Set amongst thicket and beside a picturesque valley, the suburb of Assagay lies to the west of Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. Assagay’s lucrative housing market consists mostly of gated communities with a sprinkling of farms, old colonial buildings and equestrian centres popular with the horse set.

Assagay is 30km from Durban’s city centre and beaches, the main highway running through the southern end of the suburb.

The climate in the area is subtropical with high temperatures and humidity, however, Assagay’s elevated position renders somewhat cooler and less humid conditions.

Many equestrian facilities such as the South African Jockey Academy and the Durban Shongweni Club are nearby while some estates offer country living alongside acres of paddocks.

Top 6 reasons to visit Assagay

1. Take a tour of the Assagay Coffee Farm to be guided through the process of coffee bean picking, milling and roasting. The tour ends with a welcome cup of fresh coffee.

2. Spend a day at the Phezulu Safari Park to experience a game safari, tour the crocodile and snake park and watch a traditional Zulu dance at the cultural village. The park has a restaurant on site.

3. Shongweni Farmer’s and Craft Market is held every Saturday in Shongweni. Stall owners sell items ranging from traditional crafts to fresh farm produce and bespoke jewellery.

4. Visit the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve where two spectacular river gorges meet. The reserve has several buck species, monkey and other mammals in the dense forests. The popular picnic site is located near a waterfall and has an interpretative centre.

5. For families with young children, Lucky Bean in Assagay has a play barn, sandpits, climbing gyms, a push bike track and various other attractions. There is a small restaurant on the premises and a nominal entrance fee.

6. The Umgeni Steam Railway Company operates the 1000 Hills Choo Choo steam train from Kloof to Inchanga stations on the last Sunday of every month. The train passes magnificent scenery before stopping at Inchanga where passengers can enjoy craft market offerings.

Transport

The nearest airport is King Shaka International Airport, 60km from Assagay. There are many car rental agencies in Durban city centre and at King Shaka airport to hire a vehicle, or you could order a vehicle online. Several shuttle service companies are based in Durban and the airport for travel to and from Assagay. Uber also operates in Durban, however, fees are costly and it’s best to hire a car.

Did you know?

The name Assagay originates from the first farm established here called Assagay Kraal. The farm’s name was taken either as a distortion of the assegai throwing spear or after the assegai tree that yields hard timber.

Contrary to popular belief, the Zulu king Shaka did not invent the assegai, long throwing spears were used by many nations prior to the introduction of the gun. However, he did invent a shorter version of the spear known as an iklwa and used for close combat fighting.