I ascend from my gorgeously warm, beautiful big bed at some ungodly uncivilized hour of the morning for a scrumptious breakfast with all the trimmings. Shortly thereafter we set out on foot to the local village just beneath the lodge. We enter a dimly lit hut and a hushed silence ensues as we await the local "Sangoma" or faith healer. He enters and sits quietly opposite us, cross-legged. Dalton explains that he is preparing to communicate with the ancestors. The locals believe that the only way to communicate with God is through a Sangoma who is a conduit to the ancestors – Sangomas are thus revered and even feared.

The Sangoma then starts dancing and swaying to the hypnotic rhythm of a drum played by a young woman. The sounds emanating from deep inside his body are raw and primordial. The experience is ethereal and rather disconcerting actually. Every nerve in my body seems on end.

After we say our goodbyes to this motley crew, we head to a typical mud hut where we're invited in by the occupant – one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. She must be in her late 80s or even 90s and her eyes spill over with the wisdom of a thousand lives.

Dalton explains just how extraordinary the architecture and design of the place is; cool in summer and insulated in winter, completely sheltered against the elements. Later that day, as the sun sets slowly behind the staggering cumulus bellow of clouds, the sound of children's voices, women singing ancient songs and the odd bleat of a goat lazily float up to where I'm sitting on the veranda at the Lodge. I stare at the silhouetted sphinx of the hill where the anguished cries of the soldiers have now gone quiet. A sense of peace envelops me in this unique twilight. Maybe war is like that. Like the one lover that lives forever in the corners of your memory, these men may have been forgiven but never forgotten.

A while later lighting starts dancing across the horizon like frenzied crazed strobes accompanied by an ominous rumble of thunder. The entire night is alive with an enormous surge of electricity as the storm comes closer and closer with every wisp of the wind blowing in my face. Suddenly the wind changes and the entire spectacle of noise and light passes in front of us as if nature thought it a fitting ending to an experience that will stay with me vividly for many years to come. The Anglo-Zulu War is an enduring story of courage and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and tragedy.

Contacts:

http://www.isandlwana.co.za/

Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorke's_Drift for a full account of the Battle at Rorke's Drift. For the historic battle at Spioenkop, go to http://www.places.co.za/html/spioenkop.html

Go to http://www.tourism-kzn.org/ for general information on the KwaZulu Natal Province of South Africa.

Activities:

Isandlwana Lodge is within comfortable driving distance of several of Africa's most spectacular game reserves, enabling guests to combine enjoyment of Zululand's rich wildlife heritage as well as the living history of the battlefields. The adjoining Umfolozo and Hluhluwe game reserves, (the most long-established on the continent), host 'The Big Five' (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo), but are perhaps best known for the part they played in preventing the total extinction of Africa's rhino population. Both the black and white species of rhino are found here. Mkuzi game reserve (superb natural parkland beneath the Lebombo Mountains, is world famous for its abundance of bird life. More than 500 species of birds have been recorded in Mkuzi, where visitors are encouraged to use the numerous hides on the riverbank and lakeside to view the passing panoply of wildlife. Among numerous other reserves run by the KwaZulu Natal Nature Conservation Service, the newly proclaimed Itala Game Reserve in the north offers visitors an opportunity to mingle with herds of giraffe, zebra and an amazing variety of antelope in a unique setting of valleys surrounded by almost mystical rock formations, reminders of the wild and untamed Africa of yesteryear. In addition, if the skies are clear on the evening of September 26, Mars, Saturn and Mercury will be visible in the west after sunset, and Saturn's rings will be visible in all their splendor. At sundown, astronomer Terry Leaver will guide guests through the evening stars, and explain how our planet, solar system and galaxy all fit into the greater cosmos.

Getting there:

South African Airways offers daily non-stop flights between Beijing and Johannesburg in South Africa. From Johannesburg it is advisable to rent a car since Isandlwana is about a 5-hour drive by car.