Durban - SpionKop Lodge is situated midway between Durban and Joburg – on the R600, between Ladysmith and Winterton – and was established by Raymond and Lynette Heron in 1998.
There are 11 double en-suite bedrooms and two stone cottages. The lodge is owned and run by the family, who are passionate about tourism.
The lodge is an oasis in a pleasant expanse of grassland, on a 703-hectare working farm, at the foot of the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal.
It is a place where one is able to escape the world and live in a dream of tranquillity.
It is also steeped in history. At Spion Kop one hears long ago sounds of warriors, horsemen and soldiers and tales of fierce battles fought by Boer, British and Zulu.
Resident historians Raymond Heron, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and Alastair Heron paint a vivid picture of the personal trauma and military attitudes that resulted in the slaughter of so many British and Boer soldiers.
The South African War of 18991902 brought together three significant characters of modern history: Winston Churchill, who became the prime minister of the UK; Louis Botha, who became the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa in 1910, and Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi, who was a stretcherbearer with the volunteer Ambulance Corps.
Through the stories – and they are many and fascinating – one is able to feel the environment’s quiet serenity, which weaves a spell upon your heart and rejuvenates your soul.
Guests may join battlefield tours, go horse riding among the wildlife, take sunset boat cruises or game drives, or go fishing, hiking and mountain-biking or listen to the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir.
In the evening, before the crackling log fire, one can savour wholesome meals and fine wines in the company of the hosts and fellow guests. Guests can gaze at the magnificent night sky, with the Southern Cross and Milky Way.
A place touched by history and marked by war is where you find the inspiring and hugely successful Spion Kop Education Project, where we are upgrading rural education, hosting volunteers from a university and two schools in the UK.
Added to this is our exchange programme, through which our rural teachers travel to the UK to experience First World teaching.
The diversity of activities at Spion Kop makes it unique as a destination. The lodge also satisfies the varied needs of national and international guests interested in Berg, bush and battlefields, while staying connected to the outside world through wi-fi.
Spion Kop Lodge is best described in the words of a guest: “I found a place in Africa and I will carry a little piece of it in my heart for ever.”