Battlefield Tours

The American Professor Shelby Foot said, ‘You cannot hope to understand the American people without understanding the Civil War.’ It could be said that you have little chance of understanding modern South Africa and South Africans if have no understanding of the Anglo-Boer War.

Three Tree Hill Lodge specialises in the history of the 2nd Anglo-Boer War from (1899 – 1902) with the Battle of Spioenkop being our focal point. One cannot however hope to understand this watershed event (not just for South Africa – it was ‘the longest, the costliest, the bloodiest and most humiliating war that Britain fought in between 1815 and 1914’) without studying what caused one of the smallest countries in the world to declare war on the worlds greatest empire of the time. Our guides, led by Simon Blackburn, bring this dramatic period of our history to life presenting world class, holistic, evocative and insightful tours.

Prices – Please refer to our Rates page for details of tour costs.

Battle of Colenso & Churchill’s Capture

This half-day tour departs for the site of Winston Churchill’s Capture, where the Boer forces took him prisoner. This event propelled him onto the political stage in Britain. The tour then proceeds to the site of the Battle of Colenso, where General Sir Redvers Buller suffered his first defeat in his attempt to relieve Ladysmith. In this battle 7 Victoria Crosses were won.

Battle of Spioenkop (Three Trees Flagship Tour – half-day)

Romantically situated on top of a hill with views that redefine ‘big sky country’, the tour tells of the bloodiest day of the war, played out by a cast seldom challenged. On that hill were Louis Botha (the 1st Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa), Winston Churchill (voted the most famous Briton of the 20th century) and Mohandas Ghandi (the future Mahatma). The result of this battle confirmed that those early disasters of ‘Black Week’ were not merely beginners luck on behalf of the Boers – Spioenkop is arguably the most famous of all battles between the British and the Boers.

Spioenkop or Spion Kop?

The name Spion Kop (Spy [Lookout] Hill) was given to this impressive hill by the Voortrekkers in 1837. This was the original Dutch spelling and is still the English version. Spioenkop is the modern Afrikaans spelling. So, as you wish.

‘The Kop’ at Anfield

The Lancashire Brigade comprised the majority of the force on Spioenkop, hence the ‘Kop End’ at the home of Liverpool Football Club, Anfield. Indeed had you visited any football ground between Leeds and Liverpool 100 years ago the home supporters’ end would have been a mound of earth and rubble from which the locals watched their team. It reminded them of the stories of ‘Spion Kop’ in the Boer War and over the years ‘Spion Kop’ became ‘The Kop’. As these mounds became grand stands some of them kept their names, the most famous being Anfield.

Talana, Dundee, Elandslaagte, Wagon Hill, Ladysmith, Vaalkrans, as well as the Battle of Blood River 1838

Tours can be organised to any of these battlefields listed by prior arrangement only.

Anglo-Zulu War Tours: Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift

Tours of the Anglo-Zulu War are conducted by our sister lodge Fugitive’s Drift, which is located between Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. These tours are conducted daily by Fugitive’s Drift, which is situated approximately 2,5 hours drive from Three Trees near the town of Dundee. Prior arrangement will need to be made for these tours.