each commander was receiving.  

Weather and time permitting, it includes a walk across the summit of Hlobane mountain to the site of the famous Devil’s Pass. It includes a visit to spot where the Prince Imperial of France was killed, the battlefield of Ulundi, the partially reconstructed oNdini homestead (for an insight into the lives of the Zulu kings) and the oNdini Museum.

 

The climax of the tour is a stay of several nights at the luxurious Isandlwana Lodge, built into the cliff-face on the iNyoni escarpment, where the rooms look out onto the very battlefield itself. From here we explore the famous battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift in depth, with optional walks to the top of Shiyane hill and along the Fugitives’ Trail. Along the way we visit a number of other sites connected with the broader history of the Zulu kingdom, from the grave of King Shaka to the battlefield of Ncome (Blood River) and the Fort Nongqayi Museum in Eshowe.

At the Shakaland Zulu cultural centre the specialist guides will offer insights into the traditional Zulu lifestyle. Accommodation is in first-rate hotels and lodges and will include a stay in Ithala Game Reserve, one of the most spectacular of the region’s game parks, and all flights, internal transport and meals are included. There is even a chance to dip your toes in the Indian Ocean if you want to!

No other tour includes such a broad range of Zulu history, in such depth, in a single itinerary. The tour is accompanied throughout by a Holts representative, by a registered South African tour guide and by Ian Knight, whose expertise is at your disposal.  The next tour is scheduled for March 2019 - details of the itinerary and costs can be found here.

For an impression of previous tours, please  go to the day by day links below