Ekuthuleni is situated in the uMhlathuzana district, an outlying chieftaincy of the Eshowe District Municipality in the Zululand region of KwaZulu Natal province.

Ekuthuleni Village (meaning place of peace) is ideally situated on top of a hill overlooking a sparsely populated valley. It is without electricity and running water, as are most rural homesteads and villages in this area. Visitors are comfortably accommodated in huts furnished in the traditional way and are part of the traditional family ‘musi’ or homestead. Delicious, wholesome meals (both traditional and conventional) are eaten together with your village hosts in the dining hut.

The aim of Ekuthuleni Village Stay is to provide visitors with an authentic insight into the contemporary cultural lifestyle of the average rural Zulu person. In addition, the experience is fully integrated into the community life of the district. Nothing is contrived or ‘set-up’ for tourists, so the social and cultural programme is totally dependant on what is happening in the community at the time. You will be encouraged to immerse yourself in Zulu daily life, and to exchange culture with your hosts in a natural way borne out of shared experiences and activities.

Activities can include, for example, a morning’s excursion with a traditional healer into the nearby forest to collect herbs, bulbs, bark etc. that are then used in the preparation of traditional medicines. This experience reveals age old traditions that are still practiced on a daily basis.

A visit to the ‘practice’ of the local Sangoma (spiritual healer) also offers a non-commercialised insight into the role this important person plays in the community. Attending traditional wedding and other cultural ceremonies are spontaneous additions to a visit at Ekuthuleni if these coincide with your visit.

Ekuthuleni village does not qualify as a destination for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Gold Residential Stay.