Fugitives’ Drift Lodge

Description

This private game reserve, a registered Natural Heritage Site, overlooks the famous battle sites of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. The Lodge and Guest House face roughly north-east and have commanding views of the peak of Isandlwana and of the rough country the fugitives from the battle had to traverse in order to get back across the Buffalo River into Natal.

On the skyline, north-west of the Lodge, the Oscarberg mountain at Rorke’s Drift is a commanding feature. The lower part of the Lodge’s garden overlooks a plain, often teeming with wildlife, which drops off abruptly into the Buffalo River Gorge to the site where Lts. Melville and Coghill were killed trying to save the Queen’s Colour of their famous regiment. They earned the first posthumous Victoria Crosses in history and are buried in a spectacular setting only a 15 minutes’ walk from both the Lodge and the Guest House.

It was here that David and Nicky Rattray pioneered heritage tourism in South Africa and created an award-winning destination for visitors to savour this extraordinary saga. Led by some of the finest guides in South Africa, thought-provoking and often emotionally charged tours are conducted daily to the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift.

The Lodge is the most luxurious of all of our accommodation options; each spacious room has an en-suite bathroom with both inside and outside showers, air-conditioning, a mini-fridge, and a veranda with views of the plains flanking the Buffalo River Gorge. Enjoy superb cuisine, taken communally in the large dining room or – weather permitting – out on the deck. There is also a sparkling swimming pool, with fantastic views out over Isandlwana and Rorkes’ Drift.

The Harford Library, with its stunning panorama out onto the Buffalo River Gorge, is located in the Lodge grounds. Lunch is sometimes taken at the library; it is also a good spot to read a book or relax with a cup of tea. Another feature of the Lodge is the Fugitives’ Drift Museum, which contains a selection of pictures, newspapers, newspaper cuttings, woodcuts, and original artefacts collected by and donated to the Rattray family over the years. Items in the museum range from Stone Age tools and locally-forged iron implements found on the property, to relics of the battlefields found over the years.