All aboard on the Bushveld Safari charter train!
SOUTH Africa shares a charming tradition with India – it is one of the last countries where old-fashioned steam railways still play a part in the transport system. In South Africa, though, it is only tourism that is keeping the narrow-gauge railways alive.
KwaZulu Natal, though a relative newcomer to the concept of railway tourism, has embraced it enthusiastically. The Creighton Municipality, in southern KwaZulu Natal, has built a new railway station to serve the existing railway line. The station doubles as the offices of the Ingwe Municipality and a tourist information centre.
The Bushveld Safari charter train stops at Creighton on its way to Kokstad and Matatiele in East Griqualand. Already operational on a short tourist run is the Paton Express, running through the hill country immortalised in Alan Paton’s Cry the Beloved Country. The East Griqualand area is being developed with further attractions, including a raised boardwalk through a birding wetland, and a picnic spot for visitors.
Fancy a battle in Isandlwana’s new boardroom?
THE boardroom has often been likened to a battlefield, and Isandlwana Lodge near Dundee, on the site of one of the most famous battles of the Anglo-Zulu War, has taken the analogy a step further and likened the boardroom specifically to the Battle of Isandlwana.
The resident battlefield historian, Rob Gerrard, conducts seminars in which he compares the decisions taken in the famous battle to executive conduct in modern business.
Isandlwana Lodge is offering conference packages for up to 10 people, with accommodation for more than 18 in the Isandlwana Guest House. The lodge offers views across the plain, while Gerrard presents leadership strategies based on the tactical mistakes that made the Battle of Isandlwana resound around the world. To further facilitate conferences, Isandlwana Lodge will soon have its own airstrip.
