Product Description

!Khwa ttu is a San culture and education centre based on an 850 hectare Nature Reserve 70 kilometres north of Cape Town, South Africa. A thriving tourism destination, !Khwa ttu boasts a busy restaurant, stylish guest houses, open air tented camps, thrilling mountain bike trails, and a shop selling hand-crafted gifts found nowhere else.  San guides lead unique tours for visitors, fulfilling !Khwa ttu’s mission to enable San to reclaim and share their heritage, in their own way.

Our newest development, the !Khwa ttu San Heritage Centre (or Museum), is a great deal more than a collection of artefacts and historical photos. It’s a pioneering initiative that embraces the principle of community curation. Our exhibitions, San-led trails and guided experiences are designed to engage body and senses, as much as the mind. They demonstrate the skills and knowledge of San from across southern Africa, while also telling the archaeological story of the origins of the modern mind on the southern African coastline.

SAN SPIRIT SHARED

There are an estimated 130,000 San living across six countries in southern Africa. The San are one of the last hunter-gatherer societies left on earth. Their ancient way of life, their languages, and their culture are under grave threat from dis-enfranchisement, climate change impacts, and a widespread lack of understanding of their way of life.   The story of the San is one that many people across the world might not know, but it is one that everyone will recognise.  It is our story – the story of humankind.  At !Khwa ttu, the San tell this story, in their own words.

!Khwa ttu is a San culture and education center based on an 850 hectare Nature Reserve, a mere 70 kilometers north of Cape Town, South Africa.   A thriving tourism destination, boasting a busy restaurant, stylish guest houses and open air tented camps, hiking, horse riding and mountain bike trails, and a shop selling hand-crafted gifts found nowhere else.

Our San guides lead unique tours for visitors, fulfilling !Khwa ttu’s mission to enable San to reclaim and share their heritage, in their own way.  Whether your tour takes you along our medicinal and food trails, further afield into the Nature Reserve or indoors through the intimate spaces of the museum, you will be guided into a new understanding of the indomitable San spirit.  Each of our tours is designed to engage the body and senses, as much as the mind.  They demonstrate the skills and knowledge of the San, whose simple sophistication may surprise you.

The !Khwa ttu San Heritage Centre (or Museum), is a great deal more than a collection of artefacts and historical photos. It’s a pioneering initiative that embraces the principle of community curation. Our exhibitions and guided experiences are designed to engage body and senses, as much as the mind. They demonstrate the skills and knowledge of San from across southern Africa, while also telling the archaeological story of the origins of the modern mind on the southern African coastline.  There is such a richness and depth of content in our three museum buildings that you could spend many hours engaging with our exhibitions with or without a San guide.

We at !Khwa ttu are passionate about wholesome, freshly prepared, locally sourced food and our restaurant offers visitors a unique menu with elements of veldkos incorporated into every dish.  If it doesn’t grow or graze on the farm, we will track down a local producer or fair trade supplier for any ingredients that we need for our seasonal, bistro-style menu.

Our accommodation ranges from hideaway simple and elegant farm cottages, to furnished tents with open air showers and a communal boma.  Here you may find yourself staying up all night, chatting under starlight, making friends who last a lifetime.