You can explore Uthungulu through specific historical points of reference. The Ndlela kaSompisi site, the graves of King Cetshwayo and Queen Nandi, and places along the R66 offer different starting points for a cultural trip. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, it helps to first decide which of these connections matters most to you. This way, you can begin planning around the themes that genuinely interest you.

Historic Sites in Focus

The Ndlela kaSompisi site was associated with Ndlela kaSompisi, an important general to Zulu kings Shaka and Dingane. Another historical connection is to King Cetshwayo: his grave is in the Mome area near Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal. Cetshwayo died in Eshowe and was buried on 10 April 1884 in the valley below Nkandla Forest, near Luhungu Shezi’s home. His place of death and burial place should be clearly distinguished. The connection between a precisely named place, date and personal history gives this story a specific temporal and geographical context. Queen Nandi’s grave is outside Eshowe, on the old road to Empangeni. When planning your trip, you can consider these connections separately: the association with Ndlela kaSompisi, Cetshwayo’s places of death and burial, and the location of Nandi’s grave.

Places along the R66 include Ongoye Forest Reserve and Fort Nongqayi. They add two more named destinations to the historical sites. When organizing your plans, you can start with the historical figures or with the question of which places along the R66 interest you.

KwaZulu-Natal: More Regional Themes

In the wider destination of KwaZulu-Natal, landscapes and nature complement the historical themes of this local destination. uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is designated an Important Bird Area. Maloti-Drakensberg Park contains an estimated 690 rock art sites; its rock art forms the largest and most concentrated group of rock paintings in sub-Saharan Africa. The park also provides an important refuge for more than 250 endemic plant species. In the wider regional context, its designation as an Important Bird Area, its rock art and its endemic plants are all part of the picture.

The archaeological and more recent history of the wider destination can also be considered separately from the local burial sites. The serial World Heritage Site “The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa” includes Sibhudu Cave as one of its sites in KwaZulu-Natal. It preserves exceptionally well-stratified and dated sediment records of early human life from approximately 162,000 to 38,000 years before present. The historic part of the Phoenix Settlement is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s final decade in South Africa and his development of Satyagraha. This adds distinct themes of early human history and Gandhi’s biography to the broader picture of KwaZulu-Natal.

Discover more destinations: Mtunzini, Kwambonambi, Van Reenen, Eshowe, Emangusi, Nomcondo, St Lucia Park, Elgin, eNkovukeni

For the broader travel overview: Kwazulu-Natal.