2 Best Sights in Durban and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This drift (ford) was where, on 22 January 1879, the British survivors of the Battle of Isandlwana crossed the Buffalo River, and it was here that Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill were killed as they tried to save the Queen’s Colour. They are buried on the hillside above the drift, which is now on the grounds of what is now the Fugitives' Drift Lodge, part of a nature reserve. The Queen's Colour was later recovered and, now restored, hangs in Brecon Cathedral in Wales.  There's no information on-site, so read up about it before your visit, or hire an accredited battlefields guide.

This is by far the best of the Zulu War battlefields to see without a guide. A small museum and orientation center retells the story of the battle from the British perspective, with electronic diagrams, battle sounds, and dioramas. The British force at Rorke's Drift consisted of just 140 men, of whom 35 were ailing or wounded. They occupied a Swedish mission church and house, which had been converted into a storehouse and hospital. The Zulu forces numbered some 3,000–4,000 men, composed of the reserve regiments from the earlier battle of Isandlwana. When a survivor from Isandlwana sounded the warning at 3:15 pm, the tiny British force hastily erected a stockade of flour bags and biscuit boxes around the mission. The Zulus attacked 75 minutes later, and the fighting raged for 12 hours before the Zulus faltered and retreated. A record number of 11 Victoria Crosses (Britain's highest military honor) were awarded at Rorke's Drift.