A town taking its name from the Utongani River on whose banks it was formed as a housing project for the sugar industry labour force in 1945.

Aesthetically English colonial but distinctly cosmopolitan in flavour, Tongaat, part of the Sugar Coast, now supports one of the largest sugar-producing districts in the world.

Activities

Crocodile Creek
Visitors can view baby hatchlings and the 700kg cretures they become.

Dudley Pringle Dam
A scenic venue north of the town; ideal for picnicking and watersports.

Jagnat Puri Temple
Built in 1920 by the late Pandit Sirikishan Maharaj in a North Idian style, it is a national monument.

Maidstone Sugar Mill
One of the country's first mills, completed in 1850. Some original sugar-crushing methods are still employed.

Scenic Drives
Many drives in the area are pictureque including the road from Verulam and the wonderful parks and gardens of Amanzimyama on the approach into Tongaat.

Sri Siva Soobramaniar Temple
The temple hosts what is arguably the country's largest Kavadi Festival, involving some of the oldest religious rituals in recorded history.