Experience the grandeur of Zululand - its noble culture, magnifi cent wildlife and fabulous surroundings.This region is a colourful tapestry woven in age-old tradition, creating an exhilarating fabric of fascinating opportunities to be immersed in a vibrant and living culture. The heartland of the Zulu nation lies north of the Tugela River and extends to the subtropical northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal. It is an area of breathtaking hills and valleys that pulsate with the sounds of traditional tribal villages, a place where you can unexpectedly be invited to share a meal or drink from the calabash as the sorghum beer is passed around, a place where you will enjoy the wide welcoming smiles extended to you by the local people.

Cultural tourism is inextricably linked to economic upliftment, and previously disadvantaged communities are applying their traditional skills to meetvisitor’s interests. Many tourist destinations offer insightful opportunities to experience living Zulu culture at first hand.. take an ox wagon to Zulu villages of bee-hive huts and experience traditional Zulu hospitality, or a rural wedding ceremony, and if you wish, visit a traditional healer. A visit to Zululand calls for an authentic ‘Zulu experience’ the memory of which will linger in your mind long after you have left. The Protea Hotel Shakaland offers conferencing and teambuilding activities that will do just this, with facilities for small to medium conferences and banquets.

While you are in Zululand, enjoy the welcoming wide smiles extended to you by the local people. Enjoy the comfortable accommodation in major towns,
game lodges, to seashore cottages, Zulu homes or floating lake chalets. Richards Bay offers a fascinating blend of industrial-, eco- and cultural-tourism;
this harbour city offers all the implied delights of a beachfront mini-metropolis in the midst of a nature-lovers dream. The Richards Hotel situated just 90 minutes north of Durban and in the heart of Zululand is conveniently located close enough to the Richards Bay CBD yet far enough away from city pressures to make business a pleasure. The hotel offers comfortable four -star luxury accommodation and conference facilities that can accommodate up to 300 delegates. For an urban view of Zulu culture, take a township tour showcasing modern Zulu life including taverns, shebeens and traditional medicine shops.

Zululand offers an extensive network of nature reserves and game parks ensuring an abundance of flora and fauna to delight the visitor - from several hundred bird species, many species of antelope, hippo, cheetah, giraffe to the Big Five...lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. There are a number of luxury game lodges and chic tented safari camps that offer a variety of conferencing facilities from boardrooms catering for executive getaways, to medium sized conferences in great bush venues. Thula Thula Lodge, family owned and operated, is situated in the heart of Zululand, 40 minutes from Richards Bay, 45 minutes from iMfolosi Game Reserve and less than 2 hours drive from Durban. This malaria free game reserve is home to a wide variety of game, birds, reptiles and insects and offers a small private conference room with great bush views.

Heading further inland, is the magnifi cent and increasingly popular Itala Game Reserve. Situated outside Louwsburg in Northern KwaZulu-Natal at the foot of the Ngotshe Plateau, it offers an abundance of diverse wildlife, the best adventure tracks and trails, most breathtaking sights and mountain views, and a thatched state-of-the-art conference centre at Itala there is a 1.2km tarred airstrip, a tarred access road capable of carrying 48-seater coaches and is approximately four hours from Durban. A number of activities are available for relaxation during a busy conference programme, including open-vehicle game drives and guided walks where one may encounter elephant, white and black rhino, leopard, giraffe, kudu, tsessebe, waterbuck and eland.

Zululand, with its wide choice of venues, has much to offer the conference delegate or incentive visitor - from traditional Zulu experiences and memorable
wildlife sightings to adventurous teambuilding activities.