Natural Science Museum

Natural Science Museum

Natural Science Museum
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles78 reviews
Excellent
25
Very good
42
Average
7
Poor
3
Terrible
1

Kitty2204
Gillitts, South Africa37 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Family
Wow! The entry is free..so we didnt expect luch. But we were very surprised. I loved the museum musky smell..brings back memories of class trips. It was nice and quiet for a Saturday so the kids could roam and enjoy themselves a lot. Its a wide variety of everything and the exibitions are well looked after and clean. Carpets are also clean. Some stations dont have sound or light but all in all it didnt really mattered. Just loved every second. The tour is quick but you can stretch it out for as long as you want to. Just a warning...the art exibition on the top floor is not for kids...a bit radical for my taste
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NineofCups
at sea267 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2014 • Couples
The Durban Natural Science Museum was a pleasant surprise and the admission was free. You really have to look for it. It's not signed well and it's located on the second floor of the huge City Hall. We didn't expect much, but the exhibits were well-presented and interesting. Each animal exhibit indicates where the animal is found and its environmental status. From snakes to dung beetles to dinosaurs, birds and mammals, there's something interesting to learn in each gallery.
Written 15 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Genie D
United States69 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2014 • Family
The museum is in the center of Durban and is available to the public for free. It houses animals, butterflies, birds and fish collected over 200 years and also has a whole floor dedicated to dinosaurs. Many of their items cannot be found anywhere in the world or at other museums. All are life size and the entire museum takes about 4 hours to look at. The exhibits are wonderful and worth a visit or six. Very children friendly and if you have nothing to do on a weekend -go see the museum. Its open all day til 6pm Monday to Friday. The weekends 8 am to 2pm.
Written 10 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dranujkiran
New Delhi, India1,031 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2014 • Family
Situated on the 1st Floor of the very picturesque Durban City Hall this is a very pleasant place to spend an hour . Neat and well labeled display . Free entrance . Highlights have to be the Dodo display and the anti rhino poaching campaign . The fossil and bird gallery was also good .

Hot Tip - When in this area enjoy the views of the Mock Tudor Play House [ opposite the museum entrance ] , Durban City Hall . Gandhi statue at the Tourist Junction Information Centre and Workshop Shopping Mall are also nearby , within easy walking distance . Parking is a bit of a hassle as this is CBD - take the help of the unofficial parking attendants . They charge 3 Rands in addition to the regular 3 Rand ticket but you are put at ease .
Written 3 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TiredSoloWalker
Cape Town, South Africa20 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2017 • Solo
Inside the Durban City Hall, on the second storey – just walk straight up the staircase. The building is an immense Victorian wedding-cake, you can’t miss it. Free entrance. I spent a good hour in there, and a few minutes as well in the gallery upstairs.

Well-put-together wildlife dioramas – it’s rare to see taxidermy done in a non-creepy way! Informative and interesting displays on the different types of life, as well as displays on fossils, conservation, poaching, invasives, pests, etc. It’s not huge, but it’s very well done, by someone who knows what they’re doing and how to make it interesting!

I walked straight past the well-known Egyptian mummy – he’s in the foyer to the left of the reception desk, opposite the skeleton of the dodo. He's clearly the star of the museum! It almost seems a pity that Petenamun is here in Durban while a replica Egyptian tomb is in the Cape Town museum on the other side of the country – I found myself wishing they could shift Cape Town’s tomb to Durban so the poor old fellow can sleep in his own bed!
Written 2 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

712sandimac
Ballito, South Africa45 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Family
You'll need a couple of hours to wander around. I found this museum well kept and informative. well worth visiting for local or overseas visitors. There's no coffee shop though and nothing nice nearby that i found!
Written 2 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karen and Doug S
New York City, NY218 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2016 • Business
Located on the second floor of the City Hall, this small museum was worth seeing but could have been so much more. It was jarring to see life size replica of dinosaur suddenly appear around a corner that had nothing to do with the displays in the cases near it. Still I learned something and did enjoy several of the displays, like the various butterflies.
In contrast to the very few people who were visiting the museum, the public library was tremendously crowded with students and others who were enthusiastically enjoying its services.
Written 31 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

vsomerset
Cape Town, South Africa229 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2016 • Business
I enjoyed the display of various animals from around the country. For primary school children, its the ideal place to come and see the rich heritage of animals in our country. The display is almost real, which they will enjoy at their age.
More should be done to make this attractive to the general public.
Admission is free, which should be explored ...
Written 18 May 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

unguidedmissal
unguidedmissal161 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2015 • Couples
Not often one gets to see a place like this anymore...a real, old fashioned natural history museum. Lots of stuffed animal, often arranged in dioramas. lots of bones, eggs, nests, etc.. Not the first piece of digital media. All the displays are well lit and labelled in English. And, remember, we are in South Africa so that's where the animals come from. Good to see. Very educational. There are also things like artifacts from extinct creatures (like an elephant bird egg) and actual stuffed extinct animals (dodo). And the plumbing in the bathrooms is from, I'm guessing, the 19th century. Good way to spend a hot afternoon in Durban.
Written 31 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sharon B
Worthing, UK262 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2015 • Couples
The building which homes the museum is noted for it's splendid architecture and is more than a century old. What I loved about the museum is that it is more than just a showpiece for dust-collecting exhibits. Instead the museum is vibrant with a steady flow of visitors to the lending library,art gallery and exhibits. The interior is as impressive as the facade with wooden flooring,wrought -iron balustrades and marvellous African inspired chandeliers with crystal and feather detail. The fossil rooms are certainly worth a visit and children will enjoy the Dinosaur exhibit. The entrance is free and one might be inclined to think that the upkeep of the museum would be neglected due to a lack of funds. To the contrary, the museum,lending library and art gallery are beautifully maintained and pristine.
Written 22 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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