Day 84 Sat. Apr 8, 2023 Cruise Indian Ocean
Day 85 Sun Apr 9 2023 Durban, South Africa 8-9:00
Durban City and Coastal Drive (DUR-007)
April 09, 2023
Port: Durban
Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 3 1/2 hours)
Tour Description
Experience the highlights of Durban from the comfort of your touring coach.
NO See landmarks dotting the waterfront Victoria Embankment, including the grand Durban Club.
NO Meander the luxuriant grounds of the Durban Botanical Gardens, which feature an orchid house and rare cycad collection.
Behold sumptuous downtown landmarks such as City Hall and the Natural Science Museum.
NO Shop for enticing keepsakes, including ebony and ivory ornaments, at the lively Indian Market.
Take in the entire city from Currie Hill.
NO Explore Durban’s fascinating blend of diverse Asian, African and European cultural influences during a wonderful panoramic tour with free time at the city’s Indian Market. NO Begin your scenic drive down the palm-lined Victoria Embankment, en route passing the ornate Vasco da Gama Clock, the elegant Durban Club, the exclusive Yacht Club and the Dick King Statue, dedicated to an English trader and local hero. YESAfter stopping at Currie Hill for panoramic views overlooking the city, NO visit the Durban Botanical Gardens and stroll through lush grounds renowned for their orchid house and rare collection of cycads, plants dating back to prehistoric times.
In the city center, drive past a succession of stately buildings, including City Hall, the Natural Science Museum and the Post Office. NO Drive by the Juma Mosque, famed for its turrets and massive gilded dome and stop for photos of the Moses Mabhida Stadium. NO Upon arrival at the Victoria Street Market, commonly known as the Indian Market, enjoy free time to browse a vibrant array of herbs, spices, delightful wooden carvings and delicately fashioned ebony and ivory ornaments.
HELPFUL HINTS
- Wear casual, weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes.
- Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
PLEASE NOTE
This tour includes approximately 1.5-hours of walking/standing, and a few steps. Shops closed Sunday. Extend time in botanical garden.
India’s Indians were brought to South Africa to harvest sugar cane. Poverty is widespread at this time and unemployment is high. South Africa’s population has doubled since the 1990’s. Anything that is planted will grow and now people are growing fruit. Our bus was very nice and very clean. We stopped for gas and at least five men were pumping gas. Noone worked during Covid and the government gave them nothing. The recovery is taking a long time.
Durban, South Africa is the third largest city and has a population close to 3.4 milion. It is a highly ethnically diverse city with large Zulu, white and Indian/Asian populations. A main industry is sugar refining. Durban is named the greenest city in the world. Seventeen miles of beach. I have read that Durban has a high murder rate, crime rates vary throughout the city, and it is one of the main drug trafficking routes for drugs entering and exiting sub-Saharan Africa. There are 136 rivers that flow from the mountain to the sea.
Zulu I kaMalandela was the founder to the Zulu clan. The chiefs (1700-1818) that followed him included Nkosinkulu ka Zulu I, Ntombela kaNkosinkulu, Zulu II kaNtombela, Gumede ka Zulu, Phunga ka Gumede, Mageba ka Gumede, Ndaba ka Mageba, Jama kaNdaba, Senzangakhona ka Jama, Sigujana ka Senzangakhona, Shaka ka Senzangakhona.
Kings (1818-present) of the Zulus Shaka kaSenzangakhona, Dingane kaSenzangakhona, Mpande kaSenzangakhona, Cetshwayo ka Mpande, Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo, Solomon kaDinuzulu, Cyprian BhekuzulukaSolomon, Goodwill ZwelithinikaBhekuzulu, Misuzulu ZulukaSwelithini
Zulu can have any number of wives as long as they can afford them. The current King has 6 wives and 36 children. To pay for a wife, a man must have 11 to 50 cows.
Durban was discovered by Vasco da Gama on Christmas Day in 1497. The weather has six months of rain in the summer and the winter is dry. A surfing competition is held in June, the middle of winter.
The Bantu people came from central Africa. Many European countries came to South Africa, including the Dutch, French, Italian, India Indians, and the British, So many came, some moved to the interior.
Durban appears to be very cosmopolitan. The roads were paved and very smooth. There is a lot of construction. We were able to ride a shuttle to a market place that was only about 3 blocks away from our ship. We were told it was not safe to walk.
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