Blouberg Camp is one of many camps that form part of Limpopo’s African Ivory Route.

The camp offers colourful decorated traditional huts and has en-suite facilities for ten guests. There are opportunities for day excursions to a variety of natural and cultural attractions. The camp’s location also offers many activities, like birding, and a guided hike to the top of the mountain where one of the most secluded communities live. There are also a large number of yellow-wood trees at the top of the mountain.

To learn more about activities in Blouberg see the background information or contact the Blouberg Tourism Association.

]]> 28.98539924621582031,-23.11030006408691406 This camp is situated at the top of Blouberg and is used as a base camp for hikes and educational trips. The camp is not officially open yet, although construction has been completed, there are a few things that still need to finalized.

Accommodation may be requested, though, by contacting Patrick directly.

]]> 28.96619987487792969,-23.07760047912597656 Aaron sculpts statues out of mud or stone. He grinds the stones to make them soft and then mixes the resulting powder-like substance with water to make a type of cement out of which to mould his sculptures.

He also picks up pieces of wood and makes a statue or ornament according to their shapes.

His works include pots, statues, birds, church benches, and he likes making artwork according to each client’s needs. Aaron started sculpting and carpentry in 1995 in order to keep himself busy and to earn some money.

]]> 28.82099914550781250,-23.13689994812011719 Abel is an artist that lives in a village on the way from Inveran to Bochum (Senwabarwana). Abel sketches and does drawings in different mediums, like pastels, acrylic, pen, charcoal and pencil.

He sketches people (faces especially), natural settings, and sometimes uses pictures from magazines or photos. He can draw a person in about three hours and visitors can give him a photo of themselves if they would like him to sketch them.

Abel started drawing in primary school in 1996, but did not see a future in being an artist initially. He was however encouraged by his community to continue drawing and now is pursuing art as a career.

]]> 28.82119941711425781,-23.13769912719726562 Cowen is still a scholar, but keeps himself busy with drawings and wireworks. He makes small cars and models of jets, using wire and cardboard. He also draws pictures, using pencils and crayons. He started drawing at a very young age.

]]> 28.98850059509277344,-23.13940048217773438 Sello is an artist who does drawings and paintings. He uses different mediums, like acrylic paints, poster paints and oil paints. He is normally short of paper and makes do with the reverse sides of calendars. He also makes his own frames and sells his artwork in his local village and nearby villages, for interior décor.

Sello draws mostly themes from the area, natural as well as cultural. He started drawing and selling his art during secondary school and found that it was a good way of making money from something he loves doing. Sello takes orders with specific requests for drawings and paintings, such as for totems of different tribes.

In order to market himself, he takes samples of his works to different villages to show his work to potential clients.

]]> 28.71369934082031250,-23.07789993286132812 Blouberg Nature Reserve offers bush camps with gas facilities in the kitchen, open shower and toilet facilities. One thatched hut and four dome tents are available for accommodation.
The reserve is also a popular spot for bird-watching.

The reserve was proclaimed in 1983 to conserve the ecosystems of the eastern Blouberg Mountain. It is home to the largest breeding colony of Cape Vultures (700 breeding pairs) and also has a buffalo and sable breeding programme.

]]> 29.06916809082031250,-23.01075935363769531 Maleboch Nature Reserve is located on the northern plain of the Blouberg mountain, in the Mydarling area – almost adjacent to Blouberg Nature Reserve.

The reserve offers three A-frame huts as accommodation, with a lapa, a kitchen and ablution facilities. Visitors can go on a self-drive game explorations.

Maleboch Nature Reserve was proclaimed in 1983 and is a communal reserve, the land being owned by the community. The development and management is undertaken by the provincial government.

The reserve is characterised by arid Bushveld with plains, game and scenic views of the northern mountain slopes.

]]> 28.86470031738281250,-23.05400085449218750 This tourism association was started in 1999. Through hard work and good working relationships they managed to build two accommodation establishments, with the help of government (national and local).

The association can aid visitors in directing them to interest points, helping them with guiding and telling them more about Blouberg.

