• Try to avoid popular beach holiday destinations like Durban, Umhlanga Rocks and Sodwana Bay at peak holiday times (particularly over December and the first half of January) unless you can stand crowds.

• Hire a knowledgeable local guide to enrich your battlefields tour.

• Try for accommodation at the very affordable award-winning Hilltop Lodge in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, but book well in advance.

• To get close and personal with the bush and its inhabitants, take a superb two- or three-night guided wilderness trail in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Book well in advance.

• Didima and Giant’s Castle are the most accessible and best locations for viewing San rock art.

• Sample local Indian cuisine in Durban – whether a slap-up curry or an inexpensive takeaway like a ‘bunny chow’ (hollowed out loaf of bread filled with curry).

• uShaka Marine World in Durban and the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board at Umhlanga Rocks are must-sees.

KwaZulu-Natal is a mecca for buffs of British military history