Places
Landmarks, restaurants, farm stalls, stays, makers and things to do across the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, checked against each place’s own website.
Landmarks
A drop of about 95 metres on the uMngeni River, with a viewing platform a short walk from the main street.
A large dam and nature reserve for sailing, paddling, fishing and picnics, and home to the Midmar Mile swim each February.
A waterfall in the Karkloof valley with a public picnic site.
Indigenous mistbelt forest in the Karkloof, home to the endangered Cape parrot, with walking and mountain-bike trails.
A celebrated San rock art site, visited only on a guided walk booked through reception at Kamberg Nature Reserve.
A 3,315 m peak above a reserve known for hiking and bearded vultures. The Main Caves rock art museum is temporarily closed after fire damage.
Local crafters sell their work near the falls viewpoint, where a precinct upgrade with new crafter shelters is under way.
Directory
Small wine estate producing wine since 2007, offering tastings of its sparkling, white and red wines. Lunch is served with vineyard views; bookings are essential.
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Ceramic art studio and gallery in the Caversham valley, open to visitors every day.
Community co-operative, started in 2001 as a women's group, doing sewing, embroidery and silk-screen printing for clothing and school wear. It runs a shop in Mooi River.
Working farm in the Dargle Valley with four self-catering cottages and two bed-and-breakfast rooms in a 1913 stone homestead. Units have fireplaces and verandas, and meals can be arranged.
Specialty coffee roaster with a coffee bar and training centre in a building it put up in 2022. It sells single-origin coffees and blends, and supplies wholesale customers.
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Twelve-room lodge on a farm with a nine-hole golf course dating to 1963. It also has a restaurant and venues for conferences and celebrations.
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Terraced ornamental and kitchen gardens at the Brahman Hills hotel, open to day visitors for a fee. The garden is a Royal Horticultural Society Partner Garden.
Health hydro offering 2-, 3- and 6-night packages with meals, treatments, guided walks, aquacise, yoga and Pilates. A separate day spa takes visitors who are not staying.
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Restaurant on the Lions River at the site of a mill dating to 1860, where the Midlands Meander started in 1985. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, including curries, pastas and burgers.
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Owner-run farmhouse lodge in the Kamberg Valley below the Drakensberg, known for multi-course dinners cooked by chef Richard Poynton. It has cottages and suites, the Copper Pot Spa, and hosts weddings.
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Working farm under iNhlosane mountain with fly-fishing on the 10 ha Mavela Dam, which is stocked with trout every year. Two self-catering units overlook the dam.
Local pub serving pub food, pizza and pasta, with draught craft beer and a garden. It runs weekday meal specials and offers delivery via WhatsApp orders.
Family-owned boutique hotel and spa on a former dairy farm near Nottingham Road, with 22 rooms and the Skye Bistro restaurant. A separate farm village has 11 self-catering cottages, a chapel and a function venue.
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A garrison post established in 1856 to protect settlers in the Drakensberg foothills. A small museum covers the history of the settlement. The nearby Fort Nottingham bush reserve (Ezemvelo) has a public picnic site and the 2 km Tony Kerr Trail through wooded hillside, with some steep sections.
Mediterranean-style restaurant in the Yard41 development that cooks over open wood fires and in a wood-fired pizza oven. It has valley views and is family-friendly.
Country house hotel with about 40 years of history, offering garden rooms, deluxe rooms and suites overlooking the Lions River valley. It has a bistro, wine cellar, spa and wedding venues.
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Family business making leather footwear, bags, accessories and Nguni hide products on its farm since 1990.
Boutique hotel on a historic estate outside Mooi River, with suites set around award-winning gardens. It has the Manor House Restaurant and The Tuinhuis, and hosts weddings and conferences.
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Three-star country hotel in the Dargle Valley with refurbished garden suites, stable rooms and family suites. It has a restaurant and an English-style pub with log fires.
Family-owned estate making wine from its own vineyards, with a tasting room, cellar and vineyard tours, and a restaurant serving brunch and lunch. The Piggly Wiggly village is on the same property.
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A 14,749 ha section of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park known for trout dams, grassland and sandstone scenery. Hiking, two bookable overnight caves (Caracal Cave and Aasvoelkrans Cave, 12 people each), fly-fishing, birding (bearded vulture, Cape vulture, Verreaux's eagle) and a picnic area beside the camp office.
Small shopping centre next to the Capture Site with local-maker shops and a restaurant. For children there are play areas, an animal farm, pony rides and an obstacle course.
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A local museum on the edge of Howick Falls with stories of settlement, life and change along the uMngeni River.
Family-run creamery making cheese, yoghurt, butter and kefir from cow's, goat's and sheep's milk. The farm shop also sells preserves, pies, meals and free-range meat.
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Spa and cottage accommodation on a working farm, offering day spa treatments and overnight stays.
