Garden Route self drive holiday in 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.

The Grootbos Foundation was established during 2004 in order to manage and implement environmental and social development projects for Grootbos. Funds generated by the eco-tourism business are invested through the Foundation into project implementation. In this way guests are directly supporting biodiversity conservation and social upliftment on the Agulhas Plain. The Foundation also generates its own income through the sale of indigenous plants and landscaping services provided by the Green Futures horticultural and Life Skills College.

Grootbos Nature Reserve uses grey water from its laundry to water the horse paddock in front of its lodge, saving some 700,000 litres of water a year. The 3-hectare fynbos garden at Grootbos has been designed using water-wise indigenous plants and buffalo grass lawns to minimise the need for watering.

Dyer Island Cruises and Marine Dynamics initiated the ‘Nolwandle’ project as part of their ongoing commitment to ‘responsible tourism’. This holistic approach to running a tourism business means that consideration is given to the social, economic and environmental impact of the operation, therefore spreading the benefits that tourism can bring. Schemes are already in place to help conserve ocean wildlife, and the company has a strict policy to employ and train local, previously disadvantaged people.

De Zeekoe Reserve situated on 2000 ha of land, offers a unique in the world experience, to walk with wild meerkats. This conservation project on wild meerkats / suricates, part of the other "shy five", occur naturally in this Klein Karoo Valley. This is a unique attraction for guests who have watched the meerkat films over the last 12 years, with the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel and done with the resident research biologist and Nature Conservationist, Grant M. Mc Ilrath, also known as The Meerkat Man.

How De Zeekoe supports the local economy

The employment of over 20 local families on the farm for witch housing is provided & solar power is used

De Zeekoe Primary School is part of an Upliftment Program (in the process of building a new school)

Members of the Gouritz Initiative (Aim to protect, restore and conserve)

Organic hers @ produce program

Fish Eagle research program

Monkeyland is the worlds first free roaming multi-specie primate sanctuary. It is unique in that the sanctuary caters for several species of primate, and they are not caged; they are free to move about the forest and do so in harmony. These lovely primates have had to delve deep into their natural instincts to reacquire the knowledge that is necessary for them to live life naturally again. Most of them have lived years in captivity prior to being rehabilitated and released by Monkeyland.

Kariega Game Reserve recently employed a full time conservationist, who is properly qualified. The conservationist has a team of 8 employees who concentrate daily on improving the land and game i.e. removal of alien vegetation, burning programs, professional management of game etc. Kariega Game Reserve is a sponsor of Umziwethu, a social upliftment and social responsibility program whereby very carefully selected underprivileged black AIDS orphans (aged between say 19 and 23) are trained for a year in the hospitality industry with the promise of being offered a job in the industry, after they graduate. The first 12 pupils at Umziwethu graduated in July 2007 and 2 of their pupils were placed at Kariega, where 1 is now an assistant chef at River Lodge and the other is part of our food and beverage team, also at River Lodge. They are both doing extremely well. The first game ranging intake will graduate in January from Umziwethu, and once again Kariega will employ 1 or 2 of these game ranging graduates.

Cape Nature is a public institution with the statutory responsibility for biodiversity conservation in the Western Cape. It is mandated to: promote and ensure nature conservation; render services and provide facilities for research and training; and generate income. It is driven by the vision to establish a successful ‘Conservation Economy’ - embraced by all citizens of the Western Cape and to transform biodiversity conservation into a key component of local economic development in the province. Their own definition of a conservation economy is an economy in which key principles and practices of biodiversity conservation have been fully integrated into all forms and levels of economic activity. They achieve this objective through various programmes and projects for example:

Community-based Natural Resource Management and Local Economic Development: Unlocking opportunities to ensure that the benefits of natural resources and their sustainable utilization and conservation are realized by local communities.

Youth Development: Using activities as a tool for the development of youth and developing in young people the knowledge and insight necessary for them to appreciate the heritage that will be passed on to them. Also providing them with the opportunity for developing the skills needed to make a success of that heritage.

Environmental Crime Investigation: Preventing, investigating and monitoring environmental crime

Fire Management: Developing effective partnerships to extend fire management throughout the province

Wildlife Management: Proactively manage conflict between humans and wildlife

Stewardship: Including private and communal land in the establishment of biodiversity corridors and the conservation of vital lowlands habitat remnants, through various incentives

Eco-tourism development: Developing nature-based recreational and tourism products and leveraging the Western Cape’s natural assets in such a way that protected areas become sought after tourist destinations, and more accessible and attractive to a greater proportion of our population