The province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) came into existence after South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994. It was formed by the integration of the former homeland of KwaZulu and former province of Natal. KwaZulu means "home of the Zulu". Natal is Portuguese for Christmas, a name given by the explorer Vasco da Gama as he sighted the KZN coastline on Christmas Day while exploring a sea route to India in 1497.

KZN is a traveler's haven providing something for a range of tastes. The North Coast and northern seaboard is a wilderness mecca. Here you will find private game reserves (e.g. Phinda), national parks (e.g. Hluhluwe), world heritage sites (e.g. Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park), long stretches of non-commercial undeveloped sandy beaches and top-notch off-shore scuba diving - to name but a few attractions. The northern interior boasts yet more wildlife destinations as well as a treasure trove of Zulu cultural destinations (e.g. Shakaland). This is really the home of the Zulu nation, there is no prouder culture group in Southern Africa. The Zulus, and their greatest king - King Shaka, are known and revered around the world. Of all nine South African provinces, the KZN constitution is the only one providing for a monarchy - the Zulu king.

In the northern and central interior you'll also find The Battlefields. While not celebrating war, the area is rich in a host of battlefields commemorating the hardships and conflicts that was part of this land. It includes sites from the Voortrekker-Zulu Battles (1838), the Anglo-Zulu Wars (1879), the first Boer War (±1882) and the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902.

In the province's central interior lies the magnificent Drakensberg, often known simply as The Berg. Drakensberg is the name the first Voortrekkers (white Dutch-Afrikaans settlers) gave to the mountain range, it means Dragon Mountain. The Zulu people call it uKhahlamba (The Barrier of Spears), an apt name for the range of peaks and hostile vertical drops that characterise the mountain. It's a hiker and nature lover's paradise.

From the port city of Durban southwards the coast is more commercialised offering an almost unending collection of small beach resorts, a perfect destination for a family beach holiday. The South Coast is also sugarcane country with cane fields stretching as far as the eye can see.

KZN covers a surface area of approximately 92 000 square kilometres. It has the largest population of South Africa's nine provinces, with some nine million people living in the province. The fact that a large percentage of the province's population lives in remote rural areas is a big factor in the tremendous cultural traditional heritage that flourishes in the province. It also makes development work very difficult because of practical reasons as well as traditional prejudices and beliefs regarding the role of woman, etc. The education of rural black communities was not a priority for the Apartheid regime, which ruled until early 1994. Because of these and other factors a staggering 23% of adults in the province has had no schooling whatsoever leaving them poorly skilled to enter the formal job market. That is part of the reason that the province has an official unemployment figure of ±26%.