Durban is the biggest city on South Africa's east coast and the busiest port in the country, a warm, humid, mixed-up place that feels much closer to the Indian Ocean world than to the Cape. The Zulu name for the area is eThekwini, and the city's mix of Zulu, Indian and British heritage shows everywhere, in the street names, the temples and mosques, and above all the food. Indentured laborers from India arrived from the 1860s to work the sugar plantations, and Durban now has the largest Indian-origin population outside India, which accounts for the bunny chow, a hollowed-out loaf filled with curry, that locals consider their own invention.
The seafront, known as the Golden Mile, runs along a wide beach with a promenade lined with hotels, and in the evening it fills with families and surfers. The Moses Mabhida stadium, with its big arch, dominates the skyline near the beach, and the Victoria Street Market is a good place to buy spices. Mahatma Gandhi lived here for twenty-one years from 1893, developing the ideas of nonviolent protest that he later took to India, and the city has several places that remember him.
The weather is warm to hot all year round. Summers are humid and can bring violent thunderstorms, and winters are mild and dry with clear blue skies. The best time to ride is from April to September, when the air is cooler and drier. Rain can fall hard and fast, making roads slick, and in 2022 floods caused heavy damage in and around the city.
For riders, Durban is a base rather than a ride in itself. The traffic can be heavy, and the highways are fast and busy, but beyond the city the coast road north to Ballito and Salt Rock has gentle curves and views of the sea, and the Valley of a Thousand Hills to the west offers pleasant winding roads through Zulu villages. Care with valuables and sensible parking habits are advisable, as in any big city.
Fuel and food are in plentiful supply, with stations on every main road and every kind of restaurant. Try a curry on the beachfront in the evening, and watch the ships queue off the port.