]]> 28.95747375488281250,-23.13111305236816406 This project is situated in a village called Buffelshoek. It is a brickmaking project that also grows vegetables for sale locally, like spinach, tomatoes, beetroot, onion, butternut and sometimes also green peppers and hot chilly. They have to cope without electricity, but despite this obstacle the project is functioning well.

The Blouberg Development Project:

The Blouberg Development Project started in March 1999. It was funded by the department of Social Development and started out as a vegetable agricultural project. But as a result of the dependence on environmental elements, like the weather and water, they decided to make bricks instead. They used the profit rendered from selling the vegetables in order to fund their brick making project.

]]> 28.95429992675781250,-23.15309906005859375 Boiterelo Sewing and Knitting Project is located in a small village called Inveran. It was started by three ladies in 2002. Today there are eight women involved.

The ladies have been trained by the Department of Labour in knitting and sewing. They make school uniforms, traditional clothing, dresses, aprons and evening dresses.

They sell their handworks locally and the municipality also sometimes take the items to sell outside of the Blouberg region.

]]> 29.00160026550292969,-23.13529968261718750 Itireleng Bosehla is an agricultural project on the banks of a river. The project started in January 2002, with 12 ladies, after a councillor informed them about the importance of working together. They sell their crops to the local people and are very dependent on the environment.

]]> 28.98130035400390625,-23.12919998168945312 Dora sells handworks that are made from egg containers. The egg containers are used to make paper maché and then moulded to form different shapes of containers and pots. She then uses seeds, stones, glue and paint to decorate the containers and pots. She sells her products locally.

Dora decided to start handwork to make a living. There are five people in the project now.

]]> 29.11829948425292969,-23.26700019836425781 Bull-Bull is a village located near the Blouberg Camp.

Celia makes pots and containers from egg containers. She makes paper maché from the egg containers by leaving it in water and then working the residue into a pulp, after which she puts this into a mould and smoothes the edges with a knife and spoon to shape it. These containers are then decorated with egg shells, flower seeds, and coral trees. She paints the pots on the inside, using dye and uses varnish to glaze them.

Celia explains how she started her project:

"I was attending Abed school and the teacher taught us to read and write. The teacher noted that the older students needed more stimulation and started to teach us this craft."

Celia sells her crafts locally and mostly works from orders.

]]> 29.04630088806152344,-23.11339950561523438 This project makes and sells three legged pots and other aluminium pots for use on fires (like flat ones for making bread). The project offers different sizes, 0, ½ , 2, 3, 4, 6, 14. Big pots are also made for celebratory occasions.

The project started as a means for earning an extra income.

Josephine demonstrated and explained how they make pots:

Using old pots as moulds (cut in half);
Place the old pot inside the frame and fill with clammy sand;
Stamp the sand so that it’s compact;
This process continues until the sand is level, then adding another frame and more sand;
Turn over and remove the top frame, making holes on the side for legs;
Taking out the mould/old pot and making lines in the right places;
There are now spaces for the aluminium to trickle down;
Placing the top level on the top again and making a hole, pour the aluminium to trickle down;
Then bake it in an outside 'oven' made of an old drum, placing a second one on top.

]]> 29.00020027160644531,-23.13809967041015625 Moyahabo makes snacks out of marula nuts as a way to keep her hands busy. She collects Marula fruit during February until March, which is when they ripen. After collecting the fruit she makes beer in order to retrieve the nuts from the inside of the Marula. The nuts are then dried, after which she cracks them to retrieve an 'almond-like' substance on the inside. She extracts the pieces carefully and it takes her two days to fill a ceramic cup with this snack.

The outer shell is used as an ingredient for snuff, which, it is believed, will stop a running nose and relieve headaches.

The snacks are called Dikgeru.

Other uses for the Marula:

Oil can also be extracted from the Marula 'nut', and it is then mixed with Letsouka, which is a reddish stone powder. This is used as a mask (beauty product). This reddish oil is also used in a traditional ritual, where virgins apply this mixture to their bodies in a ceremony where they are pronounced ready for mixing with men. The girls are decorated – their head with ash of the Leadwood tree and their foreheads and bodies with the reddish oil. They then dance and sing through the night, without any clothes on. Thus the Marula has a lot of symbolism in the cultures of the people in Blouberg.

The shells can also be used to make fires, or the snack can be roasted.

