The 21 day Fair Trade Travel Pass is designed to show you the highlights of South Africa from mountains to sea, our funky urban Captial to culture-rich rural villages, all with the knowledge that you are travelling responsibly.  With travel options and opportunities from shark cage diving to volunteering, horse riding to...well...just chilling out, there's something for every type of traveller.  Enjoy local cuisine, learn from local guides and experience the best that South Africa has to offer.

Additional Information

Fair Trade Travel Pass Highlights:

Cape Town - settle in for a few days at the award winning Backpack backpackers hostel situated in the vibrant Cape Town city centre, with views of Table Mountain and divine dishes in their cafe. Included in your time in Cape Town is a Shark Cage Diving experience or a boat based Whale watching adventure with ethical operator Marine Dynamics. 

Chintsa - escape the big city and make your way to East London where you will be greeted by the staff of legendary beach backpackers Buccaneers (that's us!) and transported to Chintsa. Situated right on the beach, take the opportunity to soak up some sun, relax in this super friendly atmosphere or take advantage of the extensive choice of adventure activities on offer at the backpackers from surf schools to beach horse trails and free wine on the giant sand dunes!


Join the Wild Coast Schools volunteer program run by Volunteer Africa 32 Degrees South (VA32) for 7 days. Teach basic computer literacy to young learners on the Wild Coast, join in structured arts and sports initiatives for the local children and get a chance to teach in the Big Green e-Machine (the VA32 mobile computer lab!), all whilst living in the relaxed beach town of Chintsa. Volunteers stay in the "vollie house" just minutes from the beach and eat tasty home-made food prepared just for them every evening. To read more about VA32 check out or Responsible Travel page.

Wild Coast -  This stunning and largely untouched area of South Africa with it's long white sandy beaches and warm Indian Ocean, is home to three of the most idyllic (and sustainable!) backpacker hostels in the country. Take a few days to explore the region, staying at one or more of these spots -Mdumbi Backpackers, The Coffee Shack and Bulungula Lodge - all dedicated to reducing their carbon footprint, sustaining the Wild Coast communities and eco-system and providing travellers with awesome experiences! You can even hike between the three of them!

Drakensburg - Relaxed and full of Xhosa culture and life you will then journey to the majestic mountains of the Drakensurg which will take your breath away. Make yourself at home for a couple of days at Sani Lodge where mountain activities are inlcuded in your tour - hike up the Sani Pass to the Lesotho mountains and explore the nearby caves full of ancient Bushman paintings.

Soweto - The final stop is the famously funky Soweto Backpackers on the outskirts of Johannesburg. This world renouned township was home to anyone and everyone who was involved in the liberation of South Africa and is supremely rich with heritage and history. Lebo's bicycle tour is included in your stay there and will give you a street level view of South Africa as we know it.

For more in-depth information on the Pass and it's partners visit the Fair Trade Travel Pass blog. You can also see more highlights and the latest news from all 9 partners through facebook.

Remember that by staying in these chosen establishments and going on these selected tours, you are assured that your travel benefits local communities and economies, and that the business is operated ethically and in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

21 day - Fair Trade  TRAVEL PASS

Day 1 to 3 Cape Town

You will be collected from Cape Town airport and brought by shuttle to The Backpack (www.backpackers.co.za ) , the multi-award winning backpackers lodge in the city centre where the swimming pool winks at the mountain and the café’s food hits the spot! You will have three full days (4 nights) in Cape Town to explore this beautiful city.

Included: Airport Shuttle, Accommodation, Shark Cage Dive or Boat-based Whale Watching experience with the leading, ethical operator in this field, Marine Dynamics (www.sharkwatchsa.com) - a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Day 4 to 11 Chintsa

From Cape Town you’ll fly to East London where a 45 minute transfer from East London brings you to the beautiful coastal village of Chintsa and home to the work of Volunteer Africa 32° South (www.volunteerafrica.co.za ). Meet the volunteer team as you settle into the “vollie house” overlooking the beach and ocean. Your volunteer time sees you immersed in the Wild Coast Schools Project which is bringing the life changing skills of computer literacy to the lives of young learners in the Chintsa community. Working under the guidance of professional volunteer teacher coordinators, you will team teach in VA32 established computer labs and from the Big Green e-Machine - our mobile 4x4 computer lab. Your afternoons involve running a homework club at a farm for vulnerable and orphaned children and a twice weekly sports program as part of our youth development initiatives. Wednesday afternoon is something fun and the weekend is all yours!

