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The Colonial Conflict Chronicles Natal Battlefields Tour Overview
DAY 1: BATTLEFIELDS – FUGITIVE’S DRIFT – ROURKE’S DRIFT
Make an early start from Durban and head inland towards South Africa’s famous battlegrounds, where more battles were fought in this remote area of KwaZulu-Natal than anywhere else in South Africa.
Your expert Battlefield guide will recount the Anglo Zulu War Battle of Isandlwana, where 20 100 Zulu warriors took on the firepower of the British troops and wiped out almost an entire regiment in about 2 ½ hours. Then on to Fugitive’s Drift, where many of the 402 soldiers who fled from the Battle managed to escape from Zululand into Colonial Natal.
Several of the fugitives were killed after they had crossed the Mzinyathi (Buffalo) River and the graves of Lieutenants Nevill Coghill, Teignmouth Melvill and others lie on the hillside overlooking the River. Visit Rorke’s Drift, where a handful of British soldiers, outnumbered 35 to 1, fought off 4 000 Zulus for 12 hours, in a battle which saw 11 Victoria Crosses awarded, the highest number granted to a Regiment (the 24th Regiment of Foot) in a single action.
We continue, thoughts lingering about young lives lost, and medals won, to our guesthouse for warm, country hospitality and a delicious dinner before retiring for the night.
DAY 2: BATTLEFIELDS - SPIOENKOP MOUNTAIN - DURBAN
After a hearty traditional South African breakfast, we make our way to the summit of Spioenkop Mountain. From here your guide will recreate the tragic battle between Boer and Brit which unfolded over nine days in January 1900. The British occupying Spioenkop’s summit was in full view of Boer rifle and artillery fire, in this, the third and bloodiest attempt by the British to relieve Ladysmith.
Incredibly, General Louis Botha (who became the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa), Winston Churchill, by then a Lieutenant serving in the South African Light Horse, and Mohandas Gandhi, then a stretcher-bearer and later the Mahatma, witnessed the battle.
We then continue a little further to visit the site of the armoured train incident, made famous because Churchill (at that stage a correspondent with the Morning Post) was among those captured. After lunch, we take our leave of bloody battlefields and head for Durban, arriving in the late afternoon.
This tour recounts fascinating tales of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Many British soldiers, Zulu warriors and Boer burghers lost their lives at the battles of Isandlwana, Fugitives’ Drift, Rorke’s Drift and Spioenkop. Re-live these intriguing stories, some of the astounding bravery, recounted by an expert Battlefield Guide.
Highlights of The Colonial Conflict Chronicles Natal Battlefields Tour:
- Durban
- Battlefields
- Fugitive’s Drift
- Rourke’s Drift
- Spioenkop Mountain
Tour information of The Colonial Conflict Chronicles Natal Battlefields Tour:
- Days: 2 days and one night
- Min/Max Passengers: Two / Eighteen
- Departure: Sundays; depart from Durban hotels at 07h30am
- Accommodation: Explorer class hotels
- Flights: No flights are required
- Vehicle type: Luxury Microbus / Luxury Mini-coach
- Driver/ Guide: Services of THETA registered driver/ guide throughout the tour
- Expert Battlefield Guides where appropriate
- Languages: English