Central KwaZulu Natal is the Zulu heartland, and the Battlefields stretch across it from the Drakensberg to the coast. These battlefields were the sites of the Anglo-Zulu wars.
Britain had decided that the Zulu king Cetshwayo posed an obstacle to a confederated South Africa, and set him a series of impossible ultimatums. In January 1879 British troops crossed the Tugela River into Zulu territory, and were confronted by a huge Zulu army, who defeated them at a sphinx-like hill called Isandlwana. The remaining British survivors retreated, crossing the river at a place that came to be called Fugitive’s Drift, heading for the military hospital at Rorke’s Drift. They were pursued by several thousand Zulus who launched an attack later that evening against the hospital in disobedience of Cetshwayo’s direct orders.
At Rorke’s Drift 150 British soldiers, many of them wounded at Isandlwana a few hours earlier, held off an army of up to 4000 Zulus in a ferocious battle, earning 11 Victoria Crosses in the process. British honour was restored, and some months later the main Zulu army was decisively defeated in a battle at Ulundi, the capital.
If you are not specifically interested in battles and all the history of this region, you may feel that this is not for you. Think again. Many of the guides in this region are amazing, and bring to life this fascinating story, making it a tour which is definitely worth taking.
