We awake to pouring rain and leaden skies probably appropriate in view of the fact that we’re going to spend the day at two of the most famous battlefields in South Africa. At 8am, we meet our guide for the day, Pat Rundgren, a military specialist guide who specialises in Voortrekker (Boer pioneers who trekked into the hinterland of South Africa during the 1830’s) , Zulu History and Culture, Anglo Zulu War, First and Second Anglo Boer War. We’re relieved that he’s going to be driving us as its pouring and most of the roads are unmade and very uneven.

It will be incredibly difficult for us to envisage how the current green and tranquil landscape of central and northern KwaZulu-Natal was once the focal point of major military engagements without the knowledge, theories and storytelling abilities of our guide. The battlefields where Zulu, Boer and British forces clashed in the bloody clashes that shaped the course of South Africa and rocked the foundations of the British Empire are now just green lush fields and hills with few vestiges remaining to commemorate the sights. Pat commences our tour with a visit to the Isandlwana Museum and Visitors Centre where we watch a short introductory film to give us the context for the battle. We learn that 15km across the plain at the battlefield site of Isandlwana was the precursor to the batle of Rorke’s Drift. It’s here that only hours earlier, the Zulus dealt the British Empire one of its greatest battlefield disaster by overwhelming the main body of the British force in devastating style. This is the bit missing from Michael Caine’s Zulu. Victories were clearly more box office than defeats for Hollywood in the 1960’s.

The rain is still absolutely pouring down and Pat navigates through the growing puddles and drives us to the battlefield. On arrival, he explains that the increasing strengthening of the independent Zulu nation by King Cetshwayo was perceived as a growing threat to the Colony of Natal by the British High Commissioner Sir Bartle Frere and in December 1878 the British government represented by Frere issued an ultimatum that was impossible for the Zulu Nation to accept as it would have required them to disband their army and swear allegiance to Queen Victoria. When these demands were not met, three British columns, under the overall command of Lieutenant-General Lord Chelmsford, made the fatal mistake of underestimating the fighting ability of the Zulus, crossed the Thukela and Buffalo rivers on the 12th January 1879 and invaded Zululand. The Zulus retaliated and on Wednesday 22nd January 1879 the Zulu Army, comprising approximately 20,000 warriors, attacked and overran the British camp at Isandlwana, killing 1,357 men. As we gaze across the battlefield, Pat weaves the tale of the fateful day, the Zulu battle formation and the British tactics. We visit the memorials and white cairns are dotted across the plain. Pat explains that these memorials mark the spots where British soldiers fell. We’re humbled by these unremarkable stone piles that serve as the only reminder of the resting place of the fallen. The Battle of Isandlwana was and remains to this day, the worst defeat ever inflicted by a native force on the British Army. It’s a powerful sobering history lesson to swallow.

We drive to Rorke’s Drift and the rain is relentless. We do the typical British thing and have a cup of tea before the listening to the next chapter of the story. Pat continues our history lesson and advises that as the Zulus left the battlefield at Isandlwana in triumph, 4,000 of them split from the main army and headed for the mission station at Rorke’s Drift. In the film Zulu the battle site is portrayed as a large open plain area. Rorke’s Drift in fact owed its name to Jim Rorke, an Irish farmer and trader who had acquired the land in 1849, on which he had built his home and accompanying storehouse. It was located next to a ford or drift on the Buffalo River. Jim Rorke died in 1875 and the site was purchased by the missionary, Otto Witt, on behalf of the Church of Sweden. Witt resided in the house, and converted the store into a chapel. By January 1879 the mission station was in the hands of the British who rented it as a line of communication and a supply depot, utilising the house as a makeshift hospital and the chapel as a storehouse. Hollywood lied, the battle site is in fact no larger than a tennis court.

Pat takes us around the site and explains how 150 British and colonial troops fought off wave after wave of attacks for ten gruelling hours before the Zulus finally retreat. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded following the station’s miraculous survival. Isandlwana was a humiliating defeat for a British government that hadn’t even ordered the attack on Zululand in the first place. When news reached London both of the massacre and the valiant defence of Rorke’s Drift, the British public was baying for blood. The government duly obliged their vengeful subjects and in just under six months, an enlarged invasion force had conquered Zululand. The kingdom would remain a British protectorate for the next eighteen years until it was annexed and absorbed into Natal in 1897. We walk around the small but excellent museum that explains in great detail how the seriously outnumbered British soliders held off their Zulu enemies.

