Durban

 DURBAN TRAVEL GUIDE

The port and holiday city was founded in 1823 as a small trading settlement and was named after Sir Benjamin D’Urban, the then governor of the Cape. Over the years the city has grown to become the holiday venue of a great many South Africans, especially for those living on the Highveld. As the Indian Ocean coastline has become more and more popular over the years so more and more holiday resorts have been developed along the coast to the North and South of the city. Durban is a vibrant cosmopolitan city that enjoys a pleasant subtropical climate. The seafront is lined with upmarket hotels, discos, action bars and clubs and is known as the Golden Mile.

Durban’s aquarium, Sea World, is acclaimed worldwide and is famous for its dolphin shows. Visit the Indian Market, rich with the heady aroma of spices and curry powders and its thousands of oriental imports. And in Westville take in the Pavilion shopping mall, certainly the best mall on the Indian Ocean coast. Numerous small Nature Reserves surround Durban, some as small as 5 hectares. Other attractions include Horse Racing, International Surf Championships, and once a year there is the Comrades Marathon between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Durban is full of exciting and wonderful things to do, all developed with the holidaymaker in mind. There are numerous flea markets, an ice rink, Funworld, the Art Gallery, rich with treasures gathered together over the years since the first presentation of a painting to the town was made in 1892. The Natal Playhouse presents a wide variety of ballets, plays, opera and cabaret in the five theatres of its complex. Take a trip in a Tuk-Tuk – a motorized covered tricycle ideal for short hops between the beach and the city centre.