As the pressures of urban living increase, more city people are looking for places where they can find peace, solitude and a release from stress. New developments aimed at meeting their needs are taking place around the country, but often they cause environmental and social degradation. Ecotourism can be big business, but if it is uncontrolled and ad hoc it can also destroy its own resource base.
Many agricultural farms, particularly large farms in the Karoo, are looking into setting up recreational trails, with accommodation in rustic huts or campsites.
‘With ecotourism developing as one of the fastest-growing sectors within the tourism industry, and with the compatibility of ecotourism with farming, the marrying of the two activities is a logical conclusion,” says Professor Leon Hugo, of the Centre for Ecotourism at the University of Pretoria.
According to Hugo, developing a trail is both a science and an art, and there is a lot to consider in order to provide a quality product. Considerations such as the positioning of overnight huts in well-appointed surroundings, and ensuring any swimming holes along the route are reached at the right time of day for the hikers to benefit from them, are all part of the process.
A number of years ago Robin and Hilary Steven-Jennings decided to promote ecotourism on their farm Hillandale, north-east of Beaufort West. With extensive mountain terrain, riverine bush and rolling grasslands, they realised the farm had potential but they needed some guidance on how to lay down trails in an ecologically friendly manner. So they contacted the Centre for Ecotourism and asked for an eco-trail feasibility study.
‘Our goal was to develop a trail system that would be accessible to the average city family,” Robin Steven-Jennings explains.
They wanted to provide visitors with an experience illustrating all aspects of life on Hillandale farm, without causing environmental or social degradation, as well as to promote the conservation goals of the owners. The planning procedure was based on the Ecotourism Development Model developed by the University of Pretoria, which in turn was based on ecotourism development procedures of the United Nations Environmental Programme and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
There are many alternatives when it comes to developing ecotourism activities, including hiking, mountain biking, horse trails, 4×4 trails, as well as special interests such as bird and game watching, farmyard activities, tracking wildlife, and African mythology. These and others were covered in the report on Hillandale, which gave the owners a range of choices.
After considering the level of involvement they could afford, the couple decided to concentrate on self-guided hiking, mountain biking and 4×4 trails. With the help of the report, they developed three main hiking trails and a network of shorter routes. Overnight bush-camps have been constructed in two locations, each with a design that suits the locality.
The accommodation consists of huts made of natural stone, blending into the surroundings. Each camp is designed to sleep 12 ecotourists in separate huts or rooms containing two bunk beds. At each site, there is a small toilet and an open-air cold water shower, as well as a communal entertainment and cooking area.
Every effort has been made to keep the surroundings as natural as possible and even the tanks, which store water for the bush-camps, have been encased in a surround made of natural rock. Water for each site is pumped into these tanks by a windmill in the same manner as a farm dam operates.
Most of the work for the feasibility study was done at the University of Pretoria, with members of the assessment team visiting the farm twice — once to do the basic planning, and then to lay out the actual trails. The trails were laid out in such a way that they can be hiked by children and senior citizens, taking into account participants’ enjoyment rather than being a test of endurance and strength.
Existing farm tracks are the obvious choice when planning routes for recreational vehicles, as this cuts down the expense and environmental destruction caused by creating new ones. The tracks can be extended by linking them with ones on neighbouring farms, enabling them to be turned into routes long enough for a drive of reasonable duration.
Hillandale achieved this by providing three separate routes varying in length from 34km to 64km, and taking in both riverine and mountain driving conditions and scenery. Mountain bike enthusiasts can tackle the same routes as well as a few others, depending on the level of difficulty desired.
‘The 4×4 routes are the most popular,” says Robin Steven-Jennings, adding that people in recreational vehicles are more likely than those in normal sedans to travel further to pursue their favourite pastime.
Accommodation on the 4×4 route is sited in an acacia thorn thicket on the banks of the Krom River, where there is a choice of a campsite or a hut built of local stone. Amenities are basic but sufficient and include braai areas, a long drop toilet, cold water shower, and tables and chairs made from local slate, which cleverly enhance the rustic atmosphere.
Before investing in such a venture, landowners should consider their location and ability to offer visitors something different.
‘Although the hiking trails haven’t really paid for themselves yet, I am confident that the Karoo is becoming more popular and we will start seeing some financial benefit in the near future,” says Robin Steven-Jennings.
According to Professor Hugo, the position of hiking trails — and, to a lesser extent, 4×4 trails — in relation to larger urban areas is an important consideration. ‘If a trail is near a densely populated area, people don’t obtain the feeling of getting away from it all. If it is far, it should preferably offer something special or have alternative activities as an extra attraction.”
Many ecotourists use weekends and public holidays to follow their pastime, so travelling time is an important factor. ‘The optimum distance is between two and two-and-a-half hours’ drive away from a major centre,” Hugo says.
Publicity and marketing plays a very important role in the success of a trail. Through experience, the Steven-Jenningses have realised this must be aimed directly at the specific market for which the trails cater, such as hiking or 4×4 magazines, books and web sites, rather than in media that cater for general public interest.
Speak to the experts
Unlike in Europe, where people can hike just about wherever they like without paying, hiking in South Africa has developed into a well-organised industry where there is a dynamic relationship between the hikers (the demand side of the industry) and the trail owners (the supply side). Although the hikers are fairly well-organised, the owners of trails tend to do their own thing, with
little quality control.
This situation led to the formation of the South African Hiking Trail Owners Association. It provides a forum for owners to share information and develop mutual benefits such as an accreditation system, corporate marketing, research on market trends, etc. It also has a website – www.trailinfo.co.za – where hikers can lodge their concerns about and appreciation of specific trails and raise general aspects on the provision of trails.
The association has an interim steering committee under the chairmanship of Professor Leon Hugo of the University of Pretoria, with representatives of the Hiking Federation of South Africa, South African National Parks, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Backpacker Pty Ltd, Jacana Country Homes and Trails, and Safcol.
For more information on getting a trail accredited, consult the website or contact Professor Hugo at the University of Pretoria on
(012) 420-4111 or [email protected]
For further information on Hillandale farm and trails, contact Robin and Hilary Steven-Jennings at (023) 416-1714