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Picnic time for the Teddy’s boy:
provisioning a Japanese Gardens jaunt
Ah, the quiet pleasures of a walk in the park. And so it was last week, on the eve of lockdown, as opportunities for public recreation began to disappear like so many rolls of twin-ply from the supermarket shelf, I returned to the Japanese Gardens. As returns go, it was not one of those nostalgic…
Yebo, gogo!
Why Granny’s Pool is doggone cool
They wrote a song about Copacabana. Patriotic Aussies reckon Bondi’s a beaut. Waikiki is wonderful, if eroded. While a stretch of shore on Phi Phi Islands became so famous after it featured in a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the Thai government had to limit visitor numbers. Some beaches seem to capture the popular imagination. Then…
Outdoor gym muscles in on flab
Unless you’re on the right side of 25 or genetically blessed, you won’t get that trim Umhlanga beach body lounging on the sofa scoffing pizza and binge watching miniseries. There’s a price to pay for everything. But the good news for residents and visitors to the FunShine Coast is that it has recently got easier,…
Claus and the Harley kêrels rev carols concert
Carols under the Stars, Umhlanga’s annual Christmas concert, more than lived up to its billing with stellar performances from the entertainers on Thursday. And the crowd, including visitors from Columbia, the US and the UK, packed the courtyard at Granada Square, joining in heartily to sing the much-loved yuletide tunes. It proved to be very…
Hands up for festival fun
Life’s a beach as Umhlanga summer showpiece gets into full swing On a gorgeous day, with the skies clear, the beach a sea of brollies and the sea itself part azure, part navy, it’s hard to top Umhlanga. But the capital of the FunShine Coast was far from resting on its laurels on Monday. As…
New line-up: sweet swans join Umgeni Bird Park
Durban avian zoo welcomes four cygnets Forget what you’ve heard about ducklings and how poor, little and plug-ugly they are. Only the hard of heart could deny their charm. And when it comes to baby swans, well the little fellas are positively button cute. If you want proof of this, get yourself down to the…
Wonder Market whips up a feast
Umhlanga Tourism tries out some of the fine fare at the lakeside market. ‘Merhaba (hello there)…. Türkiye çok guzel,” I say, digging deep into the holiday phrasebook memory banks. Murat Oncel, looks up and smiles, one eye on me, the other on a lamb kebab he is busy singeing with a blow-torch. Yes, Turkey is…
Flippin’ good time for whale watching
And so we bid farewell to a much loved visitor to these shores. Every September and October, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) begin leaving the East Coast of Southern Africa to return to their summer grounds in the Southern Ocean, where they feed on the rich abundance of small fish and krill, a shrimp like crustacean.…
From London with love:
parkrun draws ’em from near and far
Want to get out and stretch those legs; perhaps meet a few people from elsewhere in the country and beyond? Well then, give the Umhlanga parkrun (the organisers insist it is spelled without a capital) a whirl. The free timed fun event north along the promenade and back again, has proved a hit with locals and…
Umhlanga surfer has Ballito Pro in his sights
UMHLANGA surfer Beyrick de Vries is going “all out” this year in a bid to take the honours at the Ballito Pro contest, the world’s longest continuously running professional surfing event. “It would mean so much to win in front of all your friends and family who have spent time and energy in supporting me…
Volunteers bag tons in Beachwood cleanup
More than 150 volunteers have cleared tons of trash from the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve. The 11 May cleanup comes in the wake of the storm that devastated parts of KwaZulu-Natal after the Easter Weekend. Flooding claimed at least 70 lives, destroying millions of rands in infrastructure and dumping mountains of debris on beaches in…
Snakepharm: Researching Antivenom
Hluhluwe, and Zululand in general, is home to some of the most varied landscape, ecology and wildlife on the East Coast of South Africa. It is also the base for Snakepharm, an NPO that is researching interesting new antivenom products and methods. Donald Schultz is a herpetologist who works for Snakepharm. He was born and…
Umhlanga Tourism Members Can Visit Monkeyland
Lara Mostert of Monkeyland KZN reported that the organisation, which is new to KZN, cannot function at 100% as they are not yet allowed to take members of the public on ‘monkey safaris’ for a fee. Until they are, they can offer free ‘monkey safaris’ to the trade. This means that anyone who works in…
Wacky Waitronathon Closes the Umhlanga Tourism Summer Festival
The Umhlanga Tourism Summer Festival 2018 finished on Sunday 23 December in wacky style with a loopy new activation: the Waitronathon. The Waitronathon was a beach obstacle race for waitrons in the Umhlanga area with prizes for first, second and third place. Participants, winners and organisers were delighted with the fun spectacle and they feel…
Culture Shines at the Umhlanga Tourism Summer Festival
Thanks to the Department of Arts & Culture the Umhlanga Tourism Summer Festival of 2018 hosted two surprise entertainment pieces: Young Mbazo on Reconciliation Day 16 December, and The Linda Vargas Flamenco Dancy Company on Monday 17 December. Young Mbazo – get this – are the grandchildren of musician Joseph Shabalala, founder of the hugely…
