This week, we kicked off a totally novel travel experience in South Africa. Technically our second time on the African continent, it’s as far as can be from the northern tip of Morocco, where we spent just a day six years ago, and certainly couldn’t be more different from the inland German summer we just left. A 20-hour travel day ended in the same timezone but a very different environment.

Durban is situated on the beautiful sandy beaches of the east coast. The weather is in the ‘70s, and so is the water of the Indian Ocean - comfortable temperature but violent waves. 

Speaking of violent, South Africa’s second largest city has a bit of reputation. We were advised by various local or online sources against going into the city, going out after dark, carrying valuables, wearing jewelry, driving with windows down, stopping at stoplights, or basically going anywhere besides the beach. This is how I ended up booking a place that doesn’t fit our usual mold - a 22nd story apartment inside a Radisson in the ritzy Umhlanga Rocks neighborhood. It did afford us a killer view while we worked. Other than that, our weekdays were mostly spent walking the beach and adjacent promenade.

We did want to see the actual city of Durban, but we kept to the touristy zones. First, we visited Africa’s oldest botanical garden with many trees having been planted in the 1930s. We enjoyed the flora from around the world and the local fauna, including mischievous monkeys and about a dozen species of birds. The most interesting were the yellow weavers, who hang upside-down from their woven nests, about a hundred in this single tree!

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We then took an Uber to the Golden Mile, Durban’s beachfront promenade, which in actuality goes on for several golden miles. We walked a few, past an impressive stadium built for the World Cup, and to the mouth of the Umgeni River. It definitely felt safe, just families out for their Saturday BBQs, playing in the waves, and strolling the promenade. 

On our other weekend day, we got out of the city, three hours out, to the UNESCO listed iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a guided tour. First we got to take a boat tour of Lake St. Lucia, to see dozens of hippos and birds, and one small croc.

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Then, a magical drive through the park, where our driver was a big help in spotting distant animals. We saw all the greatest hits: more hippo, zebra, cape buffalo, hippo, warthog, wildebeest, various types of antelope, far off giraffes and elephant, and then, right as we were leaving, another elephant right up close! After a couple hours in the park we got some food in the tiny village and a long car ride back. Wow, what an experience! It only has me more excited for our next stop at Kruger National Park!

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No post is complete without some notes on the food, and in Durban, it is all about curry! Waves of Indian immigrants came to work the sugar cane fields here and brought their recipes along with them. Durban is famous for its curry, and the most popular local dish is a South African-Indian fusion original. It’s called Bunny Chow, and it is just a hollowed out loaf of white bread filled with mutton or chicken curry. It’s not pretty, but it’s pretty delicious! We tried that, plus lots of other spicy specialties from street food stalls, restaurants and the farmers market. Unsurprisingly, the best was a strip mall hole-in-the-wall. 

We felt a little restricted by safety measures in Durban, but overall we enjoyed our time. The beautiful beach, the spicy food, and the wildlife made this a memorable stop.