Isivavane at Freedom ParkTshwane Tsamaya Book Now/Enquiry

Social history tour of all Tshwane’s pioneering people. Encounter Afrikaner history at the Voortrekker Monument; commemoration of freedom struggles at Freedom Park; past and present at Church Square and multicultural Marabastad. After lunch, we visit Lady Selborne, where a forcibly removed community is now making a return. Listen to community history and visit a jazz tavern in the township of Atteridgeville.
Duration: 8 – 8 1/2 hours

Cost: 2 persons @ R1100.00 per person; 3 or more @ R900 per person

Tshwane Arts & Culture Alive Book Now/Enquiry

View a current exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum or Unisa Art Gallery; take a meditative walk along the Democracy Wall; explore the treasures of the African Window (National Cultural History Museum). Exhibitions include rock art; changing communities in South Africa’s past and present; inspiring exhibitions of art and crafts.

Duration: 3 to 4 hours

Cost: 2 persons @ R530.00 per person; 3 or more @ R400 per person (from Pretoria)

Cullinan Diamonds & Daring Book Now/Enquiry

A full day leisure experience in the Cullinan area, an hour’s drive from Tshwane (Pretoria). Sammy Marks House – extravagant mansion of a dust-to-diamonds entrepreneur. Tour of Cullinan Mine where the largest diamond in the world was found. Relaxed lunch. Art and Craft ramble. Zonderwater Italian POW camp and Diamond Hill South African War history.

Duration: 8 – 8 1/2 hours

Cost: 2 persons @ R1200.00 per person; 3 or more @ R900 per person (from Pretoria)

Painted Cooling Towers in Soweto

Our classic tour exploring Johannesburg from roots to present. Industry and art in inner city Newtown; the multicultural legacy of Fordsburg; Fietas & Sophiatown; freedom struggle and township culture in Soweto (including the Hector Pieterson Memorial & Regina Mundi Church).

Duration: 8 – 8 1/2 hours

Cost: 2 persons @ R1100.00 per person; 3 or more @ R900 per person

Joburg Art City Book Now/Enquiry

Artist with Art Work at the Drill HallJozi’s creative pulse finds abundant expression in the visual arts… View the magnificent collections of the Johannesburg Art Gallery and the Constitutional Court – an artwork housing artworks. We visit a current exhibition at a nearby gallery. En route through the inner city, discover the inspiring “For the City” outdoor artworks, and the wooden busts and mosaics in Newtown. Option: the tour can focus on exhibitions of artworks for sale.

Duration: 4 hours

Cost: 2 persons @ R530.00 per person; 3 or more @ R400 per person

Joburg Inner City Roots & Revival

Joburg’s inner city is undergoing another transformation – and this time its for the people (all of them, from execs to muti traders). From the Roof of Africa, on top of the Carlton Centre, we have a 360° look over ever-changing the mosaic of old and new that is Johannesburg. Next, we visit the Mai-Mai Muti market, where urbanites get their rural remedies. In Newtown, Joburg’s industrial heritage meets cutting-edge culture. On a full day tour we also visit either Constitution Hill, or the Drill Hall. Both these developments link a past of human rights abuses to a present of respect and institutionalised rights. And at an inner city university, dreams that seemed impossible are now made real.

Duration: 4 hours or 8 hours

Cost: Half day: 2 persons @ R530.00 per person; 3 or more @ R400 per person

Full day: 2 persons @ R1050.00 per person; 3 or more @ R800 per person

Makapan’s Valley World Heritage Site Depart from Johannesburg. Two and a half hours’ drive brings you to Makapan’s Valley, now recognized as part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. An excellent guided tour explores four caves rich in history and archaeological evidence. The story they tell stretches from the Early Stone Age to the siege of Chief Mokopane in the 19th Century. Lunch in the Polokwane area, make an optional visit to the Bakone Malapa Northern Sotho Open-Air Museum, and then proceed to Shiluvari Lakeside Lodge (about an hour and a half’s drive).

After the dry bushveld you now enter the lush, subtropical ecosystem of the Soutpansberg. Shiluvari offers beautiful views of the green mountain ranges across the Albasini Dam. The lodge has been certified by Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, and the owners have long been involved in providing support for local community-based tourism. Shiluvari is central to the Ribolla Open Africa Route, famous for its many artists and crafters.

The rooms are decorated tastefully in natural colours and with work by local Venda and Shangaan artists.
Relax with a sunset cruise, keeping an eye open for the variety of birds and small mammals found along the waterside. Dinner at Shiluvari is relaxed and delicious.

(Overnight at Shiluvari Lakeside Lodge.)

Day 2 Ribolla Open Africa Route

The artist Jackson Hlungwane at work in his studioA specialist guide will assist you in exploring highlights of the Ribolla Open Africa Route, including the studios of famous woodcarvers and potters such as Jackson Hlungwane, Noria Mabasa, John Baloyi and the Mukondeni potters. Many of the artists and crafters will be found at their studios, and all are happy to discuss their work with visitors. Another place of interest is Elim village, which grew around the Elim Mission Station established by Swiss Missionaries in the late 19th century. It has played an important role in local events and the hospital cared for Boer and British soldiers during the Anglo Boer War.

You will be enchanted by the lush and beautiful landscape, and generous, gentle culture of this area. From your guide, you can learn about Venda, Shangaan and Northern Sotho traditions, and the political history of the area.

Lunch en route – picnic at an eccentric but beautiful local recreation spot. After completing your art & craft tour, relax at Shiluvari. The evening is spent at the VhaTsonga Cultural Village where you will experience storytelling, music, and dance of the Tsonga culture, and enjoy a traditional Tsonga meal. The VhaTsonga village is owned and operated by Tsonga people in the community, and offers an authentic sharing of culture.