Included: Airport Shuttle, Accommodation

Day 11 to 16 Wild Coast

From Buccanneers you’ll head to Mthatha by bus where you will have a choice as to how you spend the next 5 nights. Mthatha is the launch pad into the more remote parts of the Wild Coast with its endless beaches and rich, traditional Xhosa culture. There are three places to choose from. You can spend all five nights at one spot, or divide your nights up between the equally cool yet different places.

Included: Bus Transport, Accommodation, 3 activities of your choice:

Choose from:

Mdumbi Backpackers (www.mdumbi.co.za ): an idyllic spot overlooking the beach voted a few years ago as South Africa’s most beautiful. Here you can go canoeing, snorkeling and hiking or you could learn how to surf Mdumbi’s epic wave… After all the action come back to an excellent home-cooked meal while chilling with travellers from around the world. Check out there permaculture garden and be inspired by the community development projects run by their Non Profit organisation, Transcape.

The Coffee Shack (www.coffeeshack.co.za ): this vibey, beach backpackers is nestled in the coastal village of Coffee Bay about an hour from Mdumbi. The super friendly Coffee Shack crew will take you on a range of fun outings including the hike to the famous Hole in the Wall rock formation or Mapuzi caves with it’s awesome cliff-jumps, but their speciality are the “world’s cheapest” professional surf lessons. Afterwards there’ll certainly be a fun at the festive Babalaza bar… and proper coffee in the morning for those who’re hung-over!

Bulungula Lodge (www.bulungula.com) : situated in a beautiful, remote corner of the Wild Coast, Bulungula has won numerous awards as a leader in community-based tourism. You are hosted by a traditional Bomvana community who will take you on amazing journeys of discovery. Spend a day with local women learning how to balance water on your head, make mud bricks and cook the local foods. Or spend a morning in the beautiful forest with medicine man learning about weird and wonderful remedies.

Day 16 to 18 Drakensberg

From the Wild Coast you’ll be shuttled and bussed to Sani Lodge(www.sanilodge.co.za) nestling deep in the majestic Drakensberg mountains. Here ,you will join a 3 night, 2 day package that includes venturing up the famous Sani Pass to the mountain kingdom of Lesotho and  a hike to caves to explore ancient Bushman paintings.  The Sani Lodge crew are the absolute experts on the area (they literally wrote the book) and can tell you about the secret special spots just a short walk away. And don’t forget their renowned chocolate cake!

Includes: Shuttles, Bus Transport, Accomodation, Mountain Activities

Day 18 to 21 Soweto

From Sani Lodge, you will shuttle and bus your way to your final stop: 3 nights at the famous, funky Soweto Backpackers (www.sowetobackpackers.com). The iconic township of Soweto has been home to anyone and everyone famous involved in the liberation of South Africa and so is rich in culture and heritage. Soweto is a melting pot of cultures from around the country and the continent creating  a funky vibrant atmosphere you cannot find anywhere else.  You will get a chance to experience this all at street level on one of Lebo’s famous bicycle tours which will leave you in awe of this crazy country of ours. The next day it’s off your bike and on with the walking shoes as you enjoy the fantastic Jozi walking tour that allows you to absorb the sights and sounds of this great world city. After the tours, you’ll chill at this beautifully landscaped backpackers with its very own shebeen and you will reflect on the life-changing experience that the past 2 weeks of Fair Trade travel have given you.

Your journey with us ends as you are shuttled to the OR Tambo airport where you can have one final chance to spend those last few rands at the numerous shops there… unless you decide to save them for when you return to this amazing country.

Includes: Shuttles, Bus Transport, Accommodation, Soweto Bicycle Tour

Inclusions

- All accommodation whilst on the Travel Pass
- Shuttles and buses between airports and backpackers
- from The Backpack - a shark cage diving or whale watching experience
- from VA32 - volunteering on the Wild Coast School volunteer program
- from Wild Coast - 3 activities of your choice
- from Drakensburg - mountain activities as per itinerary
- from Soweto - a bicycle tour

Exclusions

- Meals & drinks
- Activities, Transport, flights and entry fees not listed in itinerary
- Items of a personal matter

Departs

Departs daily, but book well in advance to secure your booking.

Pickup/Departure

You will be collected by airport shuttle service from Cape Town International Airport on the day of your flight arrival - on the first day of the travel pass.

Drop-Off

You will be dropped off by airport shuttle service to O.R. Tambo Airport (near Johannesburg) on the last day of the travel pass.

Additional Locations

Duration: 21 days Availability: Sorry, there is no availability left for this option