Southern Drakensberg guided hiking holiday, Africa

Southern Drakensberg guided hiking holiday, Africa

How Southern Drakensberg guided hiking holiday, Africa makes a difference

Environment

The availability, access and management of potable water are some of the biggest problems facing South Africa and water is the main resource used on the trail. Water in the area comes mainly from rain-fed wells in the mountains, which replenish during the March to December rainfalls. The numbers of tourists on the trail are kept low enough not to impact on water resources in an unsustainable manner. The grey water from sinks and showers is separated from the toilet and stored for reuse mostly in the (vegetable) gardens.

All organic waste is collected and composted for the chalet gardens. Non-organic waste is separated and paper burnt on site. Recyclable and non-recyclable waste is collected on a regular basis by the VSA volunteer and taken to the nearest municipal landfill site, as there are no recycling facilities for 300 km around Matatiele.

A major problem in the area is the rapid invasion of the alien wattle species, a high water consuming species introduced from Australia. Wood-fired donkey boilers are used for hot water in most of the chalets for which the invasive wattle is used. Wattle wood is also often used for cooking and heating.

The design of the chalets is heat efficient with north facing windows to trap heat, and thick walls and thatch for insulation from heat and cold.

Tour guides teach herders to identify and preserve rock art. Masakala further aims to educate local people regarding the preservation and sustainable harvesting of indigenous medicinal plants and conservation of protea communities.

Community

Mehloding Community Tourism Trust represents more than 25 villages in the area. The Trust owns Masakala Traditional Guesthouse and runs the Mehloding Hiking Trail. The hiking trail supports the Matatiele community through employment, procurement and social investment activities.

Employment opportunities for rural communities, such as in the Southern Drakensberg, is generally very limited and hence the presence of a community driven tourism project is extremely important economically. During the construction phase, the project created 450 jobs and currently Mehloding Trail and associated accommodation establishments support about 16 permanent staff members. Further numerous part-time guides, caterers, porters, and fresh produce suppliers are employed on an ad hoc basis. All employees live within a 5 km radius and therefore your stay will benefit just the local communities within the region. The trail practices local procurement to its purest form in terms of employment, but also purchases all goods and services from within an 8 km radius.

The local communities further benefit from your stay by selling local crafts and surplus vegetables. Indirect benefits, according to communities in Mafaisa and Makomereng, include road improvement, provision of fencing, water tanks, and capital for small businesses, and also empowerment of people through training and education, such as first aid training, housekeeping, and tour guiding.

Additional benefits are brought to the local communities by charging a community levy per night per paying tourist staying in any of the accommodations, which is given back to the communities on an annual basis in the form of equipment or support for local projects, such as schools and clinics.

Southern Drakensberg guided hiking holiday, Africa

Southern Drakensberg guided hiking holiday, Africa