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KwaZulu Natal Holidays Tours South Africa Zulu Battlefields Durban Safari

South African War Battlefields Tours (Boer): Majuba + Ladysmith + Colenso + Spion Kop

South African Boer War Battlefields - Privately Guided
South African War Battlefields Tours Boer Majuba Ladysmith Colenso Spion Kop
11 NIGHTS FROM:
$3,579
Per person sharing
Scheduled flights quoted separately
SPJ11K
• South African War Battlefields Tours
• Newcastle
• Majuba Hill & Laings Nek
• Boer War Tours
• Dundee + Talana Hill
• Ladysmith Siege Museum
• Frere + Willow Grange
• Colenso + Wagon Hill
• Spion Kop
• Nambiti Big Five Safari

Our privately guided South African War battlefield tours focus on key Boer battlefield sites in KwaZulu Natal. Starting in Newcastle, we visit Laings Nek & Majuba, as well as Blood River, before continuing to Ladysmith. Visit the Siege Museum and key battlefield sites around Dundee, Frere & Colenso, including Spion Kop. End with a luxury Big Five safari. English speaking battlefields guide & all transfers included.

Day 1
You will be met at Johannesburg Airport by your driver/guide and transferred 3.5-hours through the farmlands of the old Transvaal and Free State to the mining town of Newcastle in northern KwaZulu Natal.
 
Check into your hotel and relax under warm blue skies.
Day 2
Today we drive to Laing's Nek Pass and Majuba Hill, situated between Volksrust and Newcastle, where we visit two significant sites related to the First Anglo Boer War (or Transvaal War of Independence).
 
Here the Boers won decisive victories over the British forces, which had gathered in northern KwaZulu Natal in an attempt to invade the Transvaal Republic, following the Boers' declaration of independence in 1880.
 
Following an embarrasing ambush at Bronkhorstspruit of a British column that was advancing on Pretoria, the British High Commissioner, Major General Sir George Pomeroy Colley assembled troops at Newcastle and rushed forward, claiming to be relieving the British garrisons in the Transvaal. On 28 January 1881, Colley unsuccessfully tried to force a way through Laing's Nek Pass, with the Boers under the command of General Joubert winning a decisive victory against the British, who were wearing brightly coloured red tunics that made them easy targets. This was the last time the colours were carried into battle by any British regiment.
 
One month later, on the night of 26 February, Colley occupied Majuba Hill with some 400 men. In the early hours of the next morning, when the Boers realised the British had occupied the mountain which dominated their position and blocked Laing’s Nek Pass and the road into the Transvaal, they advanced on the British position. They stormed the top of the mountain and forced the British off, in what was one of the most humiliating defeats in the history of the British army. The British suffered some 256 killed, (including Colley himself), wounded and captured while the Boers lost only 2 men.
 
This battle brought an end to the Transvaal War of Independence, which gave the two Boer Republics 19 more years of freedom from British rule - until the outbreak of the Second Anglo Boer War in 1899.  
 
Please note today involves a very steep climb up Majuba Hill.
 
Recommended Reading:
The Transvaal Rebellion: The First Boer War – John Laband
Day 3
Today we drive 1.5-hours from Newcastle to the town of Ladysmith, that was besieged by the Boers.
 
Our first stop is at the battlefield at Blood River, where on 16 December 1838 the Afrikaaner Boer Voortrekkers won an historic battle over 10,000 Zulu warriors on the banks of the Ncome River, as they fought for the right to establish a homeland south of the Thukela River. The fighting was so fierce, and the loss of life so great, that the waters of the river flowed red. This day is still celebrated as a bank holiday - but is now called the Day of Reconciliation.
 
Following the Boers line of advance, we continue to Dundee. We stop at Talana Hill battlefield and museum, where the first major clash of the second Anglo Boer War (or South African War as it is now known) of 1899 took place and where khaki was worn for the first time. This war was started shortly after the conquest of Zululand, as the British Empire turned its attentions to the lucrative Transvaal goldfields.
 
We also visit the battlefield at Elandslaagte, where the British won a clear tactical victory but threw it away by retreating, before continuing to the small town of Ladysmith.
 
