THE DESCRIPTION - ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW

Ancient timelines and recent colonial overlays are revealed on a journey around the southern Cape that traces the artistic legacy of the original inhabitants of the land, the San Bushmen in their numerous and evocative rock art paintings.

Explore divergent coastlines, visiting excavations on both shores that have revealed significant artefacts left by Middle and Late Stone Age inhabitants, seeing for yourself the world’s oldest ’work of art’ so far discovered. Track the oldest known footprints of an anatomically modern human ancestor yet found.

Peel away the patina of time when visiting landmark sites in urban and rural landscapes, to uncover the historical impact of colonisation and its legacies.

SIGNATURE FEATURES
Finds from Blombos Cave yield evidence of abstract and creative thought, and dates older than 70, 000 years. Consider the implications while engaging with the artefacts.
Visit a proclaimed National Heritage Site that contains the greatest diversity of 5 million year old fossils in the world.
On the edge of a turquoise lagoon, track where 'Eve' left her footprints in the sand some 117, 000 year ago.
Investigate the spiritual beliefs, rituals and patterns of kinship of the San Bushmen, and how they survived in the south western part of southern Africa for thousands of years until the arrival of the colonisers.

THE HIGHLIGHTS
According to the ‘Out of Africa’ theory there is compelling evidence that mankind’s African ancestors were using skills more advanced than mere stone tool-making some forty thousand years before evolved Homo sapiens in Europe started top-dogging the less clever Neanderthals, and decorating cave walls in France and Spain.

Locally excavated artefacts engraved with symbolic marks attest to abstract and creative thought, and dispel the previously held theory that modern behaviour (which anthropologists cite as abstraction, language, planning, artistic expression and symbolic thought) arose in Europe.

A journey along the Atlantic shore introduces you to the beautiful Langebaan lagoon and focal point of the West Coast National Park, with granite outcrops, wetlands with tens of thousands of seabirds and Ramsar site (deemed to be of international importance for the conservation of wetland birds), coastal fynbos (a unique type of vegetation) and flowers in abundance in spring, where Eve’s footprints were located on the edge of the turquoise water.

Winding north, investigate two landmark excavation sites before snaking through craggy sandstone formations of the Cederberg mountains to reach a wilderness reserve with over 130 San rock art sites, dedicated to preserving the unique biodiversity of the region. Guided rock art tours, sunset game drives in open Land Rovers with experienced rangers, star gazing or lazing in natural rock pools are some options during a two night stay at a renowned retreat and Natural Heritage site.

Descend to the Indian ocean via the Overberg to the 'Whale Coast’ wedged between the Cape Peninsula and the Garden Route, a rugged coastline known as ’the graveyard of ships’ and sanctuary to Southern Right whales in spring.
Besides hosting a wealth of rare fynbos in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the cliffs have provided shelter since Stone Age humans first walked the shores. Explore several coastal caves while based at an award winning private nature reserve overlooking Walker Bay, recognised by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) as one of the world’s 12 best whale viewing spots.

Follow the footsteps trodden by our ancestors literally and metaphorically, formulating your own impression of humankind’s legacies, while pondering the words ''Out of Africa ~ Always Something New'' attributed to Pliny the Elder.

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