Things to Do on the Midlands Meander: 32 Ideas from Howick to Kamberg

The Midlands Meander is the five routes the Midlands Meander Association maps through the KZN Midlands: Hilton, Howick and Karkloof; Curry's Post, Balgowan and Mount West; the Dargle, Boston and Fort Nottingham; Lions River, Lidgetton, Balgowan and Nottingham Road; and Mooi River, Rosetta and Kamberg. Here are 32 things to do along them. We checked each one in October 2026 against its own website, the association's 2026/7 guide or a dated report, not by visiting, so confirm prices and hours before you drive. Two are annual events.

Pick by the kind of day

• Just turn up: Howick Falls (1), uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve (4), Netherwood Farm (14), Groundcover (22), Piggly Wiggly (26) and the Karkloof Farmers Market on a Saturday morning (19).
• Book first: the Karkloof Canopy Tour (9), CryptIQ Escape Games (11), Abingdon Wine Estate (16), a brewery tour at Rawdons (15), the Tony Kerr Trail at Fort Nottingham (29) and tickets for the Capture Site (28).
• With small children: Piggly Wiggly and the DinoZone (26), Horse Shoe Bend (27), the Farmyard at Netherwood (14), Epic Karting (10) and Chocolate Heaven (18).
• A rainy day: CryptIQ (11), the visitor centre at the Capture Site (28), Chocolate Heaven (18) and The Platform Gallery (24).
• Something more active: the Gorge Walk (2), Karkloof Falls (3), iNhlosane Mountain (5) and the Canopy Tour (9).
• A quiet morning: the Kilgobbin Forest Walk on the first Thursday of the month (6), Kamberg (7) and the gardens at Midlands Fable (20) and Brahman Hills (21).

Waterfalls, trails and water

1. Howick Falls. KwaNogqaza, the "Place of the Tall One", drops about 95 metres on the uMngeni River, and you see it from a public platform in town. Zulu legend says the Inkanyamba, a serpent-like creature, lives in the pool at the bottom. See our waterfall guide and Legends and Lore.
2. The Howick Falls Gorge Walk. The trail starts at the end of Harvard Street and runs through riverine forest and past grottos to the pool at the foot of the falls. Our waterfall guide suggests going with a group.
3. Karkloof Falls. A near-vertical drop of about 105 metres, reached on a 6.9 kilometre trail there and back. The road entrance is signposted off the Karkloof Road out of Howick.
4. uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve. WESSA's reserve at 1 Karkloof Road, Howick, with walks to Shelter Falls and the Cascades, rock pools, and zebra, giraffe and blue wildebeest. Entry is R40 for adults and R30 for children under 12.
5. iNhlosane Mountain. The hill you can see from most of the Midlands. The steep climb from Mount Park Guest Farm in the upper Dargle goes through mistbelt forest before it opens onto the hillside, and Mount Park's restaurant serves light meals afterwards.
6. The Kilgobbin Forest Walk. A walk in the Dargle Nature Reserve on the first Thursday of every month, from 09:00 to 11:00. It costs R50, and all of it goes to the Dargle Conservancy, which also partners on guided mushroom walks. See The Secret Life of Mistbelt Mushrooms.
7. Kamberg Nature Reserve. Grassland and rocky hills out past Rosetta, with hikes to waterfalls, trout fishing and a rock art centre. Walks to the San paintings at Game Pass Shelter are guided, so ask Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife for the times.
8. Midmar Dam. Sailing, canoeing, fishing and picnics at the resort on the dam outside Howick.

Adventure

9. The Karkloof Canopy Tour. Twelve platforms and ten zip lines through the Karkloof Forest Reserve, the longest 200 metres, with a lead guide and a safety guide. It takes about two hours and costs R795 for adults and R695 for children. The minimum age is 6 and the weight limit 120 kg. Booking is essential.
10. Epic Karting Midlands, Balgowan. An outdoor electric go-kart track, which it says is the only one in South Africa, with a two-seater kart so an adult can drive beside a child. There is also an indoor junior track, target shooting, sand art and the Midlands Harvest Cafe. Our 2022 family fun story covered the track when it was CheckPoint 103.
11. CryptIQ Escape Games. Escape rooms, virtual reality on Meta Quest 3 headsets, and resident alpacas and dwarf goats, on a farm on the Meander. Open on Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays from 09:30 to 17:00, and every day in school and public holidays except Christmas Day. Book first. Children aged 12 and under need a parent or guardian with them.
12. Golf at Gowrie Farm, Bosch Hoek or Mooi River. Gowrie Farm in Nottingham Road has a classically designed 18-hole course. Bosch Hoek has a nine-hole course with 18 tees, and Mooi River Country Club a nine-hole course that it says is rated 25th among South Africa's nine-hole courses.
13. Trout and bass at Troutbagger. Two dams 4 km from the N3 Nottingham Road interchange on the Curry's Post road, the P165. The biggest trout recorded there weighed 7.4 kg and the biggest bass 6.1 kg. It is run by Springbok angler Gary Maas and his wife, Shirley.

