Lively and exciting, Durban is South Africa’s third largest city where high-rise buildings lie next to Indian bazaars with African townships close by. Relax on the popular seafront area known as the Golden Mile, where most of the major tourist attractions and beaches can be found, or visit the Local History Museum, the Maritime Museum, Sea World and Dolphinarium, or the Botanic Gardens.

Inland is the mountain area of Drakensberg - A World Heritage Site. Here you will find tumbling waterfalls, lush forests, sky-high peaks and traditional Zulu villages. Shaped by the Zulu’s, the Indians and early settlers, Durban is a rich and culturally diverse city. A morning tour will include the city highlights. Alternatively join a full day optional excursion into the Zululand battlefields to Rourkes Drift and Isandlwana, where the British were defeated by the Zulus in 1879.

Durban Metro is Africa's ultimate coastal playground in the sun! The enchanting, vibrant, historic city and townships of Durban have gathered around them the ideal family getaways in the South and luxury resorts and casinos along our northern Sugar Coast, as well as the rolling green country treats of the Valley of 1000 Hills.

Cosmopolitan and sophisticated, this idyllic outdoor lifestyle in subtropical paradise offers you that much more - more buzz for your buck, pleasure for your pound or rave for your rupee! Africa's largest, busiest port and economic powerhouse of the Zulu Kingdom boasts investment opportunities aplenty - more yield for your yen! Durban Metro also extends the warmest welcome to our Kingdom's many compelling treasures. It is the gateway to two World Heritage Sites among the majestic

It would be difficult to find an area with more appeal than the Upper Highway, comprising of the suburbs of Hillcrest, Waterfall, Kloof, Gillitts, Assagay and Bothas Hill.

The Upper Highway area is located approximately 30km west of Durban in KwaZulu Natal. This area is reputed to have one of the healthiest climates in the world by virtue of its geographical position. Located within the sub-tropical climatic zone, its elevation of some 650m above sea level and position, 30km from the warm Indian Ocean, ensures a temperate climate all year round, with an average summer temperature of 24 degrees Celsius and an annual mean temperature of 18 degrees Celsius.

Apart from the numerous shopping centres, libraries, sports clubs, churches,

Umhlanga is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the coastal area north of Durban. As a result, general facilities are excellent, and bathing is safe in the warm Indian Ocean. Umhlanga is known for its subtropical climate throughout the year. Swimming can be enjoyed all year round. Temperatures are warm with an average temperature of 28(degrees)C in summer and 18(degrees)C in winter.

The town became an independant body in 1970 after many years of being merely a substructure of Durban, with hotels having been built at the mouth of the Mhlanga River. Umhlanga means "Place of Reeds" in the Zulu language, referring to the beds of reeds that accumulate on the banks of the Mhlanga river a few kilometers North of the present day Umhlanga Rocks.

The area used to be part of a coastal dune forest system many years ago and provided sanctuary to a multitude of bird and wildlife species of which many can still be found in bird, marine, and wildlife preserves in and around the area today.

From its humble beginnings, Umhlanga has now become one of the prime holiday destinations in the country and features some of the best Hotels, Resorts, and Timeshare complexes to be found anywhere on the African continent. Every year, millions of tourists and South African's travel from all over the country to come and relax on some of the best beaches in the world and, with close to 300 days of sunshine per year and Shark nets maintained by the Sharks Board, it is not surprising why.