Rural Tourism Africa
Rural Tourism Africa is the link between interested tourists and all the role players in Agritourism. It serves as an information hub highlighting tourism experiences on farms across Africa, allowing local and international tourists to incorporate visits to these farms as part of their travel plans. Rural Tourism Africa provides advice and guidance to its members, assists members with marketing and promotions, and represents Agritourism at governmental, tourism and organized agricultural institutions. This is the only Agritourism Association in Africa, building a strong and recognizable brand that stands for integrity.
Attracting tourists to rural and township communities
Attitudes of pessimism towards rural and township tourism communities is nothing new in the tourism industry. Many people do not believe rural and township communities have unique and authentic experiences to offer tourists. But nothing could be further from the truth. That is why changing perceptions about rural and township tourism is becoming increasingly important. The key to achieving this lies in establishing tourism routes, so that sceptical visitors are introduced to the fascinating mixture of cultures, traditions, activities, and food, rural and township communities have to offer
Hike The Historic Barber’s Trail
Jan Willemse (born 1909) was a farmer from Damskloof, Tesselaarsdal and used to walk over the Kleinrivier mountains each week to cut hair on Saturdays in Stanford. By the time he was 41 years old, he had walked 26,000 miles – the circumference of the earth. He continued doing so into his 80’s and only ever missed 2 weekends.
Today, you can make up a group of 8 to follow his footsteps by leaving your cars at reception at the Phillipskop Reserve near Stanford and then hike the 4-hour trail over the scenic mountain route, to the quaint hamlet of Tesselaarsdal. Spend the night in the luxury of Heilfontein Lodge, with catering by the local Poskantoor Restaurant and then return the next day to your starting point.
En route you will pass spectacular rock stacks and some recently discovered rock paintings in the reserve. As you crest the mountain, you will enjoy a wide variety of pristine fynbos, with sweeping views of the coastline on the one side and of the Overberg Ruens on the other. The next day when you retrace your steps, you will see the views from a completely different angle.
After all the fresh air and exercise you will feel that you have earned a light lunch at White Waters Farm which is at the base of the mountain and set in beautiful garden surroundings. All in all, it is a wonderful and refreshing weekend break, within an easy 2 hours of Cape Town.
