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TRAVEL
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#1 Fordoun Hotel & Spa
Flying into Durban, you can see why
this part of South Africa is known for its
rolling hills and its proximity to the warm
Indian Ocean. This area was home to
the infamous King Shaka, after whom
the airport is named. Round thatched
rondavels
(huts) dot the terrain – a part
of the Zulu way of life.
A trip to Fordoun Hotel & Spa offers a
glimpse of the country’s ever-changing
landscape as you drive approximately
two hours inland, towards the
Drakensberg mountain range (named
for the dragon’s back it resembles).
Fordoun isa remarkableestablishment.
A renovated dairy, this family-run spa
takes wellbeing to a whole new level
on a farm reminiscent of the English
countryside. The spa here has been given
an innovative twist with the introduction
of a traditional
sangoma
(healer); these
people are alchemists of medicines
from indigenous plants, with rituals that
include the throwing of bones.
The healer at Fordoun is the
remarkable Dr Elliot Ndlovu, whose
indigenous garden includes plants that
act as either stimulants or relaxants,
and which are used by the spa. Dr
Ndlovu believes in the preservation
of Africa’s indigenous flora, in the
strength of community, and in Ubuntu,
the philosophy that the universal
bonds of humanity are what bind
us. His tales of ancestral apparitions
may be challenging for some, but his
unwavering belief in African traditional
healing has endeared him to many
former cynics, and led to consultations
with Oscar nominees, a meeting with the
British Queen and a visit from a former
state president.
Aside from seeing Dr Ndlovu, guests
can experience the energy of healing
through highly trained therapists within
the tranquillity of Fordoun Spa. While
my treatment had no spiritual aspect,
I did enjoy the indulgence of a body
scrub and massage using mud from
a white mountain in the Drakensberg
– a place of spiritual importance to