Durban City Half Day Tour. Departing Mondays to Saturdays. 

CODE : SCDC.
MEALS INCLUDED : None.
DEPARTURE : Mondays - Saturdays 09h00.
DURATION : 4 Hours.
ROUTING : Apartheid Beaches - Marine Parade (Golden Mile) - Point Waterfront - City Hall and the Post Office - Indian Market - Botanical Gardens - Ushaka Marine world.
SPECIAL NOTES : None.
MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS : None.
DRESS REQUIREMENTS : Comfortable casual and smart casual for the evenings.

We travel past the so-called Apartheid Beaches, the Marine Parade (Golden Mile) where you will see the rickshaws, en route to the impressive developments at the new Point Waterfront area. We drive past the busiest harbour in Africa and various historical monuments, and then through the city centre where the second railway station, the City Hall and the Post Office buildings each have a story to tell. We stop at the Indian Market where you get a glimpse into the Indian culture and bargain for souvenirs and spices. Our last visit is to the Botanical Gardens with its extensive collection of trees and plants from all over the world, as well as a famous cycad collection and orchid garden. You have the option of being dropped off at the end of the tour at the Ushaka Marine world with its world-class aquarium, and many shops and restaurants.

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Apartheid Beaches.
See the changing fortunes of Durban as a tourist city from the apartheid to the post apartheid eras. Durban has long earned its prime position as one of South Africa’s most popular year round tourist destinations. In keeping with the dictates of apartheid, the city catered largely for the needs of the white minority. With political changes and shifts in both the international and domestic markets, an effort had to be made to reposition tourism in the city.

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Marine Parade (Golden Mile).
The Golden Mile is one of the main tourist attractions in Durban. With loads of surrounding activities. By definition the famous Golden Mile is a stretch of beach with golden sands from Vetchies Pier in the South, to the recently constructed Suncoast Casino and Entertainment world in the North. Allowing the sungoers many lavish locations to lay their bronzed bodies, play games and snack at the nearby restaurants. You'll meet people from many different cultural backgrounds, hear the buskers serenading all from the sidewalk, see the children feeding the pigeons and have a wild array of aromas to remember, from the surf wax to 'bunny chow'. It received its name from the Portuguese explorers who referred to the sea sand along the coast in this area as the 'Sands of Gold'.

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Point Waterfront.
Located at the entrance to the busiest port in Africa, the Durban Point Waterfront is one of South Africa's most significant and exciting property development and investment projects. Destined to become one of Durban's most prestigious addresses, and a key tourist attraction, the Durban Point Waterfront is rapidly transforming from a previously run down precinct into a multi billion Rand property showcase.

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The Durban City Hall and Post Office.
Durban City Hall is one of the popular tourist attractions and is guaranteed to be interesting. It is a very attractive building built in 1910. It was designed in Modern Renaissance style and is the most famous building in Durban. Inside, the Natural Science Museum houses an unique range of stuffed animals, birds, reptiles and insects, as well as a dodo skeleton and South Africa's only ancient Egyptian mummy. The eThekwini Art Gallery. Upstairs has an amazing collection of South African art. The City Hall is the perfect place to visit as it offers a diverse range of history and culture that will interest and amaze you as well as provide an excellent historic information opportunity.

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Indian Market.
One of the easiest ways to sample Durban's Indian heritage is by visiting the Victoria Street (Indian) Market on the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets. The Market deals mostly in spices and curios, while a fish market is located on the lower level. If you're a food lover you should buy a some spices to try out at home. Durban is known for its spicy food. A wide range of African arts and crafts is available including woven baskets, beaded dolls and animals, carved chairs and soapstone sculptures. On the oriental side there's a collection of ceramics, brassware, curry powders and general spices.

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Botanical Gardens.
Durban’s Botanical Gardens on the eastern slopes of the Berea ridge began as a site for growing experimental tropical crops, today offer a herbarium, an orchid house, a Cycad collection, a garden for the blind and a charity tea garden. The Durban Botanical Gardens are famous for the original specimen of a Cycad (Encephalartos woodii) that is still widely acknowledged as probably the rarest plant in the world, as well as for its extensive collection of South African Cycad species. A highlight of the Gardens is the Orchid House which is named after Ernest Thorp who built it up to its position of world renown as the first "naturalistic" Orchid display house. The Orchid House is at its best during the spring months and is open daily from 09h30 am to 17h00.
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Ushaka Marine World.
uShaka Marine World in Durban is a world-class entertainment and tourism destination. The end of Durban's Golden Mile is the beginning of uShaka Marine World - spanning over 15 hectares, uShaka Marine World is Africa's largest Marine Theme park. uShaka incorporates fresh and sea water, lush vegetation, natural materials and the re-creation of a wreck of a 1940's cargo ship. As the 5th largest aquarium in the world by volume of water, the park is tastefully themed with a focus on family entertainment.

TOUR MAP WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON.