Sightseeing Tours - World Library and Information Congress, Durban, South Africa, August 2007
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IFLA Conference

World Library and Information Congress: 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council

"Libraries for the future: Progress, Development and Partnerships"

19-23 August 2007, Durban, South Africa

Spanish translation  

Sightseeing Tours

Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23, August 2007

General Information and Cancellation Policy

Comfortable shoes and light wet weather clothing are recommended. All tours are designed to provide a memorable and comfortable visit. All participants and accompanying persons will be required to present their badge and a ticket at the start of the tour.

Early booking is recommended as these special tours could be fully booked at the time of the conference. Please indicate the tours of your choice on the registration form to be accompanied by the correct full payment. It will be endeavoured to book you on the tour of your choice; however, should the tour be full, the right is reserved to book you on a tour of similar interest.

Notification of cancellation of your reservations for tours must be submitted before 1 July, 2007 in writing to the Conference Secretariat, Concorde Services. After 1 July, 2007 no refunds can be made if you cancel your reservation. All conference tours will depart from the main entrance of the ICC (conference venue). The tours are based on a minimum of 4 passengers travelling. The tours include transport in luxury airconditioned vehicles, qualified registered guide and entrance fees where applicable.

All information regarding the tours is correct at the time of going to print. The organizers reserve the right to cancel a tour when the minimum has not been reached. Full refunds will then be made to participants after the conference.


Half day tours

Durban Orientation tour

Date: August 19, August 23 and August 24
Time: 09h00 - 12h00
Price: Euro 36.- per person

Start off your stay in Durban with a drive along the Marine Parade and enjoy a spectacular view of the blue seas and beaches. See the flamboyantly costumed Rickshaw pullers and their gaily-decorated carts. Proceed to Durban Harbour and see the Vasco Da Gama clock and the Dick King statue. Drive past the sugar terminal and the University of Natal. Visit the Botanical Gardens and enjoy the beauty of sub-tropical plants and orchids. Drive through the city centre and experience the vitality of the East at the Indian market where you may bargain for your souvenirs or just feast your eyes on the colourful spices.

Durban shopping experience - Pavilion or Gateway

Date: August 20 and August 25
Time: 09h00 - 12h30
Price: Euro 18.- per person

Visit the Pavilion or Gateway shopping malls and enjoy a wealth of shopping experiences. If all that shopping works up an appetite, then there is something for every palate from ethnic cuisine to casual dining from a selection of restaurants and coffee shops. The cost is for transfers only.

Valley of Thousand hills tour

Date: August 21 and August 25
Time: 13h30 - 17h00
Price: Euro 42.- per person

No trip to South Africa is complete without a trip to the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Drive through

the suburbs of Westville and the residential areas of Kloof; continue to the Safari Park that overlooks the spectacular Valley of a Thousand Hills. A visit to the crocodile farm and snake park leaves you spellbound. Visit PheZulu, a small homestead and learn about Zulu traditions and cultures and be enthralled with singing and dancing.

Township tour

Date: August 22 and August 24
Time: 08h30 - 12h00
Price: Euro 46.- per person

Experience a unique insight into urban Zulu life starting with a visit to the KwaMuhle Museum, to gain an understanding of the history of apartheid in Durban. Visit the township of Claremont, where you will be able to see the way of life of these township dwellers, and also visit Durban 's largest hostel KwaDabeka accommodating 20,000 people. The friendly people make the place well worth the visit.


Full day tours

Inland safari (Tala Game Reserve)

Date: August 20 and August 23
Time: 09h00 - 17h00
Price: Euro 120 - per person (Including lunch)

Depart Durban for a pleasant drive along the South Coast and then inland through lovely rural areas to Tala. This is a small private game farm, which has a delightful setting among the acacia trees and open plains. On arrival refreshments will be served under the trees. Game vehicles will arrive to take you on a game drive to have a close view of the game. You can expect to see giraffe, rhino, wildebeest, ostrich, antelope, warthog and hippos. The bird life is abundant. After your game drive lunch will be served at the Latala restaurant. Good South African wines (for your own account) and lunch will be enjoyed. A leisurely journey is planned for a trip home. Please note that no cash is accepted at Tala - credit cards payments only.

Sani Pass / Lesotho tour

Fully booked!

Date: August 21 and August 24
Time: 06h30 - 18h30
Price: Euro 155.- per person

A scenic drive from Durban through the Natal Midlands takes you to Underberg where you will transfer to a 4x4 vehicle for the ascent of the spectacular Sani Pass, which climbs 1300m in 12km, into the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho (passports required to enter Lesotho. Some passport holders may require visas). Discover the rustic charm of a Basotho settlement. Enjoy a meal at the highest pub in Africa (2784m) affording majestic views of the mountains.

Shakaland Zulu experience

Date: August 22
Time: 08h30 - 16h30
Price: Euro 132 - per person (including lunch)

This tour offers a rich experience of Zulu traditions. Travelling north along the Dolphin Coast through sugar plantations to the Shakaland, a Zulu kraal situated in the Nkwalini Valley, 160km from Durban. You will be given a visual explanation of Zulu traditions including, traditional dress, pottery, spear making, weaving, beer brewing, hut building and Zulu etiquette. After a thrilling display of tribal singing and dancing, a typical Zulu meal is served in an open rondavel overlooking the Goedetrou Dam. You leave with a unique and unforgettable experience.

