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.

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A guided walk through tall grassFugitives' Drift LodgeKwaZulu-Natal Battlefields
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  • 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.

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.

The lodge takes its name from the drift where survivors of Isandlwana crossed the Buffalo River in 1879. Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill died on the Natal bank carrying the Queen's Colour, and both were awarded posthumous Victoria Crosses. Their graves lie on the property, fifteen minutes' walk from the Lodge and the Guest House. The Fugitives' Drift Museum and the Harford Library at the main lodge hold books, papers, and artwork on the Anglo-Zulu War.

Tours leave for Isandlwana in the morning and Rorke's Drift in the afternoon, led by the lodge's guide team. The tour price covers transport, entrance fees, and refreshments, and is billed separately from accommodation. David Rattray first conducted the tours in 1990; his son Douglas returned to Fugitives' Drift in 2014 and now leads the guides.

The property is a registered Natural Heritage Site with twenty-two kilometres of Buffalo River frontage. Zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, and several antelope species live on the reserve, and more than 300 bird species have been recorded. Unguided walks carry no charge, with maps and water available from reception.

The Lodge has ten rooms with en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning, and verandas facing the plains that flank the Buffalo River gorge. The Guest House, a former farm homestead, has six rooms with its own pool and garden. Meals are taken communally in the dining room or out on the deck. The main lodge area was rebuilt in 2017.

The David Rattray Foundation, now operating as KHULA Education, was established in 2007 and supports under-resourced schools around Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana. A community and conservation levy is split equally between KHULA and the game reserve. The Royal Geographical Society's Ness Award citation honoured David Rattray "for recognition of widening the popular understanding of Zulu cultures of South Africa".

What’s included

  • A lodge lounge opening to the water

    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 lodge lounge opening to the water

    Teas and coffees

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

  • A lodge lounge opening to the water

    Local drinks at the Lodge

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

  • A guided walk through tall grass

    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 guided walk through tall grass

    Unguided reserve trails

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

  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing

    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.

  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing
  • The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light
  • A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia
  • The lodge deck above the water

Lodge room

Sleeps 2

Ten en-suite rooms with verandas at the lodge.

  • The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light
  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing
  • The lodge set among the coastal forest
  • A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia

Guest house room

Sleeps 2

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

  • A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia
  • The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light
  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing
  • The lodge set among the coastal forest

Umzinyathi farmhouse

Sleeps 6

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

Gallery

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Stories

Editorial stories are authored in Sanity and surface here once Studio entries land.

Experiences

Battlefield storytelling above the Buffalo River gorge.

A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia

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

Extra
The lodge set among the coastal forest

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

Extra
The lake at sunset seen from the lodge

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

Included
Wetland birds in flight over still water

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

Included
Indigenous coastal forest path opening onto the dune-fringed Indian Ocean

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

Extra

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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.

Common questions

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