Our 6 Most Popular Durban Day Tours

I’ve been going through our upcoming and past bookings and picked up that there are definitely some tours that are booked far more than others; this in part I think thanks to our great reviews on TripAdvisor and other review sites, and partly because they are just fun tours to do.

I thought I would take a moment and list out the 6 most popular Durban day tours that I offer in order of their popularity.

The Popular 6 Durban Tours

I should mention that these are the most popular day tours – I have had an increase in the number of overnight (2 day) tours and longer, but for this blog post, I’m going to just stick to the day tours.

And so without further ado, in order of popularity, here are our 6 most popular day tours;

1. Hluhluwe Imfolozi Day Tour
2. Durban City Tour
3. Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana Day Tour
4. Valley of 1000 Hills and Tala Game Reserve Day Tour
5. Freedom Trail and Township Tour
6. Sani Pass Day Tour
7. Tours That Missed the Cut

1. Hluhluwe Imfolozi Day Tour

Cost: R2 195.00 per person

First place had to go to our Hluhluwe Imfolozi Day Tour, no surprise there. The very first tour I ever had as owner and guide of my own business was this tour. I remember I had a group of 4 Scandinavian teachers who slept the entire trip to the game reserve but when in the park, did not stop asking questions for one minute!

It was a great day especially since they got to see 4 of the Big 5, missing out only Leopard. We also got a serious close up view of 4 Rhino cantering down the road towards and passing within touching distance!

The park is around 2,5 to 3 hours from Durban and you can easily spend a full day in the park and still see less than 50% of the park and still get amazing animal sightings. Another great feature is that there are two restaurants in the park, so you get to dine while being able to see animals.

2. Durban City Tour

Cost: R890.00 per person

In second place in terms of popularity is our Durban City Tour – I kinda expected this as well. Not only is the tour booked by visitors throughout the year, but from November through to about April every year, we get cruise ships docking at Durban harbour and they are usually only here for the day so we end up doing this tour a lot.

This is another firm favourite of mine, I’m a very proud of Durban and love showing the city off to visitors. Durban is a very African city in South Africa (odd statement I know) and is home to the largest outdoor pharmacy in the country.

There are loads of interesting sites in Durban, from the beaches through to the Zulu and Indian markets. And no tour is complete with trying the local favourite cuisine, the humble “bunny chow”.

I must say that in all the years of conducting this tour, I have never gotten tired of it!

3. Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana Day Tour

Cost: R1 990.00 per person

In third place is my Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana Day Tour. The reason I’m surprised is that it is a specialised tour, which is popular really amongst people from the UK so I wouldn’t have thought it would make it on the list – but clearly I do more of the tours than I realise.

The history of Zulu wars is fascinating, not only influencing Zulu and British fortunes in South Africa, but in a very real sense influenced the Afrikaaner and even the French people. The story leading up to the battles is filled with intrigue and the machinations of those seeking to change the course of history to further their own legacies.

The battles of both Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana are still spoken about and even celebrated in a way even today – I guess that’s why so many people to make the effort to get to Durban and travel to these remote spots.

It is quite a long day though, we depart Durban at 6am and usually only get back to Durban around 7pm; it;s a 4 hour drive to the battlefields and 4 hours back again, so yes, very surprised this tour made the list!

4. Valley of 1000 Hills and Tala Game Reserve

Cost: R1 650.00 per person

The Valley of 1000 Hills and Tala Game Reserve tour is one I thought would be higher up on the list, and I think if it wasn’t for the fact that I’am a specialist battlefields guide and there are not many of us, then the tour would be number 3 and not number 4.

The Valley of a 1000 Hills is situated about 35 min west of Durban and is a great place to get a small glimpse into the Zulu culture and African wildlife for those that maybe have a limited time available.

Our first stop is Tala Game Reserve that is home to a number of different species of game including Rhino and Hippo – there are no cats at the park of Elephant, but loads of general game. Usually we get int he park around 9am and spend the next three hours game viewing – you can typically see all the animals within 3 hours or so.

