Southern Africa - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 177

down a 54m-high waterfall in the Karkloof
forest. This woodland is the only habitat of the
rare Karkloof blue butterfly, now protected with
funds drawn from tourist fees.
But it's not just craftspeople and local
wildlife that benefit from the scheme - it also
supports disadvantaged schools and helps to
develop permaculture food gardens. Simply by
guiding people through this plethora of local
opportunities, the Midlands Meander project
reveals a hidden world and enables it to prosper.

235 THE mIDLANDS mEANDEr,
SOuTH AfrICA

Weaving its way through the rolling farmland
and small villages dotting the foothills of the
Drakensberg Mountains, the Midlands Meander
arts and crafts route offers a taster of the Zulu
Kingdom's great diversity. Pick up a map from
shops and cafés along the way - or download one
from the website - for details and directions to
over a hundred places to eat, shop, drink or stay,
all scattered along the picturesque 80km circuit
that skirts the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park
between Pietermaritzburg and Mooi River. The
project, started in 1983 by local craftspeople
aiming to get more visitors into their galleries
and workshops, now includes tea rooms, potters'
and weavers' outlets, treehouses with spas and
sustainably managed bushcamps.
There are plenty of activities on offer too: you
can walk or cycle on mountain trails through
nature conservancies, follow birding routes
to see the endangered Cape parrot or orange
ground thrush; explore one of a thousand caves
painted with ancient San rock art; or abseil

Need to know For further info see W www.
midlandsmeander.co.za; T [phone].

236 LIvE THE HIGH LIfE AT TSALA
TrEETOpS, SOuTH AfrICA

As you look round at the balconies and elevated
platforms jutting out across the forest, you'd
be forgiven for thinking you've stumbled upon
a palace of a forgotten civilization. Monkeys
squabble among the trees or scurry across the
raised walkways that connect the ten individual
suites to the central lodge. Hidden high in
the dense canopy of the
Tsitsikamma forest outside
Knysna, Tsala Treetops - an
architectural extravaganza
of rough stone, exposed wood
and floor-to-ceiling glass
- appears modern yet feels
somehow ancient.
So total is the attention to
luxury - your suite's drinks
cabinet has its own cocktail
shaker, for example - that it's
surprising to discover that
Tsala Treetops is also one of
the most sustainable hotels
on the Cape. Waste water
is reused in the vegetable
garden, while all the organic
waste is composted and
every cleaning product is

At work in the Ardmore Ceramics
Studio on the Midlands Meander