ズールー文化体験：村、部族市場、地元料理

The most authentic and engaging Zulu experience. Tabo was outstanding and full of information. Amimi was inspirational and a great spokesperson for the Zulu way of life. We loved the African meal as well!

This was an amazing day, such a fascinating introduction to real Zulu culture in South Africa today, without another tourist in sight! Our driver and overall guide for the day was Thabo, who was the perfect host: friendly, highly knowledgeable, experienced and great to have discussions with whilst driving around.! As well as our main stops, he took us to the stunning viewpoint at Monteseel before our village stop, to see the village and surrounding countryside from above, and also drove us past some of the key historical buildings in Durban. The first stop at Phansi museum gave us a great insight into the traditional way of life, with our lovely guide there explaining customs and dress surrounding becoming an adult, marriage, pregnancy and food. We saw many examples of traditional beadwork, clothing items, cooking and eating objects, etc etc. We had a long discussion comparing our two societies’ ways of brewing beer! The only other visitors whilst we were there was a group of local secondary school children, learning about their cultural history. The second stop at Isithumba village was very much the highlight of the whole day. Imimi (many, many apologies for probably mangling his name) was a fantastic host and we learnt so much, visiting the village Sangoma and then having an excellent lunch (prepared by his mum) at his house, having been shown his special Ancestors’ building. We discussed so much about local and international topics but also laughed a lot! The final stop was the locals’ markets in Durban itself. A true assault on our senses, this was a taste of local life which we would never have coped with without our lovely guide there! Absolutely fascinating and so much to take in, and I was so pleased to see that people didn’t seem to mind us tourists intruding on their space. If you want to see authenticity rather than a “show village”, then this tour is most definitely for you. Highly recommended!

A terrific day out with our wonderful guide, Thabo! (He made it so much more than a ‘tour’). Lots of interesting story sharing and opportunities to immerse in everyday life, without the tacky ‘song and dance’. Lunch in the village was a wonderful experience and delicious! The Muthi market was excellent, albeit a little confronting for my children.

We went to the Pansi museum. Then we went to the village where our guide explained what life was like living in the village and what it was like to live there. Then we had lunch in the village supervisors house. He answered all our questions and we came away knowing exactly the hardships that the Zulus face. We were in awe at their resilience. We then went to the tribal markets with another friendly and knowledgeable guide. Thank you for a wonderful tour.

Being shown round the village by Thebo, meeting one of the elders and enjoying a wonderful lunch prepared by his mum.

I was working in Durban for a few months and met a lot of Zulu people and  wanted to learn a bit more about the culture. I booked the Zulu Cultural Tour because it didn’t sound like a typical tourist trap (I had been to Phezulu and it wasn’t for me). Thabo was my guide and he started by taking me to a museum in Durban with a collection of indigenous art and craft. I met the curator, a wonderful and knowledgeable Swazi woman, who showed me around and told me more about the history and beliefs. From there we went Isithumba for a walking tour of the village. I got to go inside 2 houses, met people from the village and learnt more about their culture. Would have loved to spend more time there maybe even 1 night (which you can do). We had pap, chakalaka and shisanyama for lunch before we came back to Durban … I’m going to really miss this place. AMAZING and AUTHENTIC TOUR!

I came to Durban to see the city and learn more about Zulu culture but I wanted to stay away from the curated/fake tours. The Wild Routes Africa tour seemed like the closest to what I was looking. The tour starts with a bit of history at a cultural museum before we went to a Zulu village in a beautiful valley outside the city. I was able to walk through the village and talk to different local people who lived there while being accompanied by a local guide. I was also lucky enough to meet one of the training traditional healers who told me a bit more about the Zulu customs. We had lunch at the village, delicious traditional food! My guide David took to the markets of Warwick which I heard a lot about and was told wasn't safe to go alone. I'm really glad that I managed to visit the markets, really unique experience for me!