Day 1
You will need to collect your rental car at the Budget Car rental office at Durban Airport and make your way to the Battlefields region today
In 1879 the British invaded Zululand. The central of the three major invading columns forded the Buffalo River at Rorke's Drift. Within days Lord Chelmsford's invasion was in jeopardy. Part of his central column had been almost annihilated at Isandlwana in a battle rated as one of the greatest military disasters in British colonial history. A few survivors struggled back into Natal across the mighty Buffalo River. Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill died in a gallant attempt to save the Queen's colours, earning the first posthumous Victoria Crosses in history. A great wing of the Zulu army went on to attack the British garrison at Rorke's Drift, and these warriors were beaten off in a battle that lasted all night. More VCs were awarded for valour in this battle than in any other battle in history. There never was another day like this one…
2 x Overnights at Fugitives Drift Lodge on a full board basis (all meals)
Tours included during your stay:
ISANDLWANA
The Battle of Isandlwana, 22nd January 1879. British defeat or Zulu victory?
Breakfast at 7:00. Depart at 7:30 for Isandlwana listening to a tape narrated by David Rattray playing in the vehicle explaining the background to the Anglo-Zulu War. There is a stop at 9:00 for a comfort break and to view the museum at Isandlwana. The lecture on the battlefield begins at 9:45 until around 11:45, when tea, coffee and refreshments are served. The lecture takes place half way up the hill. Please let us know before you set off if you have difficulty walking so that the lecturer can make an alternative plan. Another tape, this time describing the story of the survivors and events after the battle of Isandlwana is played en route back to the Lodge or Guest House, returning for lunch at 13:00.
RORKE’S DRIFT
The battle of Rorke’s Drift, 22nd January 1879. An account of this epic defence against impossible odds – an action in which 11 V.C.’s were won.
Departs at 15:00. Guests have time to look through the museum at Rorke’s Drift before the lecture begins at 16:00. There is very little walking involved.
The lecture concludes around 18:00 and guests are then given the opportunity to look around the memorials and graveyard before returning to the Lodge and Guest House.
Fugitives' Drift has become world-renowned for its battlefield tours to all the Zulu War battle sites in the region, particularly the battles of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift. Flagship tours to Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift are led by registered tour guides Rob Caskie, Joseph Ndima and George Irwin, who are superb storytellers and make the history of that day come alive. The long family associations with the area and its people allow us to offer you some unique Zulu perspectives.
Learn of the bravery and mobility of the Zulu army that defeated the British Army at the Battle of Isandlwana and listen at sunset to the famous story of Rorke's Drift, where 139 British soldiers were attacked by 4000 Zulu warriors; a British victory which saw the award of more Victoria Crosses than in any other battle in history.
Day 3
Continuing to another Battlefields sight today, you will make your way through the KwaZulu Natal Midlands to an area known as Spioenkop near Ladysmith.
2 x Overnights at Three Trees at Spioenkop on a Full Board basis
Three Tree Hill Lodge specialises in the history of the 2nd Anglo-Boer War from (1899 – 1902) with the Battle of Spioenkop being our focal point. One cannot however hope to understand this watershed event (not just for South Africa – it was ‘the longest, the costliest, the bloodiest and most humiliating war that Britain fought in between 1815 and 1914’) without studying what caused one of the smallest countries in the world to declare war on the world’s greatest empire of the time. Our guides, led by Omri Nene, bring this dramatic period of our history to life presenting world class, holistic, evocative and insightful tours.
Tours included during your stay:
BATTLE OF SPIOENKOP
Romantically situated on top of a hill with views that redefine ‘big sky country’, the tour tells of the bloodiest day of the war, played out by a cast seldom challenged. On that hill were Louis Botha (the 1st Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa), Winston Churchill (voted the most famous Briton of the 20th century) and Mohandas Ghandi (the future Mahatma). The result of this battle confirmed that those early disasters of ‘Black Week’ were not merely beginners luck on behalf of the Boers – Spioenkop is arguably the most famous of all battles between the British and the Boers.
The tour starts from the Lodge at 08:30, after an early breakfast (07:45). We head off in the bus playing our CD - The Pre-amble to the Boer War. which takes us from the Boer invasion of Natal into the Battle of Spioenkop. You will spend two hours exploring the summit, listening to the compelling tale that unfolds on this emotive hill. After refreshments you return to the Lodge in time for lunch, listening to the cd - The Aftermath.
Day 5
After a leisurely breakfast this morning, you will need to make your way back down to Durban on the N3.
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