South Africa fair trade tour
| country: | South Africa |
| location: | Western Cape |
| departures: | 2010: 13 Aug, 12 Nov |
| price: | From £1725 - £1775 (13 days) excluding flights. We can help arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
South Africa is a big and truly beautiful country with a unique history and culture. This holiday explores the wide-open spaces, culture, and history of the Northern and Western Cape Provinces of the country. Visits to fair trade wine, fruit and craft producers and a variety of other development projects help us to better understand life in this complex country.
Highlights of the tour include: Time with producers and other projects of development interest, tours to places of historic interest and religious sites, the beautiful countryside, opportunities to discuss and learn about the issues facing the country, and the chance to be part of a small group of like-minded individuals.
Highlights of the tour include: Time with producers and other projects of development interest, tours to places of historic interest and religious sites, the beautiful countryside, opportunities to discuss and learn about the issues facing the country, and the chance to be part of a small group of like-minded individuals.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | London-Cape Town. You will be met by our tour guide and transfer to your Guesthouse in Stellenbosch, one of the premier wine-producing regions in the Western Cape. |
| Day 3: | Flight to Upington. Upington is the principal commercial town in the far north. Transfer to Augrabies Waterfalls where you will be based for the next two nights. An optional game drive at R75 (£6) per person can be arranged. (B,D) |
| Day 4: | Upington and the surrounding areas. Time to explore, including a visit to the dried fruit supplier Eksteenskuil Farmers Association where we will have lunch. Later in the day offers time for relaxation or a chance to explore more of the Augrabies Falls National Park on a nature walk. (B,D) |
| Day 5: | Pella. Travel to Pella, a mission station of immense interest where one of the remaining nuns will act as our guide. Visit the Cathedral and several projects. Namaqualand is home to the Nama people whose culture suffered when the apartheid regime prohibited their strange multi-click language from being taught in schools and forced them to re-locate. The language is now classified by UNESCO as Endangered and is being taught again. (B,L,D) |
| Day 6: | Namaqualand. Today we travel through the bleak and beautiful Namaqualand which is famous for the Springtime veldflower in August and Spetember. We visit Fairplay Seed, a local sustainable and fair trade flower cultivation enterprise. |
| Day 7: | Citrusadal Cellars. Visit Citrusdal Cellars who work with us and the Dutch fair trade organisation, Fair Trade Organisatie who have been buying wine from the area since 1998. Visit the farm Paardekop (Horse’s Head) which also packs fresh fruit for export purposes as well as drying the peaches and apricots. The farm has a crèche and school run by the Community Development Association. Optional trip to see San Rock Art on one of the neighbouring farms. (B,L,D) |
| Day 8: | Cilmor Farm. Cross the spectacular Gydo pass through a rugged wilderness area towards Ceres. We meet the children at Cilmor Farm’s Creche in Worcester, visit the Winds of Change project at Cilmor Wine farm and observe firsthand their community social upliftment program. Overnight in the seaside village Hermanus, and with luck we’ll see whales from here! (B,L) |
| Day 9: | Cape Town. Return to Cape Town, visit a penguin colony at Betty’s Bay and enjoy tea at Harold Porter botanical gardens. We want the best weather to appreciate the views from Table Mountain so if it is a good day we will take the funicular up the Mountain, otherwise we will take this opportunity later in the tour and instead transfer to our hotel and take a walking tour of Cape Town.(B) |
| Day 10: | Cape Point. This morning we visit Cape Point before enjoying a traditional Sunday Lunch at Hippo Homestead where we experience true South Africa culture and cuisine.(B,L) |
| Day 11: | Visit to children's AIDS centre. Then depart for Khayeletsha where we do a township tour and enjoy lunch. Free afternoon. (B,L) |
| Day 12: | Table Mountain. If we have not already experienced Table Mountain we will spend the morning enjoying the views before visiting the District 6 Museum. In the afternoon we will visit Umtha, a local fair trade producer. (B) |
| Day 13: | Visit Robben Island. Robben Island is a memorable start to our last day in South Africa. The prison where Nelson Mandela was kept for decades is now a World Heritage Site and our guide will be a former inmate. We will take a late farewell lunch in a local restaurant where we’ll enjoy local food and entertainment before transferring to the airport for our flights home. (B,D) |
this tourism business was Highly Commended
In our 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards, the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine. The idea behind the Awards is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. how this holiday makes a difference
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If you’re interested in fair-trade and are looking for an opportunity to meet the people behind the products then this is the holiday for you. Global adventures start with a local perspective – that's our philosophy. Whether abroad, or just as importantly at home, the start point is the same; how to get the most enjoyable holiday for our customers while benefiting the local people, economy and respecting the environment.
This is the UK's leading fair trade organisation which is engaged in innovative and effective trade and has been fighting poverty through trade since 1979. We work at the national and international level advocating changes in trade rules to make them work in the interests of the poor and mobilise public opinion to support fairer trade practices. Our sales are now worth more than £12 million a year, providing vital income for producers in over 30 countries. Working with a local partner on fair trade terms, this itinerary offers an opportunity to see first hand how fair trade works and how effective sustainable development can improve the lives of the local people while providing a general insight into South Africa, its culture and its people. Being able to participate and connect with the local culture provides a richer holiday experience. Accompanied by a local knowledgeable guide who truly knows the area, our guests are able to get more of a feel for the place, the history and the environment. In selecting accommodation of locally owned hotels and guest houses we make sure that the local communities benefit. By collaborating with locally based people when visiting wildlife areas we are able to contribute to the regional economy. We provide guests with Travellers’ Codes that encourage the reduction of water usage, systems for collecting, recycling or safe disposal of litter and relevant suggestions to minimize damage to the environment, wildlife and marine ecosystems. All our holidays have a maximum group size of 12 to 14 people minimizing both the social and environmental impact. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |