Howick

Howick is a town of about 20,000 in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, laid out in 1850 at the spot where the uMngeni River drops 95 m over a dolerite cliff. The falls are right in town. Howick is the usual stop on the Midlands Meander, a loose network of farm shops, potteries, breweries and country restaurants along the R103 and its side roads, and it is 10 km from the place where Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962. At 1,050 m it is noticeably cooler than Durban.

Getting there

Howick sits beside the N3, the Durban to Johannesburg motorway, about an hour’s drive from Durban and four and a half from Johannesburg. Three exits are signed; locals suggest the Tweedie/Howick one. There is no public transport worth relying on, so hire a car, which you will want anyway for the Meander.

When to go

The Midlands is hot and wet in summer, with highs around 30 °C and afternoon storms, and cool and dry in winter, with highs near 15 °C, nights close to freezing, frost and the occasional snowfall; that is when the fireplaces in the country pubs earn their keep. The waterfall is fullest after summer rain.

What to do

Look at Howick Falls from the viewing platform, then, if you are fit, take the two-hour Gorge Walk down to the pools at the bottom. The Zulu name is kwaNogqaza, “the place of the tall one”. Below the falls, the uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve covers 700 hectares with walking trails among eland, giraffe, zebra and nyala.

The Nelson Mandela Capture Site is on the R103 just outside town, where police flagged down the car in which Mandela was posing as a chauffeur on 5 August 1962. Marco Cianfanelli’s monument is a field of steel columns between 6.5 and 9.5 m tall; walk the path towards it and watch what the columns do. The visitor centre is open Thursday to Monday 08:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:15, and is closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Midmar Dam, 7 km away, has a nature reserve with white rhino and antelope, sailing and fishing. The Karkloof Canopy Tour, in a patch of indigenous mistbelt forest east of town, runs ten zip-line slides, the longest 200 m, over about two hours; anyone from six to eighty-plus can do it, up to 120 kg. Karkloof Falls is 16 km east. The Midlands Meander itself is five routes stretching from Hilton north to Mooi River, with Nottingham Road, Lidgetton, Balgowan, Curry’s Post and Rosetta the other main stops.

Good to know

Howick is a safe, slow town but keep the car locked and do not leave things visible inside it. The Gorge Walk is steep and slippery after rain; wear proper shoes. The Howick Museum keeps short hours (weekday mornings and early afternoons, and weekend mornings), so check before you go. The Karkloof is mistbelt country and fog on the back roads is common; drive slowly.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Midlands Meander Association, Karkloof Canopy Tour, Wikipedia.