Start by exploring central Durban, stopping in at the Old Court House Museum and City Hall, home to the Natural Science Museum and Durban Art Gallery. When hunger pangs start to hit, make your way to the Victoria Street Market for a snack lunch of Indian-influenced Durban specialities. Spend the rest of the day on the Golden Mile, either relaxing at the beach or enjoying the activities on offer at uShaka Marine World, a combined aquarium and water park. Sip an early-evening cocktail at one of the Golden Mile’s many bars, then ascend to the 32nd-floor Roma Revolving Restaurant for a meal with a view.

Allow three hours to make the 240-km (150-mile) drive from Durban to St Lucia village, where you’ll arrive in time for lunch at the quaint Thyme Square Coffee Shop (035 590 1692). St Lucia is the gateway to iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and a guided boat trip on the St Lucia Estuary, with its hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds, provides the perfect introduction to the area. For dinner, eat al fresco overlooking the estuary mouth at the St Lucia Ski Boat Club (035 5901376).

Head deeper into the wetland park on a half-day excursion to the stunning Cape Vidal, with a stop at the St Lucia Crocodile Centre on the way out. Allow up to two hours for the drive to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi’s Memorial Gate, then enjoy a slow afternoon game drive in search of the Big Five. Pass a lazy evening at the reserve’s Hilltop Camp or at one of the lodges outside the gates, soaking up the atmosphere of the African bush over a sundowner.

Rise at dawn for another game drive – early morning is the best time to look for big cats – and be ready to set off towards Shakaland, two hours to the southwest, by 11am. After an African-style buffet lunch, relax for an hour or two before taking part in the enjoyable and informative Zulu cultural programme, which starts at 4pm for overnight guests. After dinner, enjoy a visceral display of energetic Zulu dancing, singing and drumming.

It’s just 20 km (12 miles) from Shakaland to Eshowe, where you can explore the aerial boardwalk through the mist forest of Dlinza, and the Zulu artifacts displayed in the Vukani Museum. Have brunch in Eshowe, then make the three-hour drive east to Howick using the pretty back road through Greytown. Don’t miss the Nelson Mandela Capture Site outside Howick before heading into town to see the Howick Falls. Have dinner next door at Falls Lounge (033 330 6339).

Pick up some snacks and supplies for a picnic lunch then allow two hours to travel 80 km (50 miles) west to Kamberg Nature Reserve. There, join the 11am guided excursion to Game Pass Shelter, a three-hour round walk that leads to one of the finest of uKhahlamba-Drakensberg’s rock art sites. After a late lunch, take a leisurely drive south along the 80 km (50 miles) of scenic roads that run through the Drakensberg foothills to Himeville. Dine at the cosy Himeville Arms (premierhotels.co.za), where the English country ambience befits the rather chilly setting at an altitude of 1,500 m (4,920 ft).

Join a full-day 4WD guided tour up the spectacular Sani Pass, the only road to breach the Drakensberg’s imperious eastern escarpment. Lunch at a gasping altitude of 2,874 m (9,429 ft) at Sani Mountain Lodge, then pay a visit to a rural Basotho village before returning to Himeville in the late afternoon. Stop the night in Himeville before returning to Durban the next day along the 210-km (130-mile) road through Pietermaritzburg.