Six days on the Umzumbe River Trail contrast with a one- to one-and-a-half-hour guided tour of the KwaXolo Caves Adventures. The two experiences therefore differ considerably in the time they require: one is a multi-day hiking route, the other a guided cave visit. Umzumbe Beach also offers a range of beach activities. For your trip to Ugu, you can first decide whether you would like to set aside more time for hiking, cave art or beach activities.
Hiking and staying overnight on the Umzumbe River Trail
The Umzumbe River Trail is a 71-kilometre, six-day hiking route through savannah-covered hills. Highlights along the way include impressive views and river crossings. The trail starts at Phungashe Dam in Umzumbe and ends at Sea Park Beach in Ray Nkonyeni.
Overnight stays in authentic homestays are part of the route, where you can experience the traditional culture of the six Zulu clans: eNhlangwini, eMabheleni, KwaCele, kwaNdelu, kwaQwabe and KwaMadlala. If you choose the trail, check homestay availability in advance.
Activities at Umzumbe Beach
At Umzumbe Beach, you can go birdwatching, fishing, swimming and sunbathing. Surfing, snorkelling, diving, hiking, yoga and beach walks are also possible. The options range from observing and relaxing to water activities and exercise on land. Umzumbe Beach is a Blue Flag beach; as the award is time-dependent, check its status for the current award year.
Kwa Nzimakwe 4x4 Experience
The Kwa Nzimakwe 4x4 Experience is one of the attractions in Ray Nkonyeni Municipality.
KwaXolo Caves: rock art and guided access
The KwaXolo Caves preserve San cave paintings that are over 100,000 years old. Access is via a via ferrata system with safety equipment and a five-minute hike with trained and registered guides. Tours of the KwaXolo Caves Adventures last between one and one and a half hours. The cave paintings give the visit a cultural and historical focus.
In the wider destination of KwaZulu-Natal
The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is designated an Important Bird Area. The Maloti-Drakensberg Park contains an estimated 690 rock art sites; its rock art forms the largest and most concentrated group of rock paintings in southern Africa south of the Sahara. The park provides an important refuge for more than 250 endemic plant species.
KwaZulu-Natal’s Zulu, Indian and colonial heritage is reflected in its historical and cultural walking trails. The historic part of the Phoenix Settlement is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s final decade in South Africa and his development of Satyagraha. The annual Sardine Run takes place along the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast; timing and sightings vary from year to year.
The serial World Heritage Site “The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa” includes, among others, Sibhudu Cave in KwaZulu-Natal; the site preserves exceptionally well-stratified and dated sedimentary records of early human life dating from approximately 162,000 to 38,000 years ago.
Discover more destinations: Scottburgh, Pennington, Margate, Hibberdene, Umzumbe, Harding, Nkwali, Braemar.
For the wider travel overview: Kwazulu-Natal.
