Durban - The Route

Durban is Africa's Zulu Kingdom's bewitching seaside playground. Blessed with balmy weather all year round, it offers a perfect holiday paradise and a fantastic stopover for the Clipper crews and their families in the charismatic, multi-faceted and progressive city the Zulu people know as Thekwini.

Durban Metro is where the proud Zulu nation meets East and West: a wealth of influences to entertain and enthral with traditional warrior dancers, mystic fire-walkers and colonial heritage. Sample the unique vibrancy of township life, the finest curries outside India and a calendar filled with thrilling, spectacular events.

The city of Durban is sports-crazy and equipped for it, hosting countless international contests at the magnificent venues there, including the beach. During the visit of the Clipper fleet in November 2007 Durban will be the backdrop for the preliminary draw of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first major event relating to the tournament on South African soil.

Durban's beachfront is one of the city's gems, merely a few paces from an enticing selection of international class, ultra-modern and meticulously maintained colonial-style tourist accommodation, clean golden sands and warm Indian Ocean.

The 'gateway to Africa', Durban is the largest and busiest port city on the continent and the economic powerhouse of the Zulu Kingdom. Combining welcoming smiles, inviting natural splendours, unique cultural experiences and pulsating celebrations of four distinctly characteristic slices of holiday heaven, Durban is Africa's ultimate coastal playground in the sun and a city sure to make you feel right at home.