Stormsriver was abuzz with screams of anxiety. The rapids were approaching fast and everyone in our black water tubing trip was ducking and diving not to lose their tube in the maul. But a German tourist in our group was going for it full-out. She lost her tube, nearly drowned and immediately declared she had the best time ever.
‘That is the second crazy German we have had this week,” the amused guide told me. ‘And we are expecting five more before the week is finished, not to even mention the Australians.”
Stormsriver is just one of many outfits that hosts dozens of overseas tourists looking for that unique, adrenaline-packed adventure South Africa promises, often only found in rural areas. But Jennifer Seif, coordinator of Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, says what you have to ask is how much of the foreign revenue ends up in the hands of the local communities in the area.
‘Also, are the companies running the adventure tours complying to good environmental practices and sustainable tourism?” she asks.
Seif recently gave Stormsriver Adventures the stamp of approval by Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, an organisation that monitors social responsibility in South Africa’s tourism industry.
Their tours are not only about having a great time with wonderful adrenaline-rushed adventures, says Seif, but tourists who support the company also know they are making a difference to the community and environment.
Stormsriver Adventures has become one of the largest new job creators in the eco-adventure industry in South Africa.
‘They employ 93% of tour guides from disadvantaged communities in the Eastern Cape and have invested a lot of energy and resources into training staff,” Seif said.
The company only employs locals — all of whom live within a 25km radius of the business.
The company only buys goods from local businesses and has started up a catering project designed to empower women in the region. Thus even the meals tourists eat while doing their chosen adventure of the day have the stamp of good social conduct.
All the products the group offers have been checked by Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa to ensure no part of the environment was harmed and that their practices are contributing to sustainable tourism.
‘Stormsriver Adventures is sending out a strong environmental message by giving that bit extra to the community and going the extra mile to protect the environment,” Seif says.
The company runs a variety of eco-adventures that will fit any age or personality. For those who prefer more soothing eco-trips, Stormsriver Adventures runs packages such a peaceful cruise up the Stormsriver gorge, while the adrenaline junkies can get their fix with activities such as the popular black water tubing or abseiling 35m down a cliff.
Black water tubing was one of the company’s first products on offer and while our guide boasted that even 70-year-old ladies have done it, I was sceptical about the old lady getting to the river in the first place, as you have to negotiate a 50m drop down a ravine to reach the river.
Patrons are issued with a wetsuit and black tube to run the Stormsriver with. The trip is loads of fun and very informative. Though the occasional adventurous pensioner will wander into a group, the trip draws mostly a young crowd. The guides too are young locals who have lived in the Stormsriver all their life and know the river inside out.
Though the river’s level was low when we visited, we still got a good mix of lulling around together with a few rapids to boost your heartbeat. The scenery is spectacular and at times you feel so enclosed by the towering cliffs that it feels as if the Earth will engulf you soon.
A fair amount of walking is required to move from rapid to rapid. The rocks are slippery and a few people in our group were surprised to find themselves sliding down rapids on their bums rather than their tubes.
Another new craze tourists are flocking to is the canopy tour, the only one of its kind in Africa. This tour will give patrons a bird’s-eye view of the Outeniqua forest, without them ever touching the floor of the forest.
The tour involves sliding from one platform to another along a steelcable suspended up to 30m above the forest floor. Most platforms are located in giant Outeniqua Yellowwood trees.
Professional local guides provide interesting facts about the forest ecology during the three-hour tour.
Seif undertook the canopy tour when Stormsriver was still applying for accreditation. She had lots of praise for the guides. ‘I learned so much from them and they kept me relaxed and entertained throughout. Even when I was scared to slide from tree to tree, they showed me the ropes and calmed my fears.”
Seif said she was surprised to see so many young, black women guides leading the tours. ‘And believe me, they did not stand back for the guys at all.”
The concept of guiding people through the upper canopy of a rainforest originated in Costa Rica, where adventurous biologists devised new methods for accessing the forest canopy in order to conduct research on the undiscovered canopy ecosystem, says Ashley Wentworth, a Stormsriver Adventures manager.
‘The system was designed and created by an adventurous civil engineer who constructed a similar canopy tour in Costa Rica,” he says.
The canopy tours were designed to benefit previously disadvantaged communities in the area. It created 15 permanent and 10 part-time jobs.
Wentworth says considerable care was taken to ensure that there is no harmful contact between the trees and the cables/platforms.
The engineers erected 1,5km of erosion-proof ladder to ensure protection of the forest floor during construction. No indigenous trees were removed or even impaired.
Stormsriver is not planning to let up now that they have earned the coveted trademark. They are planning to build a craft market and restaurant to create even more jobs for the impoverished local community.