Six new tourism routes have opened in the past year across South Africa. Kim Emmanuel rounds up the six new routes you may have missed.
Western Cape
West Coast Way Foodie Route
West Coast Way Foodie Route is a self-drive circular route with 10 stops – the West Coast National Park with Geelbek Restaurant; Langebaan; Saldanha Bay; Jacobsbaai; Paternoster and Cape Columbine; St Helena and Shelley Point; Velddrif; the West Coast Fossil Park; Hopefield; and the Thali Thali Game Lodge.
The route showcases the diverse flavours to be found on the Cape West Coast and surrounding areas. Guests can enjoy a range of seafood options such as prawns in each of the areas along the route.
A small museum at West Coast Fossil Park Visitor Centre has original specimens on display, as well as a coffee and gift shop.
Military Heritage route
The Military Heritage route comprises three properties – the Castle of Good Hope, the South African Naval Museum and the Chavonnes Battery Museum. The route centres on Cape Town’s military heritage and there are plans to expand the route further.
The Naval Museum has a collection of ship and submarine models, sea mines, naval uniforms, diving equipment, and minesweeping equipment.
Guests of Chavonnes Battery Museum step below sea level to experience the archaeological ruins of a Dutch East India Company Fort. Museum tours are about 40-60 minutes long.
KwaZulu Natal
Lamontville Tourism and Heritage route
The Lamontville Tourism and Heritage route includes areas of interest such as S.J. Smith Hostel; homes of political heroes; Cynthia Shange’s House; Mseleku Family House – the homestead of a musically talented family; and sporting facilities that include a swimming pool and bowling club.
Chairperson of the Economic Development and Planning Committee, Councillor Sipho Kaunda, described the history of Lamontville as one of resistance led by civil society and characterised by political, economic and social struggles.
Some of the homes of political heroes to be visited include Msizi Dube, Joseph Mdluli, and Jonny Makhathini. S.J. Smith Hostel was home to the first international soccer player, Steve ‘Kalamazoo’ Mokone, to represent South Africa abroad.
Mpumalanga
Liberation Heritage route
The Liberation Heritage route includes the towns of Betha, Daggakraal, Ermelo, Saul Mkhizeville (formerly Driefontein), Secunda, and Volksrust. These towns were identified as being home to people involved in the anti-apartheid liberation struggle.
In some cases, such as with the town of Bethal, there are tourism products and services available to visitors, such as a museum, Bethal Golf Course and accommodation establishments, while other towns still need to be developed to include a similar offering. The Nomoya Masilela Museum in Bethal pays homage to struggle heroes, such as Richard ‘Gert’ Sibande, Nokuthula Simelane, Ruth First and Henry ‘Mr Drum’ Nxumalo. Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency hopes that the development of these products will encourage tourists to visit the entire route and stay longer in the towns included in the route.
Learners and students will also find the Liberation Heritage route informative because of the historical component.
A number of towns have been identified that may be added to the route in the future. These include Evander, Leandra and Standerton.
Northern Cape
Namakwa Coastal Route
The Namakwa Coastal route is located along the unexplored north-west coast of the Northern Cape, within the restricted and previously forbidden diamond mining areas.
The route runs along the coast from Groenrivier mouth to Port Nolloth and is ideal for travellers looking for peace, tranquillity and adventure. However, many of the roads on the route are only suitable for 4x4 vehicles. The coastline, with visible shipwrecks, is opened to visitors with 4x4 vehicles or those participating in organised tours.
If coming from the south (Cape Town) the route starts in Namaqua National Park. Activities in the park include mountain biking, walking trails, birding, and picnic sites. During early August and September, the valleys of Namaqualand are covered in wildflowers. More than 1 000 of the estimated 3 500 plant species are endemic.
Accommodation and/or camp sites are available all through the route.
Karoo Highlands Route
The Karoo Highlands Route is in the southern part of the Northern Cape and extends into the towns of Nieuwoudtville, Calvinia, Williston, Sutherland, Fraserburg, Carnarvon, Loxton and Victoria West.
Sutherland’s astronomical observatory offers fully guided day tours that include a walk through the Visitor Centre as well as a guided tour of selected research telescopes, including the Southern African Large Telescope. A self-guided and basic guided tour of the Southern African Large Telescope happens every hour on the hour. Night tours include the viewing of objects in the sky through two dedicated visitor telescopes, a 16″ Meade and 14″ Celestron, and occur on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Other attractions include Carnarvon’s Karoo Array radio telescope, Karoo architecture and corbelled houses, Anglo-Boer War sites, rock art, and ancient Palaeo surfaces.