Farms, food and drink

14. Netherwood Farm, Nottingham Road. A working cattle farm facing the Drakensberg, with the Blueberry Café and the Blueberry Brewery. Children have the Farmyard: indoor play, arts and crafts, a jumping pillow, a bike track, a playground and the stables. Farm Fridays run every Friday from 18:30 to 20:30. See The Heart of Netherwood Farm.
15. Nottingham Road Brewery at Rawdons. It calls itself the oldest craft brewery in KZN. Drink on the deck in the grounds of the Rawdons Hotel, order a tasting paddle, or book a tour and tasting or a gin-making session.
16. Abingdon Wine Estate, Lions River. Its maiden vintage, in 2007, was KwaZulu-Natal's first certified estate wine. A tasting of five wines costs R150, and the estate and its restaurant open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 to 17:00. Booking is essential.
17. Highgate Wine Estate, Lions River. Tastings of wine grown on the estate, cellar and vineyard tours, and brunch and lunch, on the same R103 property as Piggly Wiggly. Weddings can change the hours, so call first.
18. Chocolate Heaven, Nottingham Road. Chocolate dipping, handmade truffles and slabs at the factory shop at The Junction on the R103, open daily from 09:00 to 16:00. A second shop is at Piggly Wiggly. Both close on Christmas Day.
19. Karkloof Farmers Market. An indoor market on Saturday mornings, with fresh vegetables, home baking, big breakfasts, coffee, local crafts and things for children to do.

Gardens

20. Midlands Fable, Curry's Post. Gardens, the Fable Eatery, a taproom and the Market Shed at 85 Curry's Post Road. There is a trail run every Saturday at 08:00, high tea on the first Wednesday of the month and a quiz on the last Thursday. James and Beth Kelly also host an annual cabbage competition. See Midlands Fable and The Mightiest Cabbage.
21. Brahman Hills, Mount West. Gardens with sculpture, an underground orchid house and the Serenity Garden, a 22-hectare labyrinth that Brahman Hills describes as a world record. Day visitors are welcome. It is on the Old Curry's Post Road near Nottingham Road. See Sculpted Midlands Stories.

Makers and crafts

22. Groundcover Leather Company, Curry's Post. Handmade shoes, boots and bags since 1990, made in a solar-powered factory on the farm and sold from a restored settler's cottage. Look for the bronze shoemaker and elves behind the shop. Open from 08:30 to 17:00, closed on Christmas Day.
23. Shuttleworth Weaving, Nottingham Road. Helen and Andy Shuttleworth were founder members of the Meander. Their son Rob and his wife, Julia, now make handspun, hand-dyed and handwoven rugs and throws, sold from a showroom in central Nottingham Road, open Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 16:30.
24. The Platform Gallery. Listed on the Meander's Lions River to Nottingham Road route. It says it has one of South Africa's largest collections of bronze sculpture, alongside fine art, Nguni hides and The Local Café, which is in a double-decker bus.
25. Lidgetton Crafters Guild. Crochet rugs, pottery and ceramics from a community group that began with five gogos learning to crochet and sew. It is on the P133, the road to Caversham Mill, and opens Thursday to Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00, and on public holidays except Christmas.

With children

26. Piggly Wiggly, Lions River. Shops, the Piggy Zip Line and pottery painting at Zulu Lulu, on the R103. At the DinoZone children dig up dinosaurs, cast fossils and pan for gemstones, from Wednesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 16:00. Wedgewood's Midlands Emporium sells nougat ice cream. Outside food is not allowed. See Celebrating 20 Years and Wedgewood Story, 25 Years On.
27. Horse Shoe Bend. Next to the Capture Site: indoor and outdoor play areas, an animal farm, pony rides and a high-wire obstacle course, with a restaurant and live music on Sunday afternoons. Open daily from 09:00 to 16:00, except Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

History and culture

28. The Nelson Mandela Capture Site. Mandela was arrested on the R103 outside Howick on 5 August 1962. The visitor centre follows the years from that journey to democracy, and Marco Cianfanelli's sculpture of 50 steel columns, unveiled in 2012, lines up into his face from one spot. Open Thursday to Monday from 08:30 to 17:00, last entry 16:15. Tickets can be booked on its website.
29. Fort Nottingham. The fort was established in 1856, so 2026 is its 170th year. In the Fort Nottingham Nature Reserve, the 2 km Tony Kerr Trail climbs a wooded hillside, with some steep sections. Book first. See Fort Nottingham at 170 Years.
30. Zulu Mpophomeni Tourism Experience. Tours of Mpophomeni township near the Capture Site, with traditional meals, Zulu dance, storytelling and ancestral consultation.

Events

31. The Karkloof Classic. The Karkloof Polo Club's tournament draws more than 140 players and is billed as the biggest polo tournament in Africa. The 2026 event ran from 26 to 28 June. See Countryside Chukkas.
32. The aQuellé Midmar Mile. The open-water swim at Midmar Dam. The 54th edition is on 13 and 14 February 2027. In 2009 Guinness World Records recognised it as the largest open-water swim in the world, with 13,755 finishers.

Good to know

• Check closing days. The Capture Site is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the DinoZone on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Abingdon opens only on Fridays and Saturdays.
• The Midlands Meander Association's 2026/7 guide maps all five routes. The printed copy sells for R45 and the digital copy is on midlandsmeander.co.za. The association's office is open on weekdays from 08:00 to 16:00.
• Bring binoculars. More than 500 bird species have been recorded in the area from Hilton through Howick, the Dargle and Karkloof to Nottingham Road, the guide says.

Planning a day around lunch? See where to eat on the Midlands Meander.