Things to Do in Bul-Bul

Leave your shoes at the door and walk into a colourful Hindu sanctuary. The spacecraft-like exterior belies the opulent interior of marble tiles, gold-tinted windows, crystal chandeliers and lavish decorations. Ceiling frescoes and statuettes pay tribute to the divine couple, Radha and Krishna. Entrance is free and people of all faiths are welcome to spend time here meditating, praying or just to soak up the contemplative atmosphere while wandering around the lush garden and peaceful environment. Underneath the temple is a wonderful restaurant run by devotees serving scrumptious vegetarian fare to eat there or take away. +27 (0) 31 403 3328

Amanzimtoti Golf Club boast a magnificent course with the 18th hole right next to the beach. The well-equipped Pro Shop has golf cart, pull cart and golf club hire facilities. Visitors are welcome every day of the week except Saturday afternoons. Special rates are given on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. A halfway house caters for the hungry and thirsty and is open from 07:00 to 16:00. All golf bookings are done at the Pro Shop: +27 (0) 31 902 4144.

Just a five-minute drive from Durban on the N3, The Pavilion Shopping Centre provides a premier shopping and entertainment experience. Something of a Durban fashionista hot spot, the mall merges fun, food and fashion under one roof and there’s plenty to keep you busy.Offering over 230 shops and more than 40 restaurants, the centre has one of the widest choices in KwaZulu-Natal. With 14 jewellery outlets, it’s the perfect place to pick out gifts and curios for loved ones.And there’s no end of entertainment to keep kids amused at the Amusement Area, skate park and 12 cinemas. Over 6 000 covered and open parking bays have direct access to the centre and are protected by state of the art security.So whether you're looking for a cool place to escape Durban’s hot summer or you have to watch the latest movie after a good Indian or Italian dinner, the Pavilion is an obvious choice in the greater Durban area.

Amanzimtoti's mega-size shopping centre features 12 movie houses, an ice skating rink, indoor putt-putt, sea view restaurants and Woolworths flag ship. With the launch of The Galleria, the beachfront Water World and Fun Land, Amanzimtoti is proving to be the new destination of choice. This popular holiday spot offers amazing beaches, good old-fashioned fun entertainment for families and affordable accommodation.

Also known as the Umdoni Bird Park, the Amanzimtoti Bird Sanctuary is well worth a visit. A large expanse of shimmering water is flanked by rolling lawns and lush plantings on the one end and indigenous forests on the other. Picnic spots and pleasant 30 minute self-guided trails meanders through the forest. The sanctuary is a haven for birdlife and visitors have the chance of spotting many of the 150 bird species including resident spurwing geese, white faced duck, greenback heron, giant kingfisher, brown-hooded kingfisher and hamerkop. Look out for Narina trogons and the endangered spotted ground-thrush. Rare blue duiker and Cape clawless otter also frequent the park. +27 (0) 31 903 7498 Umdoni Road, Amanzimtoti.

Amanzimtoti Main Beach is very popular for swimming and family beach holidays. The sandy beach offers life guards all year round, lots of parking, pubs, restaurants and shops. Holiday beach activites for kids are offered during peak seasons.

Saddle up for a leisurely beach stroll on horseback or be thrilled by a fast gallop if you have more experience and confidence. The 12 km bridle trail meanders through some lovely bush paths and onto a peaceful beach. Fascinating and colourful birds can be spotted along the way. You may choose to ride the full distance without stopping or you could opt to dismount for a welcome half way rest with light refreshments. If the weather is good you will be able to take your horse for a swim or roll in the shallows.

Named after Jonas Bergtheil, this museum is situated in the leafy suburb of Westville midway between Durban and Pinetown. Much of the museum is housed in Westville’s oldest building featuring massive stone walls and hand-hewn timber floorboards. The park like surrounds add an atmosphere of tranquility. Exhibits mostly focus on the first German settlers that Jonas Bergtheil brought to Natal as director of the Natal Cotton Company and their associations with the settlements of Westville, Claremont and New Germany. Visiting hours are 8:30 – 16:00 Monday to Friday, 8:00 – 12:00 Saturdays. Closed Sundays and Public Holidays. Entrance is free.