After Tala we head on over to PheZulu Safari Park for a spot of lunch followed by a Zulu dance experience and an opportunity to learn more about Zulu people. Often if there is time I’ll take guests on a short drive through the nearby Zulu township to give them a more realistic version if what township life is like.

This tour is definitely a favourite; there’s wildlife, Zulu culture, a bit of history, the chance to eat a bunny chow or a crocodile or ostrich burger, there’s a lot going on with this tour and it is truly value for money, guess that is why it continues to get booked.

5. Freedom Trail and Township Tour

Cost: R1 450.00 per person

I kinda wish my Freedom Trail and Township Tour was higher up the list since it’s one of the those tours I just love conducting; I get to visit some of my favourite places in and around Durban and as an added bonus, I get to enjoy a “bunny chow”.

Back in 1893 and ended up staying for the next 21 years, 10 of which were in a place called “Phoenix” just 20 minutes north-west of Durban. Not only did Gandhi settle in Phoenix, but one of his close neighbours was a chap called “John Langilabalela Dube” who would go on to be a founding member and first president of what would eventually become the African National Congress.

On top of that, the area in which Phoenix is situated was one of the first “townships” created in South Africa and nearby is one of the very first school for African girls, the Inanda Seminary School, founded and 1869 by a group of American missionaries.

On this tour we get to visit all these historic sites as well as learn more about the history of Indian people in Durban who arrives as Indentured labour in the 1860’s. This tour is a really a fascinating tour and I’m sorry I don’t get to do it more, especially with local people.

6. Sani Pass Day Tour

Cost: R2 150.00 per person

My Sani Pass Day tour is right at the bottom of the list and I do understand why, it’s a really long day (start at 6am, finish around 7pm) spent pretty in a vehicle throughout the entire day. But those that have been on the tour have left nothing but 5 star reviews so it is a great tour.

Lesotho is a country situated almost slap bang in the middle of South Africa, at the top of the Drakensberg mountains. TO get into Lesotho you either have to drive 12 hours of so to the western side of the country, or you can take a short cut up Sani Pass.

This pass is just 2,5 hours from Durban and requires a 4×4 vehicle in order to get to the top – fortunately we have one available. So not only do you get to see some of the most stunning landscapes available in South Africa, but once you get to the top of the pass, you then get an extra stamp in your passport!

7. Tours That Missed the Cut

We have a few other day tours that visitors have booked over the years, they not quite as popular as those listed about, but I thought I would give them special mention here.

• Go swimming with sharks – yes, you read that right, literally swim with sharks (there is a cage is you want). Roughly an hour south of Durban lies Aliwal Shoal, considered to have some of the best shark viewing spots in the world. Here you’ll see up to 7 different shark species – it’s perfectly safe, haven’t lost a client yet!
• Explore the Bushman Paintings – some of the oldest Bushmans paintings can be found just 2 hours west of Durban. We take you to explore one of two sites, both are a great day out and as an added bonus, we often stop at the Nelson Mandela Capture site as well.
• Enjoy an Elephant Experience and Game Drive – how is this not higher up on the list! On this tour you actually get to stand next to a wild elephant and interact with it. Oh and after you still get to drive through the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve.
• St Lucia and Eastern Shores Game Reserve – another surprise here, it feels like I’ve done this tour more than I thought. On this tour you get to enjoy a 2 hour cruise on the St Lucia estuary where there’s more hippo and crocodile than you can shake a stick at! Plus after, you get to spend two hours driving through the Eastern Shores Game Reserve; it really is a great family fun day out.

That’s All Folks

And that’s is my 6 most popular Durban day tours as booked by guests over the years. It’s quite fun to look back through all the bookings and remember all the amazing people and fun times I’ve had with guests. It was also quite surprising as to which were the popular tours booked and those that weren’t – I wonder if the list will stay the same for the next 10 or so years?