Feathers & scales tour

Date: August 24
Time: 09h00 - 17h00
Price: Euro 109.- per person

We travel to the Umgeni Bird Park, where there are over 2000 exotic and indigenous birds from 280 species. There is a fun but informative "In flight" bird show, where a wide variety of previously sick birds have been nursed back to health and are on display in front of the visitors while the guide explains about that particular bird's habits, feeding etc. The visitor is also able to walk through the large aviaries. From the bird park we will visit the Japanese Gardens for a walk.

On arrival at Durban 's beachfront you will have time to take a walk along the promenade and to

have lunch (own account) before visiting the Fitzsimmons Snake park.

Hluhluwe Game Reserve

Date: August 25
Time: 07h00 - 19h00
Price: Euro 155.- per person

A drive up the Dolphin Coast, through the rolling sugar cane fields, to the wilderness of the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, the oldest in South Africa. A tour through the Reserve that saved the white rhinoceros from extinction will give you the opportunity to see some of the 1250 plant species, along with elephant, lion, buffalo, zebras, giraffe, nyala and the black and white rhino roaming around freely. This is also a bird watcher's paradise. You will experience new discoveries at every turn. Enjoy a picnic lunch at a suitable site in the Reserve. A cash bar will be available.


Pre conference tours

Drakensberg tour

Date: August 16 - 18
Time: 08h00 (day 1) - 17h00 (day 3)
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Price: Euro 616.- per person sharing; Euro 686.- Single.
(Tour starts and ends in Durban)

This tour will start with a scenic drive via the Valley of a Thousand Hills and Pietermaritzburg to the spectacular Howick Falls. Following lunch at a country inn, you will continue on to your overnight accommodation in the Drakensberg. After breakfast on the second day, you will be driven up the spectacular Sani Pass to the border of Lesotho (passports required to enter Lesotho; some passport holders may require visas). Discover the rustic charm of a Basotho settlement and learn more about the Sothos. After enjoying lunch at the highest pub in Africa (2784m) you will return down the Pass to your hotel. Following breakfast on the third day, you will have the morning at leisure to enjoy any optional activities such as horse riding, exploring the majestic mountains or bird watching. After lunch you will return to Durban.

Hluhluwe - Umfolozi Game Reserve - St Lucia tour

Minimum: 6 persons
Malaria precautions recommended

Date: August 16 - 18
Time: 08h00 (day 1) - 17h00 (day 3)
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Price: Euro 838.- per person sharing; Euro 1,139.- Single.
(Tour starts and ends in Durban)

Once the hunting ground of King Shaka, the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve abounds with animal and bird life. From Durban, driving along the North Coast you will learn about the Zulu wars, sugar farming, and other interesting local information. After lunch at Ubizane Private Game Reserve or similar, enjoy an afternoon game drive through the Ubizane Game Reserve in search of the Big 5. A boma is the setting for dinner and you will overnight at an Ubizane Tree Lodge, or similar. The second day starts with an early morning breakfast. Depart for a full day game viewing into the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve in search of the predators after their nightly kill. A picnic lunch will be served in the bush or lunch at Ubizane followed by another game drive to try and view the Big 5. Dinner will be served in the boma at the Lodge, where you will again spend the night. After breakfast on the third day, you can enjoy a boat cruise on St Lucia estuary, a World Heritage site, viewing the hippopotamuses and crocodiles as well as the magnificent bird life. After lunch you will return to Durban.


Post conference tours

Kruger National Park tour

Minimum: 5 persons
Malaria precautions are recommended.

Date: August 24 - 27 and August 25 - 28
Time: 08h30 (day 1) - 16h30 (day 4)
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Price: Euro 946.- per person sharing; Euro 1,061.- in a single room.
(Tour starts and ends in Johannesburg, travel Durban - Johannesburg not included)

The Kruger National Park is one of the most famous national parks in the world and is definitely the place to go if you want to see the 'Big Five' - safari country at its best. From Johannesburg, you will pass through Dullstroom, Lydenburg and over the scenically spectacular Long Tom Pass. A light lunch will be taken en-route in the Sabie or Graskop area and the afternoon is spent exploring the Panorama route before arriving at your lodge near Orighstadt for your overnight stay. The second day you will travel via Orpen Gate into The Kruger National Park. A light lunch will be taken en-route or at the camp. Enjoy an evening game drive in search of nocturnal animals. On day 3 spend the full day in the park in open vehicles, which will provide excellent game viewing opportunities. Included is a picnic lunch. Your coach will meet you at your next lodge for the last night in the park. On the last day, you will enjoy a leisurely drive back to Johannesburg.

Garden Route tour

Minimum: 5 persons
Physical Activity Level: Moderate - High

Date: August 24 - 27
Time: 08h30 (day 1) -17h00 (day 4)
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Price: Euro 1,160.- per person sharing; Euro 1,305 Single
(Tour starts in Durban and ends in Cape Town, travel Cape Town - Durban, if needed, is not included)

One of the world's most entrancing coastlines extends 230kms along the southern seaboard of South Africa, from Mossel Bay in the west to the Storms River in the east.

Highlights of this tour which starts in Port Elizabeth (after a one hour flight from Durban - cost included) would be a visit to the Tsitsikamma National Park, which offers the contrasting beauty of river, forest, sea and fynbos. Along the way take in the view at the Bloukrans Gorge and in Knysna explore the Western Heads - a private nature reserve on the Knysna estuary accessible only by ferry. Walk on the pristine beaches, visit the craft shops along the way and enjoy the spectacular scenery around Knysna, Wilderness and on the Outeniqua Pass. On the last day travel from Oudtshoorn, famous for the Cango Caves and the ostrich farms, via Swellendam to Hermanus (whale capital of the world). The tour finishes in Cape Town in the evening after a final trip along the spectacular Atlantic Ocean coastline.