Eshowe offers a window on history as it is the oldest town in Zululand. King Cetshwayo was born and died here and it was King Mpande who first invited the Norwegian missionary, the Reverend Ommund Oftebro to settle his mission station here in 1861, thereby forever changing the face of Eshowe. 

Mtunzini is characterised by natural beauty and is a popular coastal town. UMlalazi Nature Reserve, controlled by Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, covers 1 028 hectares. The zebra is often found grazing in the nature reserve. The uMlalazi Reserve and the Amatikulu Reserve together form the Siyaya Coastal Reserve, which stretches from the uMlalazi River in the north, in a narrow band along the coast southwards almost to the Thukela (Tugela) River. Amatikulu Reserve and access is via the N2 approximately 30 km south of Mtunzini. There are 5 different ecosystems, namely estuarine, dune scrub, dune forest, coastal riverine and coastal forest which characterise the Mtunzini area providing diverse natural environment. There is a thriving population of giraffe as well as waterbuck and a number of smaller antelope. 

The uMlalazi Municipality has vast potential for enhancing tourism in the area but the access by road is problematic as the areas are mountainous with fores t. The Goedertrouw/Phobane Dam offers the opportunity for a range of water sports, together with camping and picnic spots, however this need to be developed still and once completed will assist local communities with jobs and upliftment. It is supplementary to the areas of eco-tourism in the uMlalazi area. Thukela Valley is an area of outstanding scenic beauty and represents rugged countryside. 

The Eshowe Butterfly Dome is located adjacent to Nongqyai Museum Village, in Eshowe. It is an eco-tourism venture with the purpose of bringing future job opportunities to the community of the uMlalazi Municipality and educates school children and tourists on the value of indigenous vegetation and its connection with the associated insect species. The ultimate goal is biodiversity conservation awareness. The dome is a 20m x 10m geodesic structure covered with insect netting. Inside it is landscaped with indigenous butterfly host plants in order for the butterflies to undergo several life cycles and keeping a steady population of different species. All the butterflies inside the dome are indigenous in South Africa. The person in charge of breeding butterflies, collect few females from the wild and releases them into a breeding cage. There, the butterflies lay eggs which then are collected by the staff member. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars are raised till they reach the pupa stage. Then they will move the chrysalides to the butterfly dome where they eventually will hatch. Therefore, all the butterflies inside the dome are raised in captivity. The Eshowe Butterfly Dome is part of the Butterfly Route, which is an initiative of African Conservation Trust out of a request by Dr . Americo Bonkewitzz to establish a community based Indigenous Butterfly education project s pecifically for the children of uMlalazi. The Eshowe Butterfly Dome is committed to the enlightment of the local people about the pristine environment, the importance of the forest and the role of the insect fauna in the ecosystem and the advantage over other towns, to have a pristine natural indigenous forest within the town of Eshowe.

Currently there are many attractive tourist sites with many bed and breakfasts in the uMlalazi area which draw large
number tourists to the area.