Fugitives' Drift Lodge — first-paint frame

Fugitives' Drift Lodge

A historical estate above the Buffalo river.

Walk the Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift battlefields.

Fugitives' Drift Lodge stands on a registered Natural Heritage Site above the Buffalo River, overlooking both Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.

  • Established 1989Rattray family since 1989
  • KwaZulu-Natal BattlefieldsKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
  • “Ness Award”Royal Geographical Society, 1999

About Fugitives' Drift Lodge

Fugitives' Drift Lodge stands on a registered Natural Heritage Site above the Buffalo River, overlooking both Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift. David and Nicky Rattray began building the lodge in 1989 and ran the first battlefield tours in 1990. The graves of Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill, who died carrying the Queen's Colour from Isandlwana in 1879, lie on the property, fifteen minutes' walk from the lodge.

David Rattray's storytelling drew visitors from around the world, and the Royal Geographical Society presented him with its Ness Award in 1999. After his death in 2007 the family carried the work forward; his son Douglas leads the guide team today. Rates cover full board and a guided walk to the Melvill and Coghill graves. The morning Isandlwana tour and the afternoon Rorke's Drift tour are billed separately, and unguided trails across the reserve are free.

What’s included

  • A breakfast table set on the deck with a juice carafe, framed by foliage and the glass dining room behind.

    All meals

    The rate basis is full board — breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner — taken communally in the dining room or out on the deck.

  • A long dining table set on a covered veranda with kudu horns on the wall, overlooking the gorge at dusk.

    Teas and coffees

    Teas and coffees through the day are named on the inclusion list at both the Lodge and the Guest House.

  • A bar shelf lined with spirit bottles and hanging wine glasses below African pottery and a woven basket.

    Local drinks at the Lodge

    The Lodge rate includes local drinks; the Guest House inclusion list carries meals and teas but not drinks.

  • A whitewashed pedestal topped with a stone cross inscribed to Melvill and Coghill against a blue sky.

    Melvill and Coghill grave walk

    A guided walk to the graves of Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill, fifteen minutes from both houses, is named on the inclusion list.

  • A gnarled tree grows from a sandstone cliff edge above a wooded valley at dusk.

    Unguided reserve trails

    There is no charge for unguided walks across the reserve; maps and water come from reception.

  • A lounge with sofas, a book-stacked coffee table, and a framed physical map of Africa on the wall, lit by lamps at dusk.

    Wi-Fi

    Wi-Fi is included at both the Lodge and the Guest House.

Plan your stay

Enquire

We will reply personally within four hours.

Where you stay

Sixteen rooms across the lodge and the guest house, above the Buffalo gorge.

  • The lodge room wing at dusk, its verandas lit from within, with an aloe in the foreground and the plains behind.
  • A lodge bathroom with a freestanding tub, twin basins on a wooden vanity and a tiled walk-in shower.
  • A bedroom with a four-poster bed draped in a mosquito net, a grey sofa and armchair, and a polished concrete floor, with an en-suite bathroom through the doorway.

Lodge room

Sleeps 2

Ten en-suite rooms with verandas at the lodge.

  • A bed dressed in white linen with green and floral cushions against a whitewashed stone wall, beside a lamp and a framed engraving.
  • A guest house bedroom with a king bed under a vaulted ceiling, whitewashed brick walls, wicker chairs and a dressing table with a mirror.
  • A swimming pool beside a shaded timber pergola and sun loungers, with acacia trees and reserve hills behind at a low sun.
  • A brick fire-circle bench with cushions around a lit fire pit on a patio, with a garden, pool, and green reserve hills beyond.

Guest house room

Sleeps 2

Six individually decorated rooms with garden verandas. Children under 12 stay here.

  • The Umzinyathi stone farmhouse with a red corrugated roof and a vine-covered veranda set among dry bushveld.
  • An Umzinyathi bedroom with an antique wardrobe, a writing desk, a mirror and binoculars resting on the bed.
  • Interior of the Umzinyathi farmhouse with a framed antique map, glass-front bookcases, and a round table set with a bowl of lemons.
  • Sitting room in the Umzinyathi farmhouse with sofas, cushions, a fireplace, and framed pictures.

Umzinyathi farmhouse

Sleeps 6

A three-bedroom self-catered farmhouse, a short drive from the lodge.

Gallery

Showing photo 1of 8

Show all photos

Experiences

Battlefield storytelling above the Buffalo River gorge.

A guide in a hat points toward the Isandlwana battlefield while three visitors sit and listen beside a white memorial and whitewashed stone cairns, with the sphinx-shaped mountain behind.

Stand at Isandlwana where the 1879 battle turned, told over a half-day tour.

Extra
A lodge guide with a walking stick stands beside the old stone building with a red roof and tall chimney at Rorke’s Drift as the sun sets behind a tree.

Walk Rorke’s Drift at the hour the defence began, with the story told on the ground.

Extra
A whitewashed pedestal topped with a stone cross inscribed to Melvill and Coghill stands against a blue sky among green trees.

Walk to the Queen’s Colour crossing and the graves of Melvill and Coghill.

Included
Acacia trees and an aloe stand in open grassland at dawn, with green hills and a pointed peak on the horizon.

Roam the private reserve’s trails above the gorge, maps and water from reception.

Included
The sun sets over the Buffalo River gorge, with the river winding between wooded hills.

Trace the fugitives’ five-mile escape route down to the Buffalo River.

Extra

Journeys

Every journey below includes Fugitives' Drift Lodge and books as one stay.

Map

Fugitives' Drift, KwaZulu-Natal Battlefields, South Africa

The lodge stands on Fugitives' Drift, a registered Natural Heritage Site of about 2 000 hectares above the Buffalo River gorge. The property holds the drift where survivors of Isandlwana crossed the river on 22 January 1879. Rorke's Drift lies about 9 kilometres away by road.

Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill carried the Queen’s Colour from the field, crossed the flooded river at the drift, and were killed on the far bank. Both received posthumous Victoria Crosses in 1907, and their graves stand a short walk from the lodge. The Rattray family founded the lodge and built its tradition of battlefield storytelling.

Things to know

Cancellation policy

  • The deposit returns in full more than 60 days before arrival.
  • The deposit is 50% of the booking value.
  • The balance is due 30 days before arrival.
Read the full policy

Lodge rules

  • Check-in from 12:00
  • Checkout by 10:00
  • The entrance gate locks at 18:00
See all rules

Rates and inclusions

  • Rates are quoted per person sharing per night in South African Rand, on a full-board basis; the battlefield tours are priced separately.
  • All meals
  • Teas and coffees
See what the rate covers

Common questions

Plan your stay at Fugitives' Drift Lodge

Other lodges

Makakatana Bay Lodge — first frame

Makakatana Bay Lodge

A private camp on Lake St Lucia, the only lodge inside iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Sungulwane Private Game Lodge — first frame

Sungulwane Private Game Lodge

A family-run hilltop lodge overlooking Zuka Private Game Reserve in northern Zululand.

Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge — first frame

Leopard Mountain Safari Lodge

A clifftop lodge above the Msunduze River in Manyoni Private Game Reserve.

Three Tree Hill — first frame

Three Tree Hill

A farmstead lodge in the Drakensberg foothills, facing Spioenkop across the valley.

Thonga Beach Lodge — first frame

Thonga Beach Lodge

A barefoot beach lodge in the Mabibi dune forest on the Maputaland coast.

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge — first frame

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

A ridge-top lodge inside Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park on Mpembeni community land.

Fugitives' Drift Lodge

We will reply personally within four hours.

Enquire