O’Neil’s Cottage

General information

Find a spot on a rocky outcrop at the site of the Battle of Talana, Isandlwana, Rorke’s Drift, Spioenkop or Wagon Hill. Now close your eyes and dream. If you are quiet you might just hear the sound of spear against shield, the blast of guns or the groans of wounded soldiers. It’s a fact that the quiet plains, which form the KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields Route, have not yet allowed all their ghosts to rest.

If it is history you’re after, the northern part of our beautiful province is your destination. The Battlefields Route Association has more than 67 historical sites around the 13 towns and villages on the route. It’s an experience that you cannot compare.

Your encounter with the Battlefields will change your life. Forts, museums and gravestones are dotted all over the length and breadth of the region marking sites where clashes between Boer, Brit and Zulu forever changed history.
Each town has a well-stocked tourism office with brochures packed with pictures and information. It is highly recommended that you employ the services of a tour guide at least once on your journey. They breathe life into the seemingly empty land.

The region has even more to offer than emotion-provoking Battlefields. The area includes superb game viewing, and magnificent scenery. Privately owned game farms offer hunting, excellent accommodation, horse trails, mountain bike trails and walking trails. A rich variety of arts and crafts can be purchased in most of the towns and villages. Across the battlefields hundreds of bird species have been spotted.