Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
At the lodge we are committed to the democratic ideals of the New South Africa. We strongly support transformation in this country and this is one of the reasons why we have used a likeminded company for our Whale and Dolphin package. They, too, are committed to the community and to the ocean they serve.
The organisation that runs our whale watching trips is a very proactive company, it supports many local initiatives and is very involved in investing in the long term welfare & good health of our oceans & its marine life.
Their motto is: Mother Our Oceans. They also run the ORCA Foundation (Ocean Research Conservation Africa), where post graduate students have hands on experience in studying this enviroment for specific projects and theses. Part of their project is to take young learners out on the boats and educate & inspire them in the importance of marine life. A percentage of all monies paid to the company is put into the Qolweni Community Trust, which is a township initiative which enables children to go to school, but also teaches them about the importance of reponsible tourism and responsible environmental care.
The property was bought eleven years ago and was at the time a wattle plantation – an alien species which has swiftly strangled the natural vegetation of the western cape. The de-wattlefication of the area is an ongoing process. And the progress has been enormous. The results being the indigenous forest is reasserting itself and climbing back up the gorge.During the rezoning process – changing from agricultural to resort – we chose to become a Private Nature Reserve, instead of a resort zone 2, so there would be a long-term protection mechanism over the indigenous forest which makes up 80% of our property.
The sewerage system uses specific eco-friendly enzymes, which breaks down bacterial build up. These products are also used in our kitchen area, which operate on the same principle as the enzymes in the septic system. We are presently upgrading this system to a sannitree super-sewer system, which utilises a reedbed to purify the sewerage waste and make it reusable for gardening purposes.
We help sponsor a project with our whale watching compnay called ORCA – Ocean Research Conservation Africa – a scientific boat, which looks at ways to mother our oceans while still being pro-active in the community. We send our guests out with the OBA in order to increase our guest's awareness of the importance of protecting the oceans. A portion of their fee goes to community upliftment projects.
We also sponsor:
- National Sea Rescue Institute
- Kurland School Project – a school for underprivileged children in the Kurland community.
- Masazame Street Children Shelter – a shelter for homeless children.
- Sponsor a local under privileged soccer team in Kurland with uniforms and equipment.
- AIDS awareness talks on an informal and formal basis are done regularly in-house.
On the administrative front, we reuse all our paper, that which is not used is sent to a nursery school, which is used in their art classes. 100% of our staff are recruited from the local community, spreading within a 50km radius from Kwanokathule township through to Kurland Village. During upgrades to the lodge, only local contractors are used, and in the decoration of the rooms, as far as is possible, local artists and crafters are contracted to design and construct the various artefacts.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
