Ways to Experience Zulu Culture in Durban

While South Africa is a cultural mix with an impressive 11 official languages, the province of KwaZulu-Natal—and its largest city, Durban—is predominantly Zulu, and the cultural influence can be seen everywhere. Here’s what you need to know about experiencing Zulu culture in Durban.

• Spend a day at Shakaland visiting a traditional Zulu village, or kraal, eating a typical Zulu lunch, watching Zulu dancing, and learning about the Zulu people’s traditions of beadwork, basket-weaving, beer brewing, and pottery.

• Visit a sangoma, a traditional Zulu healer or shaman, for a consultation using methods like throwing bones to communicate with your ancestors.

• Explore South Africa’s Zulu heritage with a visit to Phezulu Cultural Village, where you’ll learn about spear-making and the typical beehive-shaped huts.

• Join in the festivities of the annual Zulu Reed Dance, a centuries-old tradition where some 30,000 young Zulu women in traditional dress gather to sing, dance, and celebrate their heritage.

• Tour the picturesque countryside of the Valley of a Thousand Hills while hearing stories of Zulu King Shaka, Zulu culture, rituals, and beliefs.

• Follow in the footsteps of brave Zulu warriors while touring the Anglo-Zulu battlefields from the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana.