There was a time when most Gauteng holiday routes led to the KZN South Coast. Nowadays, the likes of Umhlanga and Ballito - and massive "shoppertainment" venues such as Gateway - have diverted traffic to the north. But now, thanks to initiatives like the Southern Explorer, the coastline south of Durban seems set to regain some lost ground.
The four-year-old Southern Explorer programme, which represents 160 tourism product owners, has divided the South Coast into nine different tours, all listed in a colourful brochure typical of the exceptionally high standard of holiday publications produced in KZN.
Once on the road, directional signs on the major arterial roads and highways take the motorist to attractions based from Illovo in the north to the Wild Coast in the south. During a recent stay in Scottburgh, we sampled some of the attractions on the Southern Explorer's T1 tour.
South of Scottburgh, near Pennington, is a major Southern Explorer attraction: Lynton Hall boutique hotel, restaurant and estate. Now in its third century, Lynton Hall was the sanctuary of sugar baron Sir Frank Reynolds. The hotel has been listed in the Top 80 Hotels of the world by Conde Nast Traveler. Driving to the hotel, it is hard to believe that you are less than a kilometre as the crow flies from the busy R102 coastal road.
The gravel road takes you through a pristine forest wilderness where vervet monkeys, bushbuck, tree hyrax, duiker and bush babies have found their personal paradise. Among the forest mahogany, umdoni, flame and coral trees you could - with a little bit of luck - even spot the dazzling splendour of a Knysna loerie on the wing or hear the melodic call of the oriole.
The picturesque lawns, avenues of palm trees, the gazebo where you can enjoy afternoon tea and the soothing fishponds all add to the appeal of this magic place. I spotted a young French couple, so enamoured with the surroundings that they ordered red wine to be served to a distant park bench.
The waitress handled the request in her stride The service matches the amenities at Lynton Hall. My wife and I chose this magnificent establishment to enjoy some real food. Lynton Hall is one of a handful (at this stage) of top KZN restaurants which belong to an informal association of eating places with a passion for "real food".
Real Food Restaurants use only the finest seasonal ingredients from local sources and, where possible, organic and unfrozen. Real Food Restaurants slam the use of "boil in the bag" sauces, stock cubes, chemically tenderised meat and the proliferation of "formula dishes" now rampant as a result of the explosion in franchised restaurants.
You could certainly taste the difference at Lynton Hall thanks to the creative skills of executive chef Steven Kruger. Seated for lunch on the romantic veranda of the manor house we could choose between watermelon soup or three prawns served in a trio of salsas for starters.
The main course offered soya honey-glazed chicken with goat's cheese croquettes with coconut lemon sauce and spring onion risotto or a vegetarian feast with lemon risotto, eggplant disks, Japanese mushrooms and corn puree with herbs.
For dessert, "Tiramisu 2006" still tasted great in 2007 with its coffee and chocolate ice-cream, vanilla sponge, amaretto jelly, and mascarpone froth.
Lynton Hall hotel, with its nine exclusive suites, is situated in the heart of the oldest privately owned botanic garden in South Africa. The design of the manor - complete with fort-like turrets once used to repel marauding Zulu warriors - incorporates a "secret tower" suite fit for the likes of Harry Potter, if he can afford it.
Nearby is another gem of the Southern Explorer: the Selborne Hotel, Spa and Golf Estate. Also steeped in history and transformed from an old dairy farm into a magnificent golf and country estate, Selborne Country Club rates as one of the country's finest golf estates.
The original farm manor house is part of the upmarket hotel complex, which houses a health spa where my wife enjoyed an excellent massage while I watched a less-than-excellent batting display by the Proteas in the World Cup semifinal. There is a quaint chapel in the grounds of the parkland championship golf course designed by Denis Barker.
Selborne is longer than most courses on the South Coast and has been described as an "effort-and-reward" course, with the degrees of difficulty of the different holes complementing each other. I took a walk in the beautiful grounds and envied the rich and famous who own some of the magnificent corporate villas and lodges in the grounds. Who said KZN luxury living is confined to the North Coast?
Crocworld, near Scottburgh, is home to thousands of Nile crocodiles, alligators, African long-snouted and dwarf crocodiles - including Henry, said to be the oldest and heaviest in captivity. Set in a 30-hectare park, Crocworld offers more than just crocs (never the most animated of reptiles): there are also South American birds and mammals, a collection of poisonous mambas and other venomous and exotic snakes, a wetland boardwalk, a cycad garden, waterfalls and scenic sea and valley views.
The Crocodilian Restaurant's speciality is crocodiles. Here you can tuck into croc sosaties or croc steaks before inspecting the skins, carvings, semi- precious stones, fashion items and novelties in the curio shop.
Yellowwood Indigenous Nursery is another haven close yet light years away in atmosphere from the busy R102. Owned by two ladies who fled the concrete jungle of Gauteng, this beautiful nursery and outdoor coffee bar takes you to a world of peace, quiet and contemplation. It was not surprising to hear that people visited the nursery grounds to meditate.
Along the T1 route of the Southern Explorer there are other intriguing stops that time unfortunately did not allow us to visit this time around. The Hope Shop in Umkomaas, for example, stocks "a magical mix of handcrafted gifts, funky clothing, body jewellery, drums and African curios".
Hope, however, was gone for those who came to their end at Execution Rock, another Southern Explorer attraction. The rock overlooks the Umkomaas Valley and is said to be a site where errant Zulu warriors were thrown to their doom by their commanders.
Nikeziwe Creations sells pottery, weaving, papier mâché. beadwork, leather shoes and bags, while the Pennington Community Centre is an outlet for an upliftment programme for locals trying to help themselves by sewing and crocheting items for sale.
There are also accommodation facilities on the T1, including Illovo River Lodge, Leopard Tree Lodge, Seaforever Guest House and the well-known Happy Wanderers self-catering and caravan resort, with its private beach and Wrecked Heron ladies bar.
The T1 route features four classic golf courses: at Scotttburgh, Umkomaas, Selborne and Umdoni; the Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve is inland on the road to Ixopo; and for those whose explorations are not confined to land, the Aliwal Shoal dive site is under the waves in this fascinating part of the South Coast.
Although parts of the South Coast clearly bore the brunt of the recent tidal waves, it was gratifying to see that the damage along the T1 route was not as substantial as reported from the North Coast. In Scottburgh, for example, the most noticeable damage on the beachfront seemed to be to the walls of the tidal pool - which were ready for a revamp in any case.
Perhaps the local municipalities will now be forced to start modernisation programmes long overdue in many parts of the South Coast.
- For more information about the South Coast Explorer, visit the KZN Tourism website, phone 031 304 7144 or email [email protected].