Miss Umhlanga 2018 is a Winner
Umhlanga Main Beach was hot and happening on Monday 17 December when dozens of beautiful girls took part in the tenth Miss Umhlanga Beauty pageant. With the ocean and sand as a backdrop, and a breeze to cool the 30-degree sunshine, the competition was fun and relaxed. Beachgoers pulled up their deckchairs and enjoyed watching…
Beach Fun at the Umhlanga Summer Festival 2018
The annual Umhlanga Summer Festival brings loads of family-centred holiday activities to Umhlanga for the 2018 festive season for visitors and locals alike, from 14 to 23 December. Understanding that the season is about goodwill, family and community, the theme for this year’s festival is It’s Cool to Care – with all aspects of the…
Miss Umhlanga Beauty Pageant Summer 2018
The tenth Miss Umhlanga Beauty Pageant will take place on Monday 17 December 2018 on Umhlanga Main Beach, as one of the highlights of the Umhlanga Summer Festival programme. Registration is from 10.30am on the Millennium Stage, Main Beach, and the competition will run from 12 noon until 2pm. Winners will be crowned on the…
It’s Cool to Care
The Umhlanga Tourism Summer Festival 2018 is just around the corner and this year’s theme is: Cool to Care. The popular Umhlanga Tourism Summer Festival will this year feature old favourites such as the Miss Umhlanga Beauty Pageant, Carols Under the Stars, and 10 days of beach fun. There will also be a relatively new…
Charming Farmers’ Market in Umhlanga
Did you know that tucked away on an open piece of ground in the busy precinct of Umhlanga Ridge is the Umhlanga Farmers’ Market? The market, depending on which stallholder we spoke to, has been in existence for 20 to 25 years. It convenes every Wednesday from 8am to 12pm in Autumn Drive, Prestondale (next…
Umhlanga Tourism Festival Host is a Winner
Kevin Ellis is a champion! Pinetown-boy Kevin returned to South Africa as the reigning European and World, doubles and singles champion after competing in the 2018 World Dance Masters competition in Blackpool, England in August, and the European competition in Dublin, Ireland in March. His partner in the doubles category was Robyn Beck. Kevin’s speciality…
SA Agulhas 2 Open Day Sends a Message
On Oceans Day 9 June this year South Africa’s SA Agulhas 2 was opened to the public in Durban. Groups of people were taken through this beautifully maintained ship, shown its different areas, and told how scientific research on the ship takes place. Onboard laboratories were used by scientists to conduct marine, environmental, biological and…
Looking for Miss Beach Babe
Girls, it’s Miss Beach Babe time! As part of the Umhlanga Tourism Easter Festival a fun beauty pageant for girls will be held on Easter Saturday 31 March at Main Beach, Umhlanga. So, don your bikinis and get down to the Millennium stage at 11am for registration, 12pm to 2pm for the competition. Sashes, tiaras…
The Oyster Box embraces buckets of rubbish & says ‘NO’ to straws
Plastic seems to be in everything and almost impossible to avoid these days. But with the advent of social media awareness around the ills of single-use plastic growing daily, various initiatives such as #refusethestraw, #plasticpollution and #singleuseplastics, have galvanised the public into using their voices and purchasing power to stamp out its gratuitous use. Umhlanga…
It’s Almost Easter Festival Time!
We have egg-citing news: it’s almost time for the Umhlanga Tourism Easter Festival! So hop along to the eggstravaganza being held on Easter weekend, Friday to Monday 30 and 31 March, 1 and 2 April, at the Millennium Stage, Main Beach, Umhlanga. Kids will be kept EXtremely busy with a host of EXciting activities like…
Honour Humphrey with a Big Walk
Humphrey, the friendly Umhlanga Tourism ambassador, will be stretching his legs to raise funds for the SPCA. Join him on 25 March 2018 on the Umhlanga Promenade at 6.30am for an easy 5km walk and make a difference for animals in our community. The ‘Honouring Humphrey Big Walk’ sets off from the pier and the…
It’s Almost Umhlanga Festival Time!
BY UMHLANGA TOURISM · PUBLISHED 5TH OCTOBER 2017 · UPDATED 3RD OCTOBER 2017 As the weather warms up little by little, work behind the scenes is increasing in intensity. Beach games, Christmas functions, beauty parades and sporting challenges all form part of the 2017 festivities. So, get out the suntan lotion, dust off your running…
Gill Fordyce: A Parkrun Legend
BY UMHLANGA TOURISM · 4TH AUGUST 2017 In honour of Women’s Month… Every weekend, across the planet, whether at a local park, on a beach, a promenade or other accessible venue out in nature, runners and walkers line up for a distance that almost anyone can complete – the beautiful 5km run. It costs them…
There’s something about sport…
Sport, recreation and the arts have the capacity to unite people. Take the latest Umhlanga Trail Run as an example. Top runners along with first-time trail runners participated in the winter trail run held earlier this month at Sibaya Casino. And enjoyed it. Runners young and old, competitive and casual, long distance (18km) and short…
Umhlanga Trail Run and Walk | Sunday 2 July 2017
Starts at 6:30am at the Sibaya Casino entrance car park 6k, 12k and 18k Finish and prize giving at the Sibaya Casino entrance car park after each race. Please note that a breakfast is included in the price and there will be a lucky draw after the final prize giving. Pre register on the ROAG…