Built right on Catalina flying boats' Control Tower on Wilson's Wharf, Catalina Theatre's theme and decor reflect the ambience of a creative and dramatic flying machine! Catalina Theatre is the dream of Durban thespian, director, producer and performing arts personality, Themi Venturas. New productions are staged every two to three weeks and vary from comedy and the classics to drama and rock music. At Catalina there is a seat in the house to suit every artistic taste and personality. Bar staff are funky, the drinks are cold and the harbour view is breath taking. Say no more!

Situated on the eastern slopes of the Berea ridge, Durban Botanic Gardens is renowned for the rarest original specimen of a plant in the world – a cycad named Encephalartos woodii. Initially the garden grew experimental tropical crops but today the extensive offerings include the herbarium, orchid house, cycad collection, a garden for the blind and a tea garden. Along with an extensive collection of South African cycad species, a highlight is the Orchid House, best viewed during spring. Guided tours are on offer but it’s essential to book well in advance. The charity tea garden is open from 09:30 – 16:15 daily.

With its incomparable harbour views, Wilson's Wharf is Durban's trendiest fusion of fun food, top shows and crafts, blended with the rustic interface of a boating marina and working slipways. The waterfront has something for everyone, from a fast-food court to restaurants providing funky food and fine dining, from cuisine from the four corners of the globe to an oyster bar, and from harbour cruise dining to a cosy coffee bar or festive pub atmosphere. Shops contain a wide range of quality crafts and speciality items for the discerning shopper, while the 165-seat intimate Catalina Theatre brings top shows to Durban's only stage with bay vistas. The Marina offers deep-sea fishing charters daily, or visitors may take their pick of the catch-of-the-day from a full range of seafood at the wharf-side fresh fish market.

Ever dreamt of sashaying in a sari, getting tattooed with henna or tucking into an ‘atomic bomb’ curry? Satisfy your yearning for burning and a lot more at Durban’s oldest market. Venture down to the Victoria Street Market on the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets in Durban Central and step into a sensory Afro-Indian world. Here the smell of incense and spices pervades the atmosphere where over 180 traders sell their produce. You will find all manner of delightful food and spices including a fish market. Durban’s Indian community is the largest outside of India and has influenced the character of the city immensely. Operating since 1870, Victoria Street Market still offers a dizzying whirl of colour, aromas, vibrant fabrics and the cheerful noise of bartering. Shoppers can purchase silk saris, scarves, jewellery, woven baskets, beaded and carved curios, Asian ceramics and even cheap Chinese products. Further down is the clothing mecca of Grey Street (Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street), where you will find typical Indian architecture, narrow lanes, colonnades over pavements and an array of fabric shops. Open Monday to Saturday 08:00 – 18:00; Sunday and public holidays 10:00 – 16:00. +27 (0) 31 306 4021.

She's pear-shaped but a winner! The Greyville Racecourse surrounds the Royal Durban Golf Club's Championship course, which provides a picture of green grass and foliage throughout the year framed in the background by the many hotels of Durban's Golden Mile. This right-handed track has a circumference of 2 800 metres, and a run-in of 500 metres and no straight for sprints. Unusual features are the golf course in the centre of the track, the Drill Hall which obscures the 1600 metre start and two subways. The construction of these subways resulted in the course having an uphill section from the 2 400 metre post up to the 1 800 metre position, thereafter a gentle downward slope for about 800 metres, followed by an uphill section from the 1000 metre mark into the straight. In 1996, history was made when it became the first track in the country to successfully install floodlights, enabling the course to accommodate night racing at all its midweek meetings.

