EXPERIENCES
CULTURE
The scent of mpepo smoke and the strains of mbaqanga jive fill the air. A sangoma sits cross-legged on a grass mat, beckoning you to have the bones thrown and your future revealed. Walk through the cool rooms of Satyagraha House, where Mohandas Gandhi, the future Mahatma, once lived. Imagine him sitting quietly there, developing his philosophy of passive resistance. Look at the longest marble frieze in the world, lit by sunlight filtered through yellow Belgian glass,relive the trials and triumphs of the Trek Boers as they push relentlessly North to the Transvaal.
african art
Graceful curves in ebony and ironwood, tactile masterpieces in Table Mountain sandstone. Vibrant canvases thickly daubed and passionately layered, Tata Madiba respectfully rendered a hundred ways, in every hue, in every medium. Colourful baskets, collages of recycled materials ingeniously arranged. This is the richness and diversity of African art you’ll find at just one Johannesburg dealer. And we can take you to them all …
MARKETS
There’s a market for everything in Africa, from arts and crafts, to food, song and dance. Because, to Africans, markets are everything. Not just a place of commerce. Not just a place to meet. Not just a place to dance, sing and celebrate. So much more; a place to enrich the soul. Visit an African market – whether a craft market, a neighbourgoods, rooftop or organic food market – and you’ll leave with more than affordable treasures … you’ll leave with a priceless experience.
festivals
Let your hair down and join the locals at play as they showcase their passions. An hour from Cape Town, the Hermanus Whale Festival and Kalfiefees (Calf Festival) boasts a bay filled with whales, viewed from the cliffs of the town. A little further inland, at the Wacky Wine Weekend, all the estates of the Robertson Wine Route throw open their cellar doors. Travel up the Garden Route to the Oyster Festival on the scenic Knysna lagoon. Or into the Karoo for the Prince Albert Olive Festival.
cape malay
Within a few blocks of beautiful Cape Town, in the shadow of Table Mountain, you’ll find the spiritual home of Cape Malay culture. The beautiful, towering minarets of Auwal Masjid and Masjid Boorhaanol Islam, where the lilting call of the muezzin still beckons the faithful to prayer, and invites pilgrims to view the hand-written Quran of Imam Tuan Guru. Charming cobbled streets lead you to tea at an authentic Schotse Kloof home, or the Bo-Kaap Museum, where history is proudly celebrated.
ADVENTURE
3-2-1… Feel your pulse race as you step to the edge of the Bloukrans Bridge on the Garden Route, counting down to the highest bridge bungee jump in the world. Feel the rush as you scale Babylonstoren (Tower of Babylon) in search of a geocache that has only been found twice since 2007. Then there’s the hike from Grotto beach to De Kelders with a picnic at picturesque Die Plaat. Or a wet hike through Suicide Gorge in the Boland Mountains, with cliff jumps up to 20 metres high.
volunteer work
Work for change in Africa, and you’ll notice how Africa changes you. Work with wildlife in Nambia documenting animal movements and migration patterns, mitigating animal/human conflict, rehabilitating and caring for captive animals. Or work in the townships within Cape Town, where you can spend time with children from local communities or accompany them on outings, guided by the belief that it is better to grow a balanced child than to mend a broken adult.
FOOD & WINE
Don’t just feast on the superb food and wine of the Cape (named the 3rd best gourmet region in the world by Conde Nast)…meet the chefs and wine makers.
Enjoy true South African hospitality in a private home with mouthwatering South African cuisine…share in the recipes that had been passed on from generation to generation and find out what the true spirit of ubuntu means.
conservation
The smell of the bush, the heat of the sun; get close to nature, with a purpose. Join a team of game management rangers and wildlife veterinarians at work, darting elephant and rhino from the air, then tracking the sedated animal on foot to provide medical assistance or relocation. Work alongside an anti-poaching team to protect threatened species. This is not tourism, this is the real thing, this is conservation.
views & vistas
Nothing compares to the view of Cape Town at night from a bungalow on Table Mountain. Until you enjoy the view of Table Mountain from a City Bowl loft with champagne and canapes. Until you see Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa from a helicopter. Until you see the Namaqualand carpeted in wild flowers from the top of Postberg. Or the lowveld from the escarpment at God’s Window. The Namib Desert from a hot air balloon … here, the views really do go on forever.