The bark of the Marula branch is also used to make a dish/bowel called mogopo. This is used to eat porridge from and is seen as a very good product, since the tree drew up water from its roots and the bowel carries this living character.

]]> 29.01259994506835938,-23.14809989929199219 This project has started only recently. They have begun by making paper maché items and containers for decorations and are planning to make candles and perhaps polish.

A group of ladies realized that they could not sit around and do nothing, but should start a project in order to generate an income and to keep themselves busy. They then asked other projects to teach them how to make paper maché containers. They also thought of making products similar to the mokgotse, which are made from wood and used to carry sorghum. ‘Nkuke’ means to uplift and they hope to achieve this through the development of their project.

]]> 29.07290077209472656,-23.17939949035644531 This project has different crafts products, from beadwork to paper maché containers, with beads as decoration. They are also small farmers and grow spinach, beetroot, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. The project is for the physically as well as mentally disabled, but is also open to those that have no disabilities.

Their products are sold locally and they are especially supported by government officials.

Setoaba was injured by a train accident and lost the use of both his legs. Unable to continue his regular work, he ended up at home but decided not to give up. He started attending meetings and workshops in order learn more about starting a project. He then got a group together and approached Miss Patricia Mahlo who advised them that they would first need to start with training.

Together with some others they started training in a small room in their backyard. The group asked for aid from the government and a group of teachers from Polokwane trained the group Business Management and Cultivation for Small Farming. As a result of their hard work and determination, they are making good progress.

]]> 29.04719924926757812,-23.17530059814453125 The project makes crafts out of egg containers in the form of bowels and vases for plastic flowers. They ask people of the area for seeds or gather seeds themselves for decoration and also use egg shells for this purpose.

What began with two ladies now employs seven.

]]> 28.99329948425292969,-23.14310073852539062 The project was started by local people in 2002, with funds from Spoornet, which they used to build sheds and a fenced area. Here they farm with chickens, make bricks and also offer home based care for HIV positive individuals.

]]> 29.02199935913085938,-23.12660026550292969 The school has a group of female traditional dancers as well as a group of boys that do the dinaka dance.

]]> 29.02879905700683594,-23.15200042724609375 Mercy uses her sewing skills to make different products, like curtains, sofa cushions and aprons.

]]> 28.98780059814453125,-23.13279914855957031 Frans welds gates, butler windows, butler door, window frames, and frames for doors. He started with no resources for welding and no idea of how to weld.

Frans explains how his business started:

“I found a piece job at Pretoria in chop-shop, where I gained experience and started to have interest in working with steel and welding. I realized that I could make my own business out of welding and began by making a window frame and the gate for my home. People became interested in my work and I started to get orders of gates, window frames, butlers and steel fences."

]]> 28.98780059814453125,-23.13279914855957031 The Seabakgwana Pottery Project is about 124km from the main city Polokwane in the Limpopo Province. It is within the Capricorn district at Blouberg local Municipality area. The project operates from centre of Sewale, situated in Bull-Bull village at the foothills of the Blouberg Mountain. It is also within easy reach from the African Ivory Route Camp in Blouberg.

Here visitors can buy beautifully crafted traditional pottery that is of good quality.

The project specializes in the following products:

Traditional pottery;
Traditional beadwork;
Woodwork;
Traditional basket making.

The project was started in 1968 by Mrs. Paullina Morukhu, she carried on until in 1993. Seabakgwana was formally registered in 2006.

Makhutsisa BTC as a service provider in collaboration with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture identified and encouraged her to start projects, which will nurture the talent of young potters in this country.

After training in various field such as pottery, sewing, basic business management, theory and practical wooden products, the service provider approached the Department of Labour to assist with a sponsorship for the training of about 26 people in different skills such as wooden products and garment making. She managed to recruit men and woman who could assist her in making more products.

The project was established to achieve the following:

To create jobs for the local community;
To transfer new skills and knowledge of ceramic/pottery;
To build the capacity of the community in order to run a ceramic enterprise;
To establish a permanent industrial ceramic section and create a healthy working environment for creative craft endeavours;
To use advanced technology to develop ceramic products for local and tourism markets.

For more details or information contact Patricia.

