Umhlanga Rocks

Umhlanga is a bustling residential and resort town situated about 16 km north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. In the 1970s the suburb of La Lucia was incorporated into what was then a holiday resort called Umhlanga Rocks and then subsequent to the 1994 elections the Durban Metropolitan Municipalty was formed and Umhlanga was incorporated.

The town is now an up-market residential area and a very popular holiday destination. It’s not difficult to understand why it is so popular – magnificent beaches, numerous attractions, luxury hotels, lodges, chalets and holiday apartments line the beach front and Umhlanga Ridge, overlooking the town and with beautiful views of the Indian Ocean, has been fully developed. The two iconic five-star hotels in the town, the Beverley Hills and the Oyster Box, have an interesting history the former being the first of the well known Sol Kerzner’s developments and the latter dating back to the 1930s.

The King Shaka International Airport, recently moved to La Mercy on the North Coast, has further fueled the town’s popularity and development proceeds apace. One of the biggest shopping malls in South Africa, Gateway, is located here so every possible shopping need is therefore taken care of. Apart from excellent shopping, the mall has a huge cinema complex and numerous restaurants and entertainment facilities including a sports arena, an artificial wave for surfers, a fun-fair, a Barnyard Theatre, a rock climbing facility, the Expo Xplore Zone (the highest climbing wall in the world), a go-karting track and a skate-boarding park.

If you need some added doses of excitement pay a visit to the Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom a short drive north towards Umdloti. After you’ve beaten the roulette and blackjack tables (hopefully) experience the explosive party atmosphere of the Krakatoa Bar or book to see a show at the iZulu Theatre.

Need to relax in the sun? The endless golden beaches stretch for 200 km all the way to the Isimangaliso Wetland Park. This coastline enjoys a warm sub-tropical climate and Indian Ocean surf. Winter temperatures seldom go below 23 degrees C and in summer 30 degrees and relatively high humidity is the norm. There are a number of excellent surfing spots along the coast within easy driving distance.

For nature lovers a three hour drive on the N2 highway to the north will take you to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve and further north to Mkuzi, Tembe Elephant Park and Ndumo. The North Coast is one of the few areas of South Africa where you can visit Big 5 game reserves and then within close proximity do some scuba diving and deep sea fishing. The World Heritage site of the Isimangaliso (Greater St. Lucia) Wetland Park is less than 250 km from Umhlanga.

More on what to do in Umhlanga

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