Granny Mouse Country House &amp; Spa

Unexplored South Africa

Wildlife & Nature Luxury + 2 more + 3 more

Leave the tourist trail behind and experience a different South Africa.

14 days

from £9,350 pp

Family Classic + 3 more + 3 more

City, Safari & Beach

South Africa, Mauritius

South Africa’s culture, safari and beaches rounding off with an indulgent island escape.

15 days

from £5,010 pp

Romantic Safari + 2 more + 3 more

South Africa Safari & Beach

South Africa, Mauritius

A seamless South Africa and Mauritius holiday.

14 days

from £4,450 pp

Go Local in South Africa

Safari Wildlife & Nature + 3 more + 3 more

Real people. Real stories. Real South Africa.

19 days

from £6,690 pp

Bergs, Battlefields & Bush

Safari Adventure + 2 more + 3 more

Exploring the history & wildlife of KwaZulu-Natal.

13 days

from £4,750 pp

A South African Fortnight

Classic Safari + 1 more + 2 more

A two-week classic adventure through the best of South Africa.

14 days

from £3,595 pp

Quirky excursions

View all excursions in South Africa

Horse Riding in KwaZulu-Natal

With so many stud farms and a notable equine history that dates back to British Imperial forces quartering their cavalry in the area, The Midlands offers many horse riding opportunities. Gently picking your way through nature reserves or riding along the base of the Drakensberg Mountains, it’s a unique, appropriate and enjoyable way to get to know the region better. Many of the hotels we recommend are able to arrange horse riding for you, alternatively we can pre-book something for you, please just let us know.

Howick Falls

Conveniently located on the Midlands Meander, Howick Falls is one of the most dramatic natural sights on The Midlands and is well worth the effort of going to see. Normally a single fall of water, it tumbles over the edge of a horseshoe gorge, crashing into a deep pool 95 metres below. Legend tells of murders and suicides at the falls and of a mythical giant serpent that lives in the pool, which only the local sangomas (traditional healers) can placate. It gives the place a sense of mystery that only adds to the dramatic scenery

Spionkop battlefield

Although the majority of the key battle sites of the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer wars are located further east than the Drakensberg, and are dealt with elsewhere on the website, Spionkop is very close to Three Tree Hill Lodge and thus not far from the Drakensberg. Spionkop perhaps has more pathos than any of the other battlefields in the area: a stony hilltop, it was seized by British forces under the clock of darkness attempting to relieve the siege of Ladysmith in 1900. Dawn came revealing a terrible miscalculation, for the summit was exposed to fire from numerous Boer positions. Desperately the British troops tried to scrape trenches, but the ground was unyielding: they went no deeper than 16 inches, and they were slowly picked off under a roasting sun. The Boers felt they had to dislodge them and so frontal assaults ensued, with bloody hand-to-hand fighting. Stalemate ensued and eventually the British withdrew thanks in part to incompetent leadership. The windswept summit and the utterly inadequate trenches that remain to this day, surrounded by crosses, graves and memorials, are profoundly moving, and your battlefield tour will be expertly led and the tales brilliantly recounted. Spionkop is also noteworthy for the presence of Louis Botha, the future first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, Winston Churchill, there as a war reporter, and Ghandi, there as a stretcher-bearer for the British troops.

The Midlands Meander

The Midlands seems to have attracted a disproportionate number of artists and artisans to its gentle rolling countryside. You can find winemakers, chocolatiers, sculptors, brewers, leather makers, weavers and cheese makers here, amongst others, as well as a host of great little restaurants and cafés. The Midlands Meander brings them all together in one body, which promotes them. In practical terms, this means all their details are collated in one place and you can get hold of maps and leaflets that tell you what there is to see and where. Pick a few that interest you and spend the day pottering between them, in all likelihood stocking up on great souvenirs and eating too much as you go!