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KwaZulu-Natal. Always More - Wozani

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Scenic Midlands view near Karkloof

The Victorian splendour of Pietermaritzburg, is evidenced in the stately nature of the red brick buildings of the province's twin capital. The city itself offers many activities at a leisurely pace, along with a wealth of historical, cultural and natural attractions.

Rawdons Hotel, one of the many cosy country Inns to be found in the Midlands.

Beyond Pietermaritzburg lie the gently rolling and richly forested hills of the mist belt plateau, home to numerous stately country guest houses seemingly of another era. Arguably the most popular area in the province for arts and specialised crafts, the area just beyond Pietermaritzburg, from Howick to Mooi River and surrounds, has been developed into the well known Midlands Meander. This is a self-drive tourist route which takes in an enormous number and variety of art and craft studios, specialist restaurants and tea gardens, and even accommodation establishments. Furniture-making studios, potters working in porcelain, terra cotta and stoneware, flower and herb farms, cheese-making, decoupage, jewellers, and even antique shops are amongst the delights of this tourist trail. Rest stops in between offer anything from the traditional English tea and scones, to five course meals, and a host of traditional foods. One such stop is at the spectacular Howick Falls where the Umgeni River plunges over a drop of about 100 meters.

Aside from the Midlands’ popularity as an arts centre, it also offers a great deal for the more energetic. Within the region, Pietermaritzburg is alternately the start and finish of the Comrades road-running ultra Marathon, the Duzi canoe marathon starts near the city, and the annual Midmar Mile swimming event occurs at the nearby Midmar Dam. Each of these events draws thousands of participants and even more spectators, but the Comrades Marathon, with over 30 000 participants in the 1997 race, is surely the largest.

Battlefields - Zululand - Maputaland
East Griqualand - Drakensberg - Midlands
South Coast - Durban Metro - North /Dolphin Coast

USEFUL LINKS:
The Midlands Meander
Eshayamoya Country

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KwaZulu-Natal. Always More - Wozani

www.tourism-kzn.org - the official web site of the KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority

EMail: info@tourism-kzn.org. Telephone: (+27 31) 304 7144. Fax: (+27 31) 305 6693

Postal Address: KZNTA, P.O. Box 2516, Durban 4000, South Africa

Street Address: 303 Tourist Junction, 160 Pine Street, Durban 4001, South Africa

  For general information on tourism in South Africa, visit southafrica.net