The Wasteland – Graced Land Experience

Overview

This experience combines all tourism projects in the community of Melkhoutfontein, South Africa. This is the community where Dreamcatcher started the first sustainable tourism projects decades ago. On this inclusively local experience, formerly unemployed youth, now proud local tourist guides, share knowledge of the environment, history and culture. The community is involved in developing a sound environmental and cultural stewardship and share fascinating local history and stories.

Visitors report that they soon feel part of this empowering, positive experience, with some calling it visionary, with some opting to lend a handwith a brush-stroke and plant indigenous plants on a former waste dump site, now a botanical garden at the historical St Augustine’s grounds, where the restored calcrete church now serves as a Centre for Arts and Humanities. CookUp Kamammas invite visitors to pick their own organically grown salad, vegetables and herbs for their meals then they cook together and eat together.

All experiences we offer are 100% owned and managed by local entrepreneurs. Dreamcatcher trains its suppliers intensively and helps to calculate market-related and fair prices for their products. We ensure that community-based suppliers receive 100% of the price they quote.

Please indicate special dietary requirements, food allergies or accessibility needs.

1-2 Days
No age restriction
South Africa

Location:	South Africa
Visa:	Free Tourist Visa on Arrival
Currency:	South African Rand
Language:	English, Afrikaans & many more!
Included:	Experienced and registered tour guide Nights in Homestay Walkabout & Talkabout Cook-Up Kamamma lunch Learn about the Xhosa and Bushman cultures and traditional food Soft drinks and/or traditional ginger beer Entrances
Excluded:	Alcohol with lunch VAT & Tourism levies of 15% Tips Extra expenses

Tour Plan

On this inclusively local experience, formerly unemployed youth, now proud local tourist guides, share knowledge of the environment, history and culture. The community is involved in developing a sound environmental and cultural stewardship and share fascinating local history and stories.

Walkabout & Talkabout

As visitors go ‘walkabout and talkabout’, around the welcoming community they drop in for a quick laugh and pass houses transformed into murals depicting their significant history.

La Bloemen Botanical Garden

Lend a handwith a brush-stroke and plant indigenous plants on a former waste dump site, now a botanical garden at the historical St Augustine’s grounds, where the restored calcrete church now serves as a Centre for Arts and Humanities.

Cook-up with Kamamma

This experience is stripped of ‘staged culture” and offers a true “Taste of local Reality”. It is a real and heart warming experience. The Dreamcatcher Kamamma shares her lifestyle and traditions in an authentic home based setting. You will enjoy cooking an item or two of your hearty traditional meal in a fun and participative encounter.

Homestay with Kamamma

One can even stay over at a ‘Homestay with Kamamma’ built from recycled building material! The Kamamma host and husband spent 2 years removing disposed building was from the waste dump site which was destined to be burned and landfilled. Back on their proudly owned land, they built a guest bedroom and bathroom with all usual home comforts, from scratch.