Venda Indigenous Art Tour
An extraordinary tour for those who appreciate African art and animals, too!
This trip is pure fun. Stay in one-of-kind hotels, visit mystical regions few tourists see, and hang out with the animals in luxurious, eco-friendly safari camps. This is an unique opportunity to get to know local artists and visit with them in their studios. Try your hand at sculpture or beading. Buy wonderful
art treasures! We also offer optional excursions to local villages and community projects
Here is what our customers say:
"Thank you so much for introducing us to South Africa. You saw to it that we were exposed to a little bit of everything with great humor.
The trip was better than we could have hoped for!" ...Holly
"This has been a wonderful trip to South Africa!
You truly helped us to meet the people and our lives are enriched
by this particular trip. Every day has been an adventure." ...Anita
I would travel with you again! ...Doris
May 16-30, 2009
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Welcome to Johannesburg, South Africa's most vibrant city, steeped in history, art, and culture. Our representatives meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. You have time to rest up from your international flight before dinner and an orientation meeting at MOYO, a divine African restaurant, featuring African music and dance.
You will stay at the trendiest hotel in Johannesburg -- chairs in the swimming pool, oversize flowerpots, funky art, classic sculptures, and designer furniture -- all make it very special. Great location, at Melrose Arch Precinct, next door to Obert Gallery and easy walking to many restaurants and shops.
Day 2: We start off with a South African history lesson. Our visit to the Johannesburg area includes downtown Johannesburg, the Constitutional Court at Constitution Hill, previously Fort Prison; the excellent permanent interactive exhibition at the Apartheid Museum; Museum Africa in the cultural hub of Newtown; and the Origins Museum at Wits University. We also visit the vibrant township of Soweto where Nelson and Winnie Mandela lived (we will visit the house and historical neighborhood), and stop at the Hector Peterson Museum and Memorial, and the famous Regina Mundi Church - with a fun traditional lunch at a local (shebeens used to be illegal drinking spots).
Day 3: Art lovers will enjoy Johannesburg’s world-class art galleries, and there is no limit to what is on display in the city: prints, sculptures, African crafts, tapestries, beadwork, ceramics, wirework and experimental art. The Johannesburg Art Gallery (spanning International and local artists), Standard Bank Gallery, Goodman Gallery, David Krut, Artist Proof Studio, Art on Paper, Visual Arts, and the Absa Collection in downtown Jo'burg, as the locals call it - we will have one whole day to explore. There will be an opportunities to meet with local artists in their studios.
Day 4: Travel today from Johannesburg to a lovely lodge in the Limpopo Province, a region of extraordinary myths and legends, of great and ancient kingdoms. This is where the queen of the Balobedu tribe still rules and is also believed to have rainmaking powers, where young women dance like pythons, rhinos are made of gold, and the most clay pottery and wooden sculptures are found. The lodge is set in the heart of the Venda and Shangaan artists’ and crafters’ route, and was instrumental in setting up the Ribolla arts route, showcasing some of the most artistic talent in the area. Throughout this land of legends, people welcome you in the most traditionally, hospitable African manner. After lunch your guide collects you to spend the afternoon visiting local arts projects and artists where you can see them at work, admire their extraordinary wood sculptures, and perhaps learn a skill or two. Try your hand at carving!
Day 5: This morning you can choose which artists and projects you wish to visit - basket weaving, bead making, textile projects, paper making, Mukondeni Pottery Village (watch an amazing local woman coil a pot in two minutes, one that may take you a few hours or days to make!) - stop for a packed picnic lunch, and in the afternoon you may want to spend some time at the Childrens Creche at the Twananani Batik Project, visit an AIDS Orphans Project, or spend time at the Youth Centre. In the late afternoon you might enjoy an evening stroll in the nature reserve, a cruise on the lake, or sip a glass of fine South African wine and curl up with good book in the beautiful gardens!
Day 6: Another full day in this extraordinary area - spend the morning with one of the area's most famous artists - watching her work, perhaps carving a sculpture. She is the only female wood-carver in the area, and her craft came to her through "dreams". You see her giant carvings at your next stop, an amazing lodge which she helped create. With the queen’s permission, you can enjoy the afternoon at Lake Fundudzi, a sacred area where the giant Python Fertility God is said to live.
