THE new community-based hiking trail in Blouberg, which will be open to the public next year, is expected to provide wonderful experiences for nature lovers with its beautiful, scenic routes.
The trail was developed by four young entrepreneurial interns who were appointed by non-profit organisation, Open Africa, to develop the Seraki Blouberg Route as part of a youth development project, aimed at giving travellers an opportunity to explore the Blouberg mountains in a new way.
The four interns came up with the idea of establishing a formal hiking trail on one of the popular spots in the Blouberg mountains and Open Africa came on-board to help them draft a business proposal.
They subsequently secured the funds from Finland for the establishment of their project.
“The Blouberg mountains were already very popular with hikers and mountain bikers. However, we thought we needed to create a proper trail that would create job opportunities for youngsters who could work as guides on the hiking routes,” explained one of the four founders, Dinah Madibana.
Among the activities that are on offer, is a short day hike up to the rock pools, and a 3km hike to the community-owned cultural camp on top of the mountain, where travellers can either spend a night camping or sleeping in rustic self-catering chalets.
For those who want to add cultural flavour to their travelling experience, a guided tour to the local Ba-Hananwa village is also on offer, either on foot or by mountain bike.
All this was made possible through Open Africa, who had been working with local communities in the area on a project funded by the Finnish embassy, aimed at developing entrepreneurship skills for youth and rural enterprises.
Open Africa marketing manager, Claire Allison, said the organisation helped to provide a platform for youth to start their own tourism business.
“Open Africa works with small businesses to establish rural tourism routes that offer travellers authentic experiences, while generating income and jobs for local people,” she said.
For more information on the trails and booking information, contact Transfrontier Parks Destinations on (021) 701 7860 or info@tfpd.co.za.
