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BATTLEFIELDS

 

The Battlefields Route is not a journey, it is a rich experience. 
These unspoilt battlefields have a palpable atmosphere and the information centres for tourists can evoke vivid pictures of the tough battles fought there. 
On the Battlefields route one finds: 
* The largest concentration of significant and iconic Battlefields in the history of South Africa.
* Numerous Wildlife, Game and Nature Parks many with the "Big 5" 
* Great Zulu Culture and Heritage sites
* Bushman Paintings and the remains of Iron Age Settlements.

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The Battle of Blood River (16 December 1838) was fought on the bank of the Ncome River, between 464 Voortrekkers ("Pioneers"), led by Andries Pretorius, and an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Zulu. Estimations of casualties amounted to over 3,000 of King Dingane's soldiers dead, including two Zulu princes competing with Prince Mpande for the Zulu throne. Three Voortrekker commando members were lightly wounded, including Pretorius. 

This battle would not have taken place if the Zulu King had honored the agreement that he had made with the Voortrekkers to live together peacefully. The Zulu king knew that they outnumbered the Voortrekkers and decided to overthrow them and that led to the Battle of Blood river.

Not only the place of some of the most picturesque landscapes in the country, the sweeping hills and knotty rock formations that pepper the rolling plains and valleys of northern and central KwaZulu Natal are also the site of a concentration of historical battles that took place over numerous years and shaped the history of both South African and British history.