Day 7: After breakfast you leave the area and travel by road to you next luxury lodge. Your next three nights are at Lesheba - enjoy the most beautiful walks in the area, with giraffe and zebra as your walking partners. Game drives are also offered, and here you will meet the local artists sponsored by Lesheba.
Lesheba is often hidden in the clouds! A steep, winding road curls up the south western side of the Tha vhani ya muni, the "mountain of salt," until, through a great gate above the clouds, the tracks crest, and before you stretches a hidden valley. Lesheba epitomizes the essence of Africa. Accommodation at Lesheba is in a magical village -- around every corner there is a sculpture to admire, in each nook and cranny, a secret place to sit and reflect, and everywhere are all the comforts your heart could desire. Everyone loves Lucas, the chef at Lesheba. Don't plan to diet while on this trip!
Day 8: The day is yours - enjoy a morning nature walk, relax, meet the artists, take a game drive, or a ride on one of the Nootgedacht ponies that can follow any game trail up or down the mountain. You may want to visit the Mogalakwena Arts Centre and its HIV clinic, or perhaps spend a few hours learning how to bead.
Day 9: And another day just for you! Hike, swim, relax, read, view game, or bird-watch. To complete the magic that Lesheba has to offer, guests can visit and participate in the newly completed non-profit "Centre of Indigenous Knowledge". This Centre, part of Lesheba's social responsibility program, is aimed at preserving and promoting the extensive indigenous knowledge of the Venda people. The program includes courses on arts and crafts and traditional healing.
Day 10 : (B,L,D) Travel after breakfast from Lesheba to the Kruger National Park, entering through the Pafuri Gate, in the northern sector of the park.
This area is the ancestral home of the Makuleke people, and is the most diverse and scenic area in Kruger. This is certainly the wildest and most remote part of the park, offering varied vegetation, great game viewing, best birding in all of Kruger, and folklore of the early explorers and ancient civilizations.
It is well known for its fever tree forest, beautiful gorges, and Crook's Corner, where the Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers and three countries, (Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique) meet. The region is considered one of Kruger's biodiversity hotspots, with some of the largest herds of elephants, buffalos, leopards and lions, and extremely prolific birdlife.
Accommodation consists of 20 luxury-tented rooms, each with en suite bathroom facilities, all overlooking the river. Activities in the Makuleki/ Pafuri area include all game drives, game walks, and rides. One of the most important aspects of this area is its palaeo-anthropological history, with a plethora of evidence of early human ancestors stretching back some 2 million years ago, through the Stone Age and into the Iron Age when the Thulamela dynasty ruled in this area. You will see the evidence of these first inhabitants - in the form of rock paintings and artifacts. Truly a magical experience!
Day 11 and 12: Spend the day on game drives and game walks, exploring Kruger National Park. Enjoy the opportunity to get in touch with your wild side!
Last time we there there - we had elephants bathing in the river below are rooms. And we got to spend time with a pride of lions around dusk.
Day 13: Enjoy a final game drive and breakfast, before the shuttle air transfer from Pafuri back to Johannesburg. Final nights accommodation is be enjoyed back in Johannesburg.
Day 14: Departure day - and a day to go back and get that piece of art you may have passed up the first day! Or take a last-day optional tour with one of our favorite guides. Transfer to the airport for departure to US.
Please note: This is a very unusual tour - we will give you names and details of artists and hotels when you sign up.
This is a group tour itinerary. We only do this trip once a year.
However, you can book this trip as an individual tour! Please contact us to ask about the details.
Cost Includes:
- Airport transfers
- Transportation in a luxury van, with English speaking driver /guide
- Hotels and lodges
- Most meals
- Domestic flights
Does not include:
- International airfare
- Alcoholic beverages unless indicated
- Some meals where indicated
- Personal expenses (laundry, room service, tips)
- Personal transportation expenses separate from group activities
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Cost per Person: $4,960.00
Single Supplement: $1,250
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
Artistry
Crafts Tours
Wildlife Viewing
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