Discover Ethekwini: City History and Museums

Ethekwini offers several starting points for a cultural and historical trip. The Durban Natural Science Museum – City Hall offers self-guided and guided gallery tours, workshops and exhibition programmes. The KwaMuhle Museum has a different focus: it presents reconstructions of the oppressive conditions experienced by South Africa’s Black population under apartheid.

Museums with Different Areas of Focus

The Pinetown Museum covers the development of the Pinetown region from prehistoric times to the modern era. Its exhibitions include a replica of Mrs Ples’s skull, Stone Age tools and artefacts, and displays on local Indian culture. The range of themes thus connects a long historical period with specific exhibition examples.

The three museums have different emphases: gallery tours, workshops and exhibition programmes at the Durban Natural Science Museum – City Hall; reconstructions relating to apartheid history at the KwaMuhle Museum; and Pinetown’s development, along with archaeological and cultural exhibition themes, at the Pinetown Museum. If your travel group has a range of interests, this comparison can help you choose cultural highlights for your stay.

When looking for a holiday rental in Ethekwini, you could first consider whether you want to focus your itinerary mainly on the city’s museums and history, or also include other themes from the wider destination of KwaZulu-Natal. The provincial examples offer a different perspective from the three local museum focuses.

A Further Look at KwaZulu-Natal

Within the wider destination of KwaZulu-Natal, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is designated an Important Bird Area. Maloti-Drakensberg Park contains an estimated 690 rock art sites. Its rock art is the largest and most concentrated group of rock paintings in southern Africa south of the Sahara; at the same time, the park provides an important refuge for more than 250 endemic plant species.

The region’s archaeological history is another area of interest: the serial World Heritage Site “The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa” preserves exceptionally well-stratified and dated sediment records of early human life from around 162,000 to 38,000 years ago. Its sites include Sibhudu Cave in KwaZulu-Natal. The historic section of the Phoenix Settlement is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s final decade in South Africa and his development of satyagraha.

KwaZulu-Natal’s cultural routes reflect Zulu, Indian and colonial heritage. The Midlands Meander offers another way to explore the region: the 80-kilometre route runs between Pietermaritzburg and the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Mountains. From Durban, the Midlands Meander is a little over an hour away via the N3 towards Pietermaritzburg. Actual driving time varies with traffic and conditions; take this estimate into account when planning.

The province’s natural experiences include the annual Sardine Run along the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Timing and sightings vary from year to year. For food lovers, the Midlands Meander recommends a picnic at Swissland Cheese featuring handmade goat’s cheese; the offering may vary. KwaZulu-Natal’s beer route includes eight breweries and explores the history and art of brewing beer. Its lineup may also change, so it is worth checking the route before planning.

You can tailor your trip to your preferred focus: Ethekwini’s museums offer specific themes ranging from natural science to city and regional history, while KwaZulu-Natal has further landscapes, cultural experiences and culinary delights to discover.

Discover more destinations: Hillcrest, Umkomaas, La Mercy, Westville, Mt Edgecombe, Mpumalanga, Pinetown, Waterfall, Berea, Westbrook, Durban South.

View the wider travel guide: Kwazulu-Natal.