Nongoma is best known for the fact that it the home of King Goodwill Zwelthini of the Zulus. It is situated about 300km north of Durban and 56km from the ex capital of KwaZulu-Natal, Ulundi. The king has four palaces in the town which house his various wives.
The area was the scene of a number of battles between different tribes and the British built Fort Ivuna here in 1887 in a bid to separate the warring factions. The town owes its beginnings to the building of this fort. Nongoma was destroyed by the uSuthu in 1888 but was later rebuilt and used during the Bambatha Rebellion in 1906.
The town has become an important tourist attraction as the seat of the reigning Zulu monarch and the owner of the Nongoma Lodge, Mlungisi, Percy Nzuzu has played a major role in developing the town’s tourism. Today it is a thriving tourist destination and is part of the Zululand Heritage Route, otherwise known as Zululand Route 66.
It is also centrally situated in relation to a number of major tourist attractions – the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve is within easy driving distance as is the Nthala Game Reserve and the eMakhosini Opathe Heritage Park. The town is virtually on the boundary of the Ngome State Forest within which is the spectacular Ntendeka Wilderness Area with its imposing cliffs and dense canopy forest.
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