“Showcasing one of the greatest crafts and arts tourism route on South Africa, the Midlands Meander is well-known for its lively businesses coming from crafts and arts, hospitality, cultural heritage as well as eco-tourism industries, providing visitors a country flair with spectacular surroundings and landscapes.”
The Midlands Meander in the center of KwaZulu-Natal, is a route located in between the town of Pietermaritzburg as well as the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site which offer tourists hospitality on absolutely stunning environment, exceptional lodging, convention and wedding services, enjoyable local gatherings, fantastic food and dinning establishments, exciting outdoor recreation as well as adventure sporting events, historical attractions, wildlife conservation, and above all “shop-till-you-drop” exclusive crafts and arts. A quick 1 hour drive coming from Durban and from Johannesburg – 4.5 hours drive on the N3, there’s a lot of things to discover and do on the Midlands.
The moment you have completed wandering you can find a quick access into the KwaZulu-Natal battlefields, the Drakensberg, the coastline as well as the game reserves down into the Dolphin Coast.
The Midlands stretches around 80km in the center of Pietermaritzburg and Mooi River offering spectacular views and landscapes as you go along. The large countyside scenery as well as clean air rejuvenate any mind, body and soul, while being fascinated with the rich history of the area, which generally goes back into the 19th century.
The Midlands Meander started around 1985 at the time a number of potters and weavers gathered to make craft creativity route all over the region. These days, much more than 150 skilled and artistic people welcome tourists to their particular countryside environments to explore their arts and crafts such as pottery, furniture, carpets, stained glass, leatherwork, ceramics, decorations, kites, blankets, hammocks, windchimes and many more. You can also encounter various bistros, restaurants, B&Bs, lodge and guest houses in the region.
For energetic tourist, the Midlands is also offering horseback riding, trekking, tubing, bicycling, swimming, canopy tours, quad cycling as well as day fishing.
A vacation to the Midlands must come with a calming walk throughout the regions with gorgeous woodlands as well as idyllic communities. Your visit won’t be complete if you can’t taste their home-made cheeses as well as locally brewed wine and beer. Lovers of art will also delight in seeing local people producing uniquely African arts and have the chance to purchase a couple of artworks as a souvenir.
Another famous site in Midlands is the Midmar Dam – which hosts numerous activities such as the yearly Midmar Mile swim on February and consists of fun-filled activities like boating, sailing, windsurfing, and kayaking.