Cape Winelands self drive holiday, South Africa

Eco-tourism is the reason why many international travellers visit South Africa. As the country has so much environmental and cultural diversity, scenic beauty and incredible wildlife, it is almost impossible to tour the country without having some sort of nature experience and giving something back to the environment. Our "conservation through tourism" policy shares the benefits of tourism with local communities and ensures the protection of these areas for future generations. As part of their itinerary our guests will be introduced to various community projects, local guides and environmental conservation.

The Stables Craft and Culture Centre is a community driven project that enables the visitor to experience Cape Flats culture and cuisine. It involves the community in the preservation of its culture through its restaurant and local crafts. CAFDA provides counselling, care and educational programmes to encourage personal and family development.

Rondevlei: A wetlands reserve, has extensive bird populations, a small family of hippo’s and the local tour operator, Imvubu Nature Tours will be happy to take you on a walking tour or boat trip.

Township Tour: We call this tour the Rainbow Curtain Tour because it is a cross-cultural voyage of discovery into the many facets of South African society. This tour is led by a local tour guide and completely interactive and encompasses the history of the lives and development of the disadvantaged communities in Cape Town.

Camps Bay Retreat is located on four acres of private land in the Glen. The land borders the historical Round House Precinct and Glen Forest, which comprises an area of approximately 35,3 ha and falls within the Cape Peninsula National Park. Conservation projects include a nursery for endemic plants and trees, which are unique to the area, to gradual evolution away from exotic to natural endemic and indigenous planting and to revitalise and restore this botanical area.

Europcar: South Africa is proud to support the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. The Fund seeks to nurture, motivate and care for the children and youth of South Africa. Issues of poverty, youth unemployment, homelessness and a lack of formal education plague the lives of many of the nation's children, and the Fund strives to address these challenges and make positive changes. Europcar is committed to supporting the Fund. As an official sponsor to the Fund, they continue to help keep its dream alive by donating a percentage of their revenue earned from each rental towards the Fund.

Aquila Private Game Reserve
Aquila is the proud recipient of an Imvelo Award for our Social Involvement Program. Aquila provides over 120 jobs to the previously disadvantaged community of Touwsriver, a town with a 97% unemployment rate. Aquila also sponsors the local cricket team as well as a full time school teacher. Over the past 4 years, Aquila has invested a staggering R20 million into the Reserve and in doing so has been in a position to benefit the local community. Each employee at Aquila provides for approximately 5 people in their immediate family. 20% of 7,900 people in the community benefit directly from the employment offered at Aquila with almost R200 000 per month circulating in the town. Aquila currently employs approximately 180 people.

Local street vendors from the city of Cape Town were invited to spend a night at the reserve and this team will be incorporated into our brochure distribution program in the city. Aquila has gone to extra effort, expense and time in creating employment by having a majority of the doors and windows in their developments made by Touwsriver locals. Food supplies, Veterinarian services, Labour, building material and supplies, machinery/mechanical repairs are all outsourced to local companies in the Touwsriver / Worcester area.

Aquila went to the additional expense of cutting down thousands of exotic trees, and treating them for our constructions, rather than buying pre-treated poles. This was also a job creation scheme. Aquila created jobs by pioneering the commercial use of “vleykiesriet” thatch in the area to be used for thatching This benefit was twofold, as the cutting of the reeds cleared choked waterways thus allowing for the flow of water to the town and farms all the way to Ladysmith, as well as ridding the town of high-density reeded areas that was known as a high crime risk environment. Aquila has initiated a block-making job creation project. This project was launched to create employment and develop skills by manufacturing building blocks that were used on the reserve. This project currently produces approximately 600 bricks a week allowing this project to remain sustainable.

Aquila donated shelving and building materials to one of our staff members and empowered him and his family to start and already viable supermarket in his area. Skills development Pre and post opening and building of Aquila, people from the local community were and still are employed, trained and given craftsmanship skills by professionals in the hospitality, tourism and conservation industries. The traditions and expert craftsmanship of the Khoi/San people are now being showcased in the Aquila’s curio shop. This allows them the opportunity of earning a living from their craftsmanship. Both local and international tourists are now educated on many levels about the Khoi/San culture.