Its been a fascinating day with so much to ponder. If only all history lessons could be like this. We go for a very late excellent lunch at the Rorke’s Drift Hotel on the banks of the Buffalo River, it’s still raining. Pat our guide has been brilliant, he’s evoked the battles eloquently and with great colour. We will watch Zulu when we return home, but with completely new eyes and great memories of an outstanding day at two battlefields in Kwazulnatal.

The Tugela Gorge hike is one of the longer hikes in Royal Natal National Park and is widely considered one of South Africa’s best one-day hikes. The Royal Natal National Park is home to the Tugela Falls – the world’s highest waterfall at a height of 3,225 feet – and today we’re walking to the top, eek!!

We join a young German couple in the 7am bus from the hostel and our guide/driver informs us that it will take around 90 minutes drive to the  Witsieshoek Lodge where we’ll then transfer to a 4×4 vehicle in order to reach the start of the hike below Sentinel Peak.  Its cold in the bus and we’re regretting wearing shorts.  In fact it’s so cold we spot snow on the ground as we get closer to the lodge – what’s possessed us to book this.  We transfer to the rickety 4×4 and immediately can see why a car or bus couldn’t even attempt this road.  Its off road for a start, some severe inclines and littered with rocks and pot holes.  The bone shaking journey takes 40 minutes.  We quite relieved to unfold ourselves from the 4×4 and get the hike underway.

We commence the hike at 10.15am and the trail climbs at a steady pace.  The views are stunning across the valleys. There were some sections where the trail peters out and our guide expertly helps us to navigate through the rocks and at times vertical sections of granite that we are required to traverse.  Overnight rain, now there’s a surprise, has made the rocks slippery and to be frank in parts a little dicey.  Adenaya, our guide senses our apprehension and holds out his hands for us to cling to as we gingerly make our way up the winding path.

The views are stunning and bit by bit we ascend above the clouds. We’re about to reach the most nerve racking point of the hike, the dreaded chain ladders. There are two ladders 75 and 100 feet in length respectively and the only way to reach the falls is by climbing them. In addition, there’s no safety line and definitely no safety net. If we slip and fall it will quite frankly be game over. I’m dreading it. Brownie goes first and is like a blooming mountain goat its quite ridiculous she climbs to the top of the first ladder very comfortably making it all look quite effortless. Its my turn and I’m quaking, my palms are sweaty and my blood pressure is elevating rapidly. I grip the cool metal sides of the ladder and begin my ascent. The wind starts to pick up and the ladder is not completely secured to the cliff. I’m petrified, my foot slips and my life flashes before me. This is horrible I feel sick and want to cry. I call up to Brownie I really don’t want to do this why am I here? Brownie calls down and tells me that I can do this, to take a deep breath and start by putting one foot in front of the other. I breath in and slowly start to lift my foot come on Sellsey you can do this. It takes an inordinate amount of time but I finally make it to the top, mightily relieved but with the penny dropping that I have another ladder to climb up and two to climb down in order to get back to the trail. Adenaya reassures me after I finally complete the second ladder that he’ll make a plan in order to get me down, he’s determined that we’ll complete the hike safely and securely.

We walk across the top of the plateau towards the edge and our pace increases as we get closer and closer to the falls. It’s a glorious sight and we marvel at just how high we are, what a stunning view it is and just how brilliant it is to reach the top.

We take some photos and stop for lunch. After 20 minutes we prepare ourselves for our descent. On the way down the ladders I have another shocker and Brownie has to talk me down both of them from above, reminding me that when an elephant walks it always has 3 points of contact with the ground. I repeatedly ask her to tell me about the elephant and I gain more confidence as I descend. Boy am I relieved when I take the final step on the ladder and reach terra firma. We follow the path back the way we came, we’re exhausted and our pace falls to a crawl. Brownie’s in agony and can barely walk. I relieve her of her rucksack and encourage her to keep going. We finally get to the the end of the hike at 5pm, the whole thing has taken us nearly 7 hours, we’ll sleep well tonight. It’s been an incredible experience and one that I couldn’t have undertaken without the continued support of Brownie and our guide Adenaya. It’s an enormous achievement and one I quite frankly don’t wish to repeat. Watch a video of our hike exploits by clicking here. Enjoy!