Principal river, KwaZulu/Natal province, South Africa.
It rises in the Mont-aux-Sources plateau and hurtles 3,110 ft (948 m) down a series of waterfalls to cut through Tugela Gorge. It ends its 312-mi (502-km) course at the Indian Ocean. It was the scene of battles in the South African War in 1899–1900. Historically, the Tugela marked the southern boundary of Zululand .