Fort Nongqayi Museum Village

KwaZulu-Natal


Based around three-turreted Fort Nongqayi, the museum village also includes the Zululand Historical Museum, with artefacts and Victoriana; the excellent Vukani Museum with its Zulu basketry collection; and a missionary chapel. Well worth a look is the small but delightful butterfly house: a walk-in greenhouse where visitors can enjoy indigenous vegetation and hundreds of (mostly local) African butterfly species.

You can walk from here to Mpushini Falls (40 minutes return), but note that bilharzia (snail fever) has been reported here.

The butterfly house is open from 10am to 3pm in the winter months (adults/children R35/15)


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby KwaZulu-Natal attractions

1. Dlinza Forest Reserve

0.72 MILES

When war approached, King Shaka is said to have hidden his wives in the thick swath of forest that now makes up this 2-sq-km reserve. There is prolific…

2. Shakaland

8.78 MILES

Created as a set for the telemovie Shaka Zulu, the slightly Disney-fied Shakaland beats up a touristy blend of perma-grin performance and informative…

3. Raffia Palm Monument

19.4 MILES

Raphia Australis palms were first planted here in 1916 from seeds. The idea was to use the palm fibres to make brooms for the prison service, but, as the…

4. Umlalazi Nature Reserve

19.7 MILES

This reserve has walking trails through the pretty dune and forest ecosystems and is great for birders. Visit the Indaba Tree, where John Dunn held his…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "south-africa/eshowe/attractions/fort-nongqayi-museum-village/a/poi-sig/1119675/1304610",
      "destination": "KwaZulu-Natal",
      "continent": "Africa",
      "country": "South-Africa",
      "region": "KwaZulu-Natal",
      "position": "superzone"
    }