
Visit Rorke's Drift - site of the 1879 Anglo-Boer wars and begin to grapple with the hugely complex history that challenge and define modern South Africa.
Watch the Natal Sharks Rugby team take on old adversaries in an altogether more modern battlefield in the port town of Durban.
The Drakensberg in the west of the state offer world-class hiking. Swim in the country's most turquoise lagoons at the St Lucia UNESCO World Heritage Site. Or if you are lucky enough to be here in June and July, dive the Sardine Run - an annual shark and dolphin feast provided by millions of spawning sardine along the coast north of Durban.
And all this before you remember you were actually here to see the Big Five at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi National Park. Set in the heart of Zululand this one of the country's largest and most popular wildlife safari destinations.