Top 5 cultural villages and tours in South Africa
With 11 official languages, South Africa has many cultures and there is no better way to experience them but through the eyes of locals. Here are 5 cultural villages you can visit while in the country, depending on the region where you are staying.
Lesedi Cultural Village, Gauteng
The Lesedi Village was designed with the tourist in mind in 19995 to celebrate the diversity of South Africa. Lesedi now features five traditional homesteads, each representing a different culture: Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Ndebele, and Basotho. The tours are done at 3-hour intervals through the homes in the village, presenting interesting cross-cultural comparisons of the customs and social organization. You could also embark on an evening tour and experience the traditional singing and dancing followed by a buffet dinner and stories of African mythology around a wood fire.
Khaya La Bantu Cultural Village, Eastern Cape
La Bantu Cultural Village was established in 1994 and tourists can enjoy hospitality, art, craft, and culture, here you will get a one-on-one experience of the rich customs, art, and craft of Xhosa people. A tour will start with a welcoming dance accompanied by drums, traditional dancing, colorful traditional attire, and singing. Guests are introduced to sacred rituals, customs, and Xhosa heritage, and have the opportunity to sample traditional dishes and locally-brewed beer. Tourists are also taken to the burial site, introduced to the mystery of the sangomas (traditional healers), and then treated to a traditional stick fight.
Khaya La Bantu Cultural Village, Eastern Cape
La Bantu Cultural Village was established in 1994 and tourists can enjoy hospitality, art, craft, and culture, here you will get a one-on-one experience of the rich customs, art, and craft of Xhosa people. A tour will start with a welcoming dance accompanied by drums, traditional dancing, colorful traditional attire, and singing. Guests are introduced to sacred rituals, customs, and Xhosa heritage, and have the opportunity to sample traditional dishes and locally-brewed beer. Tourists are also taken to the burial site, introduced to the mystery of the sangomas (traditional healers), and then treated to a traditional stick fight.
Basotho Cultural Village, Free State
The Basotho Cultural Village will give you an authentic experience of the Basotho people. The village is found by the sandstone mountains in Golden Gate Highlands National Park, the Basotho Cultural Village offers guests the chance to experience authentic hospitality, art, and tradition of the South Sotho people. You will start your tour by illustrating the building process of the museum, the decoration of huts, making of basket ware, crushing of maize, and traditional dances. Guided tours include tasting the local beer and traditional meals, enjoying traditional dances, meeting the village elders, learning about local crafts, and joining in on a game of marabaraba. Additional activities at the cultural village include a Museum Tour and the Matlakeng Herbal Trail, a guided tour by the Ngaka (traditional healer) demonstrating the different medicinal herbs and roots.
Shangana Cultural Village, Mpumalanga
The Picturesque Shangana Cultural Village is cantered around the bustling Marula Market. The market is the meeting place for craftspeople from around the region offering a wide range of clay and stone pieces, including statues, carvings, and pots. Take a guided tour through the forest to the villages on interactive and informative daytime tours, midday tours with lunch, and a popular Evening Festival. The tours offered last between 1-3 hours and include performances by traditional dancers, a choir, or a marimba band. The Evening Festival in the Kraal of Chief Soshangana is hosted by Chief Israel Ngobeni and his family. Guests enjoy a traditional feast accompanied by music, dancing, and performances that narrate the story of the Shangaan people.