A leading tourist destination in South Africa, favoured for its warm sub-tropical climate and its long stretches of beautiful, golden beaches. With a big variety of things to do in the city and surrounding areas, Durban has opened itself up to a growing global tourism market, especially over the last two decades. Hosting major international events and world-class sport, the city has secured itself as a global destination that simply must be visited.

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In May 2015, Durban was voted as one of the New7Wonders Cities on the new7wonders.com website which is the self-proclaimed “World's first-ever global voting campaign”, so yeah, that is kind of a big deal!

Things to do in Durban:

The Magnificent Moses Mabhida Stadium

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The new icon in Durban, the Moses Mabhida Stadium not only hosts word-class sporting and entertainment events, it also has a lot of fun activities available for everyone from fun-seeking families to adrenaline junkies. A trip up the SkyCar will show you a breath-taking view of the city from the highest point of the stadium. Not scared of breaking a sweat? Climb all the way to the top on the 550-step adventure walk. If you really have guts you can take the plunge off the 106 meter high arch on the famous “Big Swing” – a slight variation of bungee jumping.

Aliwal Shoal – Rated one of the top diving spots in the world!

^{Image sources: Wikimedia Commons 1, 2 & Pxhere}

The marine life of the shoal is spectacular, it is an underwater wonderland. The reef is alive with colourful corals and many different species of fish. A few of the many legendary sea creatures to see here are turtles, whales, rays, moray eels & potato bass. It is also a mating area for the ragged tooth sharks, so they are regularly spotted here between the months of August and November. One of the world’s most amazing natural phenomena pass by here – the annual sardine run. Enormous shoals of sardines migrate up the coast every winter, followed by dolphins, sharks, whales, game fish and diving seabirds. It is an amazing sight to see.

The world class uShaka Marine World Theme Park

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This place is packed with fun activities for the whole family. From a huge water-park filled with fun slides that caters for all ages, to an amazing, world-class aquarium filled with many different fish species and other sea creatures. Sharks, turtles, jellyfish, coral reefs packed with colourful sea life and much more. You can even do cage dives into the shark tanks here. There are adventure walks around the park, one of which is a rope climbing adventure that seems to span the entire park overhead. It is apparently the longest continuous belay system in Africa! There are dolphin shows, seal shows and penguin shows at various time slots during the day and there are even little pirate theatre shows for the little ones. This place is definitely not to be missed, you’ll need to spend an entire day here to experience it all.

The valley of 1000 Hills

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As if Durban does not have enough variety to offer from its golden beaches, exquisite diving sites, modern metropolis and world-class entertainment centres, it also boasts amazing safari experiences on its doorstep. Here you can truly experience Africa in its wildest form. From game drives to hiking trails and even sites where you can explore the roots of the Zulu culture – the early settlers in this region. So many local Zulu people have maintained their traditional lifestyle in these valleys. The valley of a thousand hills is aptly named as this is a mountainous region of hills upon hills with beautiful rivers, waterfalls, dams and gorges. A landscape filled with fun, adventurous activities. 

This is but the tip of the iceberg!

Please check back soon as I’ll take you through the many amazing things to do and places to see in my home city, Durban! I moved here in 2009 and it stole my heart right away.

I hope you enjoyed this article and please don’t hesitate to ask me anything in the comments section.

Sincerely, @BegToDiffer