South Africa’s cultural and creative diversity is inspirational, but the breadth and variety of experiences on offer can be overwhelming too. So how does a new visitor to South Africa tap into the country’s creative soul and immerse themselves in real and authentic experiences? They look for Hidden Treasures.
Who doesn't love the idea of an eye-opening, life-changing cultural adventure? Visitors to a new destination know when they've had that kind of an experience, because it leaves them changed, inspired and uplifted. They can't wait to tell everyone back home about the great restaurant, B&B or local artist that they discovered.
Unearthing those trip-making experiences isn't easy. Having the time, and knowing where to look, is a challenge that often yields unsatisfactory results. Tourists who travel with the aim of digging below the surface to really learn about the destination want to know their tourist dollar, euro, or pound is not only going to deliver an authentic, enriching experience for them, but that it's genuinely good for the person, or business, where they'll be spending.
That's where Hidden Treasures&trade, a local tourism product initiative developed by the Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP), a small business development agency focused on small and medium tourism businesses in South Africa, offers something truly unique and authentic. Revered as a national heritage, there is a vast gallery of rock art sites in South Africa.
Although vandalism destroyed some of the San Bushman's rock art, much has survived in the remote caves and under rock overhangs found across a vast area.
South African rock art has survived because of bitter irony. The San were hunted by Europeans, Zulu, Basotho and other tribes because of their belief that livestock should belong to all. They were forced into the Kalahari Desert and the Drakensberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal - which ensured the survival of their rock paintings.
Some locations to visit for local arts and crafts in Mpumalanga :
Fig Tree Restaurant & Coffee Shop - Sabie
Browse the Shoppe, browse the Internet or browse the yummy menu! The highly recommended Wild Fig Tree Restaurant & Coffee Shop in Sabie also features an Internet Cafe and Curio Shop. Very convenient for picking up last minute gifts to take home with you after enjoying a leisurely meal in the restaurant.
Between a rock and a soft space lies the remnants of the unofficial rock art revolution instigated by Nukain Mabusa's 'Garden of Flowers'. Amidst indigenous Lowveld bush split by a regional highway, boulders painted in geometric shapes make for a quirky roadside gallery for motorists passing through.
Tilly's Customised Candle factory - White River
Tilly's Customised Candle factory and retail outlet which was established some three years ago as a small business enterprise, today has blossomed into a successful company exporting to the likes of California, Nigeria, America and Holland. Only the best quality wax, wicks and candle dyes are used to ensure optimum usage in the candle making process, with inspiration for colours in the different ranges coming from the magnificent South African sunrises and sunsets in the Mpumalanga area.
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