Recommended Reading:
Boer War – Thomas Pakenham
Day 4
We begin our day by calling at Frere, the site of the British camp and the Churchill capture site and making a short visit to Fort Durnford.
 
Our next stop is at Colenso where the third and final battle was fought during the 'Black Week' of December 1899. Inadequate preparation and reconnaissance, and uninspired leadership, led to a heavy and humiliating British defeat. Here we visit the site of the 'Saving of the Guns'.
 
We then return to Ladysmith and explore significant sites around the town, including the Boer Memorial at Platrand, which overlooks the town. Two battles took place here on 6th January 1900 shortly before the battle of Spioenkop. We visit the war cemetery at Caesar's Camp and and the battlefield at Wagon Point, where the only serious attack was launched by the Boers on the British lines during the siege. We also learn about the battle of Tugela Heights - a series of military actions that lasted from 14 to 27 February 1900 and ultimately resulted in General Sir Redvers Buller's British army relieving the siege.
Day 5
Today we drive to the battlefield at Spion Kop, where one of the bloodiest battles took place in efforts to relieve Ladysmith, which was besieged for 118 days. Visit the mass graves atop Spion Kop hill and see for yourself how poor military decisions affected the outcome of this battle.
 
Incredibly three future world leaders were in the area at the time this battle took place - Winston Churchill as a young newspaper correspondent, the future Mahatma Gandhi as a stretcher bearer, and Louis Botha as the Boer general who would go on to become the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa.
 
We also learn about the battle of Tugela Heights - a series of military actions that lasted from 14 to 27 February 1900 and ultimately resulted in General Sir Redvers Buller's British army relieving the siege. We follow the route of the relief column as we return to Ladysmith.
Day 6
Today transfer 1-hour from Ladysmith to the malaria-free Nambiti Game Reserve.
 
Your guide will drop you off at your Big Five safari lodge, where you can enjoy a thrilling afternoon open-top game drive with a lodge ranger.
Day 7
Rise early when game viewing conditions are at their best, for a shared open-top game drive with a lodge ranger in Nambiti Game Reserve.
 
With a mixed vegetation of savanna grasslands, indigenous trees and bushveld, this wildlife conservation area is home to all the Big Five, as well as offering an ideal habitat for a large variety of plains game and abundant bird life. Although leopard are rarely seen, this reserve offers excellent opportunities to spot the endangered cheetah. Return to the lodge for lunch and some relaxation, before returning to the bushveld in the late afternoon for another exciting game drive.
 
Note: Children < 2 years are not allowed on open top game drives, with higher age limits applicable at certain lodges.
Day 8
After some final early morning game viewing in Nambiti Game Reserve, transfer 2-hours via Ladysmith to the spectacular uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountains, recognised as a World Heritage site due to its vast collection of San Bushmen rock art paintings.
    
Known locally as the Barrier of Spears the dramatic Drakensberg Mountains form the backbone of Southern Africa, running all the way down from the Great Rift Valley. Check into your mountain resort in this area of unspoilt natural beauty.
Day 9
At leisure to relax in the Drakensberg Mountains and enjoy the facilities of your resort, with superlative scenery and fresh mountain air making it ideal for walking holidays at any level of fitness. Your hotel will organise guided walks each day – typically one short walk and one long walk, or a walk to a Bushman painting.
  
Your hotel has a swimming pool and offers many activities in or near the resort including golf, horse riding in the mountains, fly fishing, tennis, lawn bowls, badminton, mountain biking, table tennis, darts and pool. The mountains also offer an outstanding location for bird watching – particularly raptors, but also sunbirds, waxbills and the numerous other species found in the grasslands, riverine scrub and natural forests.
Day 10
This morning enjoy the beauty of the Natal Midlands on your 3-hour transfer to your hotel on the Durban North Coast, renowned for its wonderful beaches and warm holiday weather.
 
Check into your hotel and relax in your lush sub-tropical surroundings on the shores of the warm Indian Ocean.
Day 11
At leisure to relax on the warm golden beaches of the Durban North Coast.
 
Many optional activities are available such as a marine cruise to search for dolphins, turtles, sharks, whales (in season) and other fascinating sea life. Championship golf, horse riding and deep sea game fishing are also available.
Day 12
Transfer to Durban Airport for your flight home.