Ever wondered how that precious 'Cab Sav' you’ve laid down so carefully was made, or sipped wine so heavenly you’d like to bathe in it? Now you can! From grape stomping contests, to wine baths, and end of harvest festivals - uncork the best of the winelands on these grape escapes. more

!Xaus Lodge is at the centre of a piece of land that has been given back to the Khomani San and Mier communities, setting right injustices that took place decades ago. Now it is a source of both income and pride for both communities. more

Many say Lake Fundudzi in Limpopo's northernmost reaches is one of a very few in the world to have been formed by landslide. The lake has been safeguarded for centuries and is believed to be sacred to the Vhatatsindi, the People of the Pool. more

The difference a craft project has made in people's lives in northern Kwazulu-Natal is nothing short of spectacular. The crafters now have access to goods like solar panels, cell phones and school uniforms for their children. Their incomes have increased tenfold - as has their families' quality of life. more

A tribe may safeguard a lake. Another may celebrate ancient ways of making useful clay pots. A community may keep up a highly practical architectural tradition. Old crafts may be given a modern twist. Cultural conservation in South Africa is always fascinating. more

South Africa's Makuleke people are a shining example of how local communities can benefit from tourism. Two luxury eco-lodges now stand on the 24 000 hectares that the Makuleke people regained after being dispossessed of it during aparthed. They’ve electrified villages and built a school with some of the money generated more

Elim, on the flowered Agulhas Plain, has the only known slavery abolition memorial in South Africa, its thatchers are famous the world over, and the ground wheat bread from its working water mill is utterly unforgettable. more

Waterberg’s Pedi Potter, Anna Moshede, has no pottery wheel, no kiln and no shaping tools except for seedpods. Her traditional methods for making clay pots were dying out until a museum, and several tourists, started showing interest. Now the traditions are being passed on to a new generation. more