]]> 29.03450012207031250,-23.12639999389648438 The project was started by a group of unemployed women of the village. They make hand bags out of plastic bags and also have a small gardening project where they grow tomatoes and spinach.

They are situated in a very scenic village.

]]> 29.03910064697265625,-23.08250045776367188 Semotile means 'to spread'.

This project makes peanut butter from peanuts, which they grow and plough themselves. They also buy peanuts in order to make up their orders. They then grind the peanuts into a paste and work it until the texture is smooth and when it becomes oily, they know it is ready. The peanut butter is sold to local schools for feeding schemes. They also sell packets of peanuts.

The ladies explain:

“We started this project because we realized that mostly we sat around, doing nothing. We did not want to sit around and gossip, but wanted to aid in alleviating poverty and to help others.”

]]> 29.07640075683593750,-23.15349960327148438 The Sesalong Women’s Project is located in a village called Leipzig, near Blouberg.

The project consists of eight women who are making clay pots to sell to local people. They get the clay from the top of the mountain and carry it in bags on their heads. Other products also available are big wooden spoons and whisks.

The project started between 1996 and 1998, with skills passed down from previous generations.

]]> 28.90060043334960938,-23.13450050354003906 Tsolopatwe literally means 'Rock Hide us'. The ladies make cultural ornaments and hand-sewn bags.

Tsolopatwe is also the name of a cave that is on a part of the Blouberg Mountain. Here the community plans to build a camp and parking for tourists. There is a hiking trail that leads to the cave and also to the yellow wood forest. They have lined the cave on the inside with a traditional floor. The ladies can also perform traditional dances on request.

]]> 29.02750015258789062,-23.08270072937011719 The Indermark Community Centre hosts a variety of projects. The projects use the building to make their arts and crafts, as well as a place to display their products. To reach the Centre, from both entrances into Indermark, turn left on the first street, pass Maphutha High School, and the centre is about two and a half kilometres distant.

The project is housed in a large building that comprises many activities.

Hare Myake Phoso Project:
Contact Person(s): Mrs Ralephata Frederick Sesinyana
Cell: +27 83 722 7059
Postal Address: PO Box 103, Indermark, Limpopo, 0717, South Africa
Physical Address: Block A. 444, Indermark, Limpopo, South Africa

This project was started by older ladies and consists of volunteers. They make different arts and crafts (like beadwork).

Kgare Iithuteng Project:
Contact Person(s): Mrs Granny Ngoako Motalaota
Cell: +27 73 126 7757
Postal Address: PO Box 1332, Indermark, Limpopo, 0717, South Africa
Physical Address: Indermark Community Centre Block CB, Limpopo, South Africa

The project started with 26 women to create jobs. A variety of arts and crafts are made and sold here.

Mphokaneng Traditional Pottery:
Contact Person(s): Mr Mashilo Moses Kgwatalala
Tel/Fax: +27 15 593 5139
Cell: +27 73 386 6575
Postal Address: PO Box 486, Indermark, Limpopo, 0717, South Africa
Physical Address: Indermark Community Centre, Block CB, Indermark, Limpopo, South Africa

The project allows visitors to see how pottery works are made and products are sold at the centre, which is on the Ivory Route.

This project was started by eight elderly ladies whose interests were to make something of their social grants. Indermark is a rural village where only ten percent of the community is employed. Funds from the Department of Arts and Culture assisted the project and there are 25 people employed there now.

Makoko Shoe Project:
Contact Person(s): Hildah Manaka
Fax: +27 15 593 4432
Cell: +27 73 578 2009
Postal Address: PO Box 572, Indermark, Limpopo, 0717, South Africa
Physical Address: Stand Number 151 B, Indermark, Limpopo, South Africa

This project offers shoes made of different materials. It was started by 11 women for the purpose of job creation.

]]> 29.10820007324218750,-23.09440040588378906 Mary is a tourguide based in Buffelshoek village. She is an able guide and can accompany visitors during their hiking trip up Blouberg Mountain, showing them attraction sites, waterfalls and historical sites.

She also has good knowledge of interesting sites on the routes and the interesting history of the Maleboho people.

]]> 28.93918991088867188,-23.13838768005371094