Part of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, established in 1951 and named after a mountain shaped like a rooster's comb. The Mooi River runs through it. Trout fishing (Eland and Erskine dams all year; fly tackle only, rod fee payable), guided walks to Game Pass Shelter, hiking trails, three picnic sites, and game including eland, black wildebeest, red hartebeest and oribi.
Guided zipline tour through the indigenous Karkloof forest, with slides of up to 200 m between platforms after a 4x4 drive to the top of the valley. Suitable for ages 6 and up.
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Bird hides run by the Karkloof Conservancy at the entrance to Gartmore Farm, opened in 2007. Oxbow lakes on the Yarrow and Karkloof river floodplains attract waterfowl and all three crane species (wattled, grey crowned and blue).
Weekly Saturday-morning indoor market with stalls selling fresh vegetables, baked goods and other local produce. Breakfast and coffee are served and there are activities for children.
Eight-room farm-style boutique hotel on the Curry's Post road with verandas over the valley. Meals are prepared by an in-house chef and it hosts weddings and events.
Driving range with ten bays, four of them covered. Groups can book it for daytime functions with spit-braai packages.
Community craft group, formed in 2019, selling pottery, ceramics, beadwork, crochet rugs and other handmade goods by local makers.
Roadside stop with a farm-style butchery selling biltong and steaks, a restaurant and bar, local cheese and an indigenous plant nursery. Elula Coffee Café operates on the same site.
Lodge on a 275-acre estate near Lidgetton with executive suites and self-catering cottages, each with a fireplace. It has a restaurant, pool and trails for walking, cycling and trout fishing.
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Maker of soy-wax candles, reed diffusers, room sprays and massage oils, selling from a shop at The Old Mushroom Farm.
Country club in Mooi River with a golf course, bowls and a restaurant.
Near the spot on the R103 where Nelson Mandela was arrested on 5 August 1962. A visitor centre and the 50-column steel sculpture tell the story.
Working farm with the Blueberry Café, a small craft brewery and a farmyard play area for children. It also offers farm-stay accommodation and hosts weddings.
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Independent microbrewery on the Rawdons estate making ales and lagers with local spring water. It has a pub and a shop selling its beers and gift packs.
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Outdoor shopping village on the R103 with more than five places to eat, including a coffee shop and pizza place, plus shops and family activities. It began as a vegetable stall on the Highgate farm.
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Country hotel on the R103, operating since 1956, with rooms and cottages furnished with antiques. The estate is home to the Nottingham Road Brewing Company and offers tennis, a pool and walking trails.
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Four self-catering units in and next to the Karkloof Nature Reserve: a farmhouse (sleeps 8) and cottage (sleeps 4) on a dam, and two remote forest cabins (each sleeps 6) reached by 4x4. Guests have access to marked running, hiking and mountain-bike trails.
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Farm stall and gift shop at the Rotunda Centre near the Cedara off-ramp on the N3.
Weaving studio that hand-spins and hand-weaves rugs, throws, fabrics and wearables, including made-to-order pieces. It has a showroom in Nottingham Road.
Six themed treehouses and two country cottages, each treehouse with a fireplace, spa bath and private balcony. Rates include a country dinner and full breakfast, and there are views towards Giant's Castle.
Coffee roaster that moved its roastery and coffee bar to Howick after 18 years at Curry's Post. It sells its own blends and flavoured coffees alongside bakery items.
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Austrian-themed pub and restaurant open since 1999, known for its crispy eisbein. It serves Bavarian, Austrian and local country food with more than 35 beers, including Nottingham Road Brewery draughts.
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Four self-catering cottages on a garden property in a residential part of Howick, each with a full kitchen, braai area, Wi-Fi and secure parking. It suits overnight and business stays close to town.
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Lodge set in about 40 hectares of bushveld below Hilton village, next to the uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve. It has a chapel and conference facilities but no restaurant of its own.
Former mushroom farm whose tunnels and sheds now hold artisan shops, eateries, a food garden, event spaces and walking paths. It also has self-catering apartments and cottages.
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Gallery at the old Lions River station showing bronze sculpture alongside paintings, drawings, photography and ceramics, with a coffee shop.
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Small farm with three trout dams, one also holding bass, fished catch-and-release, with self-catering accommodation. The Meander lists it for day anglers.
Midlands leather brand making handcrafted shoes, sandals, boots, bags and accessories, with a shop on the R103.
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A 900 ha WESSA reserve in the valley below Howick, dropping from 1,044 m near the entrance gate to the valley floor. Grassland, woodland, thicket and forest with zebra, giraffe, blesbok, impala, nyala, bushbuck and blue wildebeest; nature trails, rock climbing, picnicking and rock pools. Also an environmental education centre, chalets, cottages and rustic camps.
Non-profit community tourism group offering visits to Mpophomeni township with local guides, craft co-operatives, storytellers and B&B hosts.
Details were checked on each place’s own website or official listing on 4 October 2026. Hours change, so please confirm before you visit. Run a restaurant, stay, gallery or shop in the Midlands? Ask about a listing.