Fly drive to Cape Town and the Garden Route

On 13 June 2002, the Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa certification programme was officially launched in South Africa, marking the first time in the history of the fair trade movement that a trademark or label for the tourism sector had been created. FTTSA awards the use of special label to qualifying businesses as a way of signifying their commitment to Fair Trade criteria including fair wages and working conditions, fair purchasing, fair operations, equitable distribution of benefits and respect for human rights, culture and environment.

By electing to stay at or use the services of an FTTSA-certified establishment, tourists are assured that their travel benefits local communities and economies, and that the business is operated ethically and in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

This itinerary uses as many Fair Trade in Tourism in South Africa (FTTSA) accredited companies as possible. The FTTSA accreditation is based on fair share, democracy, respect, reliability, transparency and sustainability and is the first of its kind in tourism in the world.

Jan Harmsgat Country House (FTTSA accredited) is fully committed to employing & training staff from the local community of farm workers. They also develop an award-winning community project, turning part of the old jail into a coffee shop. Women from disadvantaged communities were trained and given a stake in the café.

Hog Hollow Country Lodge (FTTSA accredited) is an excellent example of high quality accommodation managed by previously disadvantaged people from the local Plettenberg Bay area. To maintain international standards of service, all staff (cooks, waiters, cleaners & management team) are put through a rigorous training programme.

Amakhala Game Reserve Reed Valley Bush Lodge (FTTSA accredited) is a unique conservation initiative that has allowed the re-introduction of indigenous flora & fauna into an area that was previously used to ranch sheep and cattle, and hence making a contribution to the conservation of South Africa’s natural heritage.

Bartholomeus Klip Farmhouse (FTTSA accredited) was originally set up to provide employment for the women living on the farm. Their nature conservation officer has set up an Eco-Club at a local school and leadership camps have been held at the reserve for local high school children.

Ocean Blue Adventure (FTTSA accredited) marine eco-tours are based on non-consumptive and sustainable utilisation of marine resources. They were awarded the WWF Green Trust award in 2001 for their work on eco-tourism and sustainable tourism in Plettenberg Bay. They donate a proportion of their income to the Ocean Research & Conservation Africa Foundation. Both Ocean Blue and Dyer Island Cruises have also been awarded an educational licence to approach to within 50 m of whales and record information for scientific purposes.

Stormsriver adventures (FTTSA accredited) is more than just an adventure company it strives to enrich the surrounding environment and community. The fast majority of their 80 employees are from surrounding communities and own 80% equity in the business. Their community involvements is far reaching and includes amongst others: environmental education, food provision and clothing programmes in schools, craft development projects, animal welfare education programmes, home based care groups and a recycling initiative.

Auberge Rozendal - Rozendal Farm successfully practices biodynamic farming methods, using none of the traditionally used pesticide and herbicidal sprays thereby ensuring clean air and pure water. Noise pollution and "electrosmog" is lessened by the absence of television sets and air-conditioning systems. Most fresh produce is homegrown or sourced direct from local producers and served fresh. Owners are committed to staff upliftment by way of share options and a housing scheme.

For all of our tours we provide customers with an itinerary specific responsible travel guide aprox 4 weeks before they depart. This includes a generic travellers code of conduct which emphasises basic responsible travel advice – e.g. reduction of waste and consumption of natural resources, purchase local produce where possible etc. Our holidays are specifically designed to bring guests into direct contact with locals from a range of different tribes and cultures across Africa. We also therefore provide destination specific guidance including advice on local customs and some key phrases in certain languages (e.g. Swahili). We also offer guidance on how to barter responsibly for local curios and what curios should be avoided (e.g. certain wildlife artefacts such as coral, turtle shells etc.). As all of our guides and groundhandlers are local we also give guidance on what a fair and reasonable level of tipping would be at the end of the holiday.

We support the work of Tourism Concern both in distributing their advice to customers and as an active participant in the Ethical Tour Operators Group. Our managing director sits on this group and is a regular attendee of meetings contributing to work towards developing industry wide fair trade standards. We also distribute materials to customers and make periodic donations for the following charities: Tree Aid; International Fund for Wildlife and Survival International Trust. In Southern Africa we support the Southern Africa Sustainable Seafood Initiative and forward their guidance to all customers on which seafood is sustainable when offered a choice at restaurants.