This fascinating insight into the culture, heritage, knowledge and modern-day life of the San of southern Africa entails accompanying a group of our qualified San guides, who will lead you through a truly exceptional experience. During a three-hour tour the San will demonstrate their skills, share their ancient knowledge about oral history, tracking animals, identifying plants with you. They will also teach you words in some of their languages and enlighten you about recent achievements in obtaining their rights to land and intellectual property. The San-guided experience provides a unique opportunity for you to listen to accurate accounts of the past and present lives of the San.

Get to know the !Khwa ttu model
After a friendly welcome the !Khwa ttu San guides will introduce you to the history of !Khwa ttu, its current state of affairs and its meaning to the San of southern Africa. Your hosts will also provide you with an overview of the various activities which you will be able to enjoy in direct interaction with them.

Board an open trailer
Take pleasure in a slow drive on our tractor and trailer through the hilly landscape of !Khwa ttu. The 850ha nature reserve is home to both hundreds of plant species of the indigenous fynbos flora and a wide array of indigenous fauna. As you drive up and down the hills the San guides will point out some of the many game species such as Eland, Zebra, Oryx, Bontebok and Springbok. You will be privileged to hear some of the stories about animals which form an important part of the vast San oral history.

Walk the nature trails
Leave the vehicle behind and follow your guides on an easy nature walk. You will be surprised by the wealth of knowledge the San will share with you about hunting, gathering and tracking. To realise that a San tracker is able to not only to identify the footprints and droppings of an animal but also to make out the animal’s sex, age and overall condition will be a fascinating experience. The guides’ demonstration of both setting a traditional bird snare and storing water in ostrich eggs, as well as in-depth information about the use of specific plants will enrich you with significant insights in traditional practises which are often still part of the San’s lives.

Visit the replica traditional San village
Learn more about San hunting traditions by observing the use of tools such as bows and arrows. The San guides will also familiarise you with both the customary distribution of hunted game meat and astonishing hunters’ stories. The unique skills of San women will be the focus of the presentation when they demonstrate the usage of digging sticks and gathering bags as well as tools to produce ostrich eggshell jewellery. You will have the unique opportunity to try shooting an arrow, igniting a fire with sticks and rounding ostrich eggshell pieces with a springbok horn under the guidance of experienced San. You will be truly amazed as to how many skills one has to co-ordinate in order to be successful. The visit will be rounded off by the guides’ description of some extraordinary aspects of the San’s social life such as the healing power of the trance dance, the traditional egalitarian society, the sharing system of resources and the menarcheal rite, which celebrates the girl’s coming into womanhood. These authentic accounts of San culture will create an unforgettable impression.

Enjoy a refreshing drink at the Boma [enclosure]
Your journey will continue when your San hosts will accompany you to our beautifully designed Boma, constructed of natural materials. Nestled at the highest point in the landscape of !Khwa ttu, you will experience breathtaking views of Table Mountain to the south and the Langebaan Lagoon to the north. Relax as you enjoy the peace and tranquillity of our treasured land while the guides introduce you to some of the San languages. Observe the orthography of their languages and have fun in learning to pronounce the clicks and tones of words.

View the display at the gallery and watch a film at the audio-visual theatre
After the drive back from the boma you can look at an exhibition and a twenty-minute film which deals with San rock art (images painted or carved into rock). Interpretations of this ancient art will reveal more about the San’s beliefs and customs of about 30 000 years ago.

San-guided tours Tuesdays to Sundays:
In the mornings at 10h00
In the afternoons at 14h00

Click here for rates.