Home to the Baggies Surf Pro, Baggies Beach is a hot surf spot and playground of international surfer Frankie Oberholzer. The beach kiosk makes the best 'Surfer Special' sandwiches. Sometimes called Warner Beach, the long sandy beach is popular with locals who come to watch the kite surfers or the sun go down. In season lifesavers are on duty and it is one of the best places to hang out on the South Coast during summer holidays. Baggies Beach has a stunning natural tidal pool teeming with sea life. Bring your goggles and flippers and swim amongst the fish. During June and July residents and visitors flock to the beach to witness the phenomenal annual Sardine Run, considered one of the largest migrations on the planet. This major event on the diving calendar attracts numerous international photographers and documentary film-makers eager to capture images of the spectacle.

Where Africa and the world meet. The International Convention Centre Durban (DICC) is one of the most advanced conference facilities in the world. Key factors in the design of this state-of-the-art technology driven centre are flexibility and versatility. The DICC is a purpose-built, fully air-conditioned centre with three convention hallsthat are interlinked but separate. Moveable walls allow for numberous different venue configurations. Alternatively the halls can be opened up to form one large venue with seating for 5000 delegates or 7000m squared of column free floor space. Together with its sister venue, the Durban Exhibition Centre (DEC), the ICC can double its capacity to accommodate 10 000 conference delegates. The centres can function independently or as two halves of one whole. This is achieved by closing Walnut Road, a brick-paved concourse between the two centres, to provide easy access for delegates.

The BAT Centre is Durban's vibrant multi-purpose arts centre merging visual and performing arts under one roof. The bright mosaic and mural-covered building has undergone a complete transformation from its former navy hang-out days. Here you will find galleries, artists-in-residence, plus performances of folk music, poetry and spoken-word. The auditorium is the site of the main events held at the BAT Centre. It can hold up to 750 people or 500 people seated and has dressings rooms and ablution facilities. Why BAT? Acronym for 'The Bartel Arts Trust' this centre is also an urban-based community art centre that is a venue and facility for skills training, promotion and exposure of disadvantaged and emergent artists. The focus of the centre is local arts, culture, crafts and entertainment that reflects the Zulu, Indian and Western heritage of KwaZulu-Natal. The difference at BAT is the grassroots, the experimental, the cross-arts trends and the innovation that is promoted at the centre.

Situated opposite the International Convention Centre Durban, the Durban Exhibition Centre is a multi-purpose exhibition, function and conference centre. Two large halls offer a combined space of 9600m2 while several smaller halls, luxury suites and catering facilities are also available. The DEC also features 20 000m2 of plazas and gardens which are suitable for outdoor events and conference parking.

Staging its first Test match in 1923, Kingsmead cricket grounds has seen some of South African cricket’s most significant triumphs. Kingsmead is also home to the KwaZulu-Natal cricket team – the Sunfoil Dolphins. Today the extensively redeveloped stadium sport new stands, keeping the old main grandstand as a token of its past grandeur. The 25 000-seater stadium is almost situated within bowling distance of the warm waters of the Indian Ocean – it's just a short stroll to the beach. The below-sea-level pitch is something of a local legend – apparently when the tide comes in it rises the water table, giving seam bowlers an unexpected advantage.

Warner Beach offers excellent surfing conditions and is home to some of the top surfers on the planet. It's also a popular kite surfing beach and has a lovely little beach shop and take-away outlet, ample parking and showers. Not far lies the legendary Aliwal Shoal, one of South Africa’s best dive sites. Whales and dolphins can often be spotted from the shore. The annual Sardine Run passes Warner Beach, attracting scores of tourists, divers and fishermen to the area.

Come nose to snout with a toothy predator in one of the five largest aquariums in the world. uShaka Sea World incorporates a unique shipwreck-themed aquarium, a 1 200 seater dolphin stadium, a seal pool and penguin rookery as well as interactive activities in the dive tank, snorkel reef and touch pool.Gaze at huge Ragged-tooth sharks, Zambezi sharks, Hammerhead sharks, giant grouper and giant guitarfish. Touch a starfish, feel a sea cucumber or be adventurous and try the Oceanwalker Experience.