Standing on a crest 366m above sea level, Cowies Hill looks out high above Pinetown in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Cowies Hill consists of exclusive properties with large established gardens and a strong sense of community. The suburb has a hall and sports club with 6 floodlit tennis courts. A pre-primary school is located here too with higher learning schools in adjoining suburbs and the University of KwaZulu-Natal campus only 6km away.

Cowies Hill features prominently in marathon runner’s minds; it’s the punishing hill to be negotiated on the final run into Durban during the Comrades Marathon down run and also the cut-off point where runners are turned away if they haven’t reached Cowies Hill within a specified time period.

From its elevated position, Cowies Hill residents have exceptional views of Pinetown and surrounding greenery, the thick foliage thriving in the region’s subtropical climate. And for visitors, Cowies Hill is easily accessible, with major highways bordering the southern end of the suburb.

Top 6 reasons to visit Cowies Hill

1. Visit the beautiful Marianhill monastery outside Durban, built by Trappist monks in 1882. Tours are offered of the facility and the museum, and an occasional flea market takes place here.

2. Cowies Hill is a short 10 minute drive into Durban to spend some time exploring the city and a swim in the sea at one of the many beaches in and around Durban.

3. Millions of visitors pass through The Pavilion shopping mall in Westville every month, attracted by the over 200 quality stores, almost 40 eateries, 10 cinemas and the many exhibitions and events held in the mall.

4. Keep active with a climbing session at the Southern Rock Climbing Gym in nearby New Germany. The venue has a number of indoor climbing routes with varying degrees of difficulty, and a bouldering cave to try and master this sport.

5. The New Germany Nature Reserve has a circular trail for hikers to enjoy the outdoors. The hide alongside the reserve’s waterhole gives visitors the opportunity of seeing small mammals, diverse buck species, zebra and the shy samango monkey hovering in the trees. There are shaded picnic areas in the park.

6. Watch or participate in the Comrades Marathon, the world’s largest and oldest ultra-marathon. The 87km race takes place in May every year and attracts runners from all over the world.  

Transport

The nearest airport is King Shaka International Airport, 40km from Cowies Hill. Many car rental agencies are located in Pinetown and at King Shaka airport to hire a vehicle, or you could order a rental online. Several metered taxis and shuttle service companies operate out of Durban and the airport for travel to and from Cowies Hill, otherwise use the Uber cellphone app to call a cab.

Did you know?

Lahee Park swimming pool in Pinetown is the training base for Olympic gold medallist Chad le Clos. It’s also where Princess Charlene of Monaco, a past Commonwealth and All Africa Games medals winner, used to train.

In the 1950s, a runner by the name of Don Spencer prepared for the Comrades Marathon by bussing to Durban, changing into running gear at the station and posting his clothes back to his home in Pietermaritzburg before setting off on the 87km run. He did this 4 times in the month before the race. For the record, he came second in the race.