South Africa, wine, whales & safari self drive vacation

Planet

Improving the Community
All boutique properties are committed to a sustainable future and to improving the social, eonomic and environmenta; well-being of the community and planet
Energy Efficiency: All partners are committed to working locally to preserve the land and harness this by supporting local produce, local businesse and communities.
Biodegradable Products: All properties are serious about reducing toxic waste by using biodegradble products, all contained in recycled bottles. All guest amenities are locally produced, organically farmed, biodegradable and recyclable.
Recycle : All properties recycle, reuse and rarely waste.
Water saving: We know that water is precious and every drop counts. They have a water harvesting plant that collects, filters and cleans water for re-use within the hotels.Borehole Water is used where avaialble as a priority.
Energy saving: All hotels are fitted with Solar, renewable energy sources and LED energy efficient lightbulbs.

We try to help our clients to travel more sustainably in South Africa by buying local, visiting Mojo Market in Sea Point, Cape Town.
Try to be mindful of where you spend your money and make sure that your purchase benefits the local community by:
Eating locally and dining in restaurants that use local ingredients; Visiting a local market; Buying locally, or even better, Purchasing souvenirs from local artisans (this will encourage the preservation of their cultural heritage); Treating locals with respect. There are no shortages of opportunities to infuse your cash into the local community, so be sure to make spending choices that empower local entrepreneurs and boost the local economy. Contribute towards conservation. According to UNWTO, wildlife watching tourism is one of the most important tourism sectors in Africa, and rightly so. Many African economies depend on wildlife and eco-tourism to fund programmes that protect their natural heritage like elephants and rhinos threatened by poaching, and various other endangered animals.By supporting wildlife establishments, such as game and nature reserves, you are essentially promoting the conservation thereof – giving value to nature and providing the necessary funds to protect it.

People

Local Staff: Local staff are employed, trained and developed and our agents will expand and strengthen their partnership with community leadership structures transforming the way in which they work with them. These structures will lead in identifying local needs and opportunities; ensure programme accountability and feedback on programme progress with communities; and use a built-in system enabling communities to directly adapt and transform programmes. Our agents support community-led ECD centers, where children are safe, eat nutritious meals and enjoy interactive learning.
Our agents support this charity that we pay into for each booking: The vision of Baphumelele is to provide a temporary shelter for vulnerable/orphaned children and young adults with chronic diseases and HIV/Aids, and to provide skills development for the unemployed, early childhood care, alleviation of poverty, and healthcare information to the community in Khayelitsha and surroundings, so that the lives of everyone we touch can become more productive and accepted individuals who make a difference within society.We use Uthando Non-Profit in the form of booking cultural visits for guests.
Baphumelele Fountain of Hope is directed toward young people aged 18-21, who have been raised in residential care or who have recently been orphaned or who are vulnerable, with a safe and nurturing environment to transition positively towards adulthood. Fountain of Hope provides a platform for youth that are not in formal education, employment, or training to learn the necessary skills to contribute to society economically and socially and to allow those youth still in high school to finish their education.