(Breakfast and overnight at Shiluvari Lakeside Lodge.)

Day 3 Dzata

This day can be customized according to your interests and vehicle. Depart from Shiluvari after a last breakfast. For the more energetic, it is possible to spend a last morning in the Soutpansberg hiking, or visiting the Phiphidi Falls and Tathe Vonde Sacred Forest. Should your vehicle be suitable for rough terrain, you could visit the Sacred Lake Fundudzi. Stock up on necessities in the town of Makhado (formerly Louis Trichardt). From here, take the spectacular route north through the Soutpansberg via the H F Verwoerd tunnel, and descend into the Ndzhelele Valley. Meet a local guide who will take you to the Dzata Ruins. These ruins are the remains of the second settlement of the king of the Venda, after they crossed the Limpopo River in a move that split them from the Karanga nation in Zimbabwe. Some of the stones used to build the royal enclosures had been carried from Zimbabwe. Lunch is with a local family, a picnic or at an eatery en route.

From the Dzata Ruins it’s an hour and a half’s drive to the Mapungubwe National Park. Settle into your accommodation, and then it’s time for a game drive and sundowners on a wooden deck overlooking the spectacular confluence of the Limpopo and Sashe Rivers. From your elevated viewpoint on the side of a hill you look out over African plains stretching to the horizon – and you are looking into Zimbabwe and Bostwana from South Africa.

(Breakfast at Shiluvari, overnight at Mapungubwe National Park (self-catering) or Mopane Bush Lodge (catered)).

Should you have a 4×4/high clearance vehicle, it is an option to spend an additional night at the rustic but beautiful Fundudzi-Tshivhase cultural camp, learning more about Venda traditions and lifestye.

Day 4 Mapungubwe

Mapungubwe World Heritage SiteYou have a full day to explore the Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site. Mapungubwe Mountain is the site of the royal settlement of a kingdom which thrived here 800 years ago. The site has revealed royal golden treasures including the famous golden rhino, as well as trade goods from China, India and Egypt. Take a canopy walk on a wooden walkway through the upper levels of the Limpopo riverbed forest, and enjoy further game drives. In the heat of the midday sun, relax in your cool but luxurious accommodation, or take a splash in the pool-with-a-view.

All meals self-catered/at your lodge; overnight at Mapungubwe National Park (self-catering) or Mopane Bush Lodge (catered)).

Day 5 Return

After breakfast it is time to leave Mapungubwe National Park. Visit the wild dog breeding project nearby and have a rare opportunity to see these rare animals and even their young. Then it is time to take the excellent roads south towards Johannesburg, stopping for lunch at one of the array of restaurants & take-aways available in Pholokwane or Mokopane.

Options: Budget or Luxury, Self-drive or Guided Tour

From affordable options to child-friendly luxury lodges, information on malaria and activities for children in the area you will be visiting, Cultural Encounters offers a comprehensive travel service for families.

Let us put together a customised package for your family, with a balance of activities, relaxation and travel. We also offer a Children’s Information and Activity Pack for each of these options:

A Day in the City

Johannesburg has much to offer children, so if you are spending a day here en route it could be one of the holiday highlights. Pick a selection of our recommended, child-friendly options and let our guide (also a parent) make the day hassle-free and fun.

See www.jozikids.co.za for more information on what the city has to offer for children.

African Heritage Discovery

This holiday can introduce children 7 years and older to the fascinating story of human life in South Africa. Suitable for South African and foreign families alike: catered and self-catering options are available. Begin at the beginning of the human story, at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Then travel into Limpopo Province to discover a number of archeological and historical sites, and share in contemporary African culture.

African Ivory Route: Cultures and Communities

For adventurous families who have/are renting a high clearance vehicle, we highly recommend the African Ivory Route. Child-friendly guides and camp attendants will teach your children about African customs (cultural camps) and the world of nature (nature camps). African Ivory Route camps are located in spectacular spots across Limpopo province (in the north of South Africa), and accommodate one group at a time, at highly affordable rates.

Animals & Adventures

Visit a very special reserve where you can get close to hand-reared orphaned animals that are usually too rare or dangerous to see up close. Some of these live among the wild animals. Excellent, child-friendly guides and self-catering or lodge options. From here, travel to the spectacular Motlatse (Blyde) River Canyon, and take a boat ride on the lake far below its mountaintops. Pan for gold in an old gold rush village. Then move to the beautiful Magoebaskloof area where a range of activities and adventures are available – from hiking and swimming to white water rafting. Suitable for chidren 5 years and older.

Wildlife & Water

Spend half the holiday in a family-friendly lodge or self-catering cottage in a Big 5 reserve, and then move on to a coastal reserve or resort to rediscover the wonder of beaches and sea-life. We will recommend options based on the season, and your budget and preferences.

1. promoting and giving preference to facilities with a proven track record in implementing Responsible Tourism principles (see Accommodation options)
2. involving and fairly remunerating local guides and storytellers
3. using local services such as restaurants
4. bringing visitors in contact with local craft businesses and organisations which they may choose to support
5. providing mentorship and access to networks to guides, enterprises and community-based organisations we work with.

An urban tour will introduce you to what city life in South Africa is all about. Our cultural day tours

INCLUDE
• an introduction to the best of South African music
• local guides and storytellers where we visit communities
• specialist guides and site guides
• handouts containing a detailed itinerary and customised notes
• travel in comfortable, air-conditioned vehicles
• all entrance fees
• more than one guide for large groups
• refreshments
• lunch on full-day options

Explore a variety of options through our Urban Tours menu, or click on one of the favourites listed below:

Jozi Jive
Joburg Art City
Newtown City Beat Walking Tour
Tshwane Tsamaya

Our tours and vehicles are registered and have the required insurance. However we advise customers to take out personal insurance.