MADI A THAVHA MOUNTAIN LODGE
Guest Lodge Accommodation
in Louis Trichardt, Soutpansberg,
Limpopo, South Africa
Madi a Thavha, meaning "water from the mountains", is set in a beautiful and
quiet valley of the Soutpansberg mountains, Limpopo, only 10 km drive from the
centre of Louis Trichardt (Makhado).
Enjoying the stylish and bright accommodations, excellent food, the warm
hospitality and supportive attitude of the Madi a Thavha staff will make your
stay a remindable experience.
At Madi a Thavha you will find all the area has to offer, a permanent exhibition
of the art and craft work of the Venda and Tsonga artists, numerous bird
species, walking routes, and the textile workshop of Madi a Thavha Design.
The lodge is an excellent base to spend a few days to explore the Venda and
Tsonga culture by visiting the artists and crafters in the villages around Elim
and Mutale and to discover unspoiled nature and culture of the people of the
Soutpansberg and Limpopo valley.
Madi a Thavha is a nice stop over when travelling to the Northern part of the
Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe World Heritage site, the bush camps at Tuli
Block in Botswana or the Victoria falls in Zimbabwe.
Accommodation
Madi a Thavha provides self catering, bed and breakfast and full boarding
services for up to 18 people.
The accommodation consists of guest rooms and guest houses, which are located in
and around the original farm house, all with mountain view and terrace or
veranda and own entrance.
The following accommodations are available:
- 2 guest rooms with bathrooms en suite in the farm house (1 with double
bed, 1 with 2 twin-beds)
- 2 guest houses (2 and 3 beds)
- 1 large family guest house with 2 bedrooms and bathrooms en suite (5
beds)
- 1 wooden cottage with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom (4 beds)
The farm house includes a lounge with a fire place and DSTV, dining room,
open plan kitchen, reception with telephone and Internet facilities, craft shop
and verandas. In the garden you will find a refreshing swimming pool and lapa.
We serve breakfast and dinner on the veranda of the farm house or in the dining
room. We offer a three course dinner as a set menu in the evenings. Breakfast is
an exclusive and varied buffet of juices, yoghurts, fruits, muesli's, baked
muesli or pancakes, bread, toast, muffins, cheese and various egg dishes.
Activities
During your stay at Madi a Thavha Mountain Lodge you can explore the area or
enjoy the activities on the farm.
Activities at the lodge
There are walking routes on the farm and excellent birding opportunities. Guests
can visit the craft shop in the farm house, displaying the products of 25
artists and craft groups and the sewing workshop of Madi a Thavha Design. In
addition to the textile collections that are available at the craft shop, the
Madi a Thavha Design team makes tailor made products such as tablecloths,
cushions and bed spreads.
Madi a Thavha Gallery
Art and crafts from various artists and crafters are displayed in and around the
lodge. The actual exhibition centre displays the cultural history of Venda's,
Tsonga's and Northern Sotho's in Northern Limpopo and the development of art and
crafts in the traditional, transitional and contemporary periods. You will find
information and displays about medicinal plants and traditional healing,
agriculture and food preparation, childhood and family life, traditional story
telling, music and musical instruments.
Activities in the surrounding
You can join one of the organised tour programmes or explore the area on your
own. We offer various self-drive or guided day trips by car or 4 x 4. There are
tour programmes focusing on arts and culture, history and nature, such as the
Elim art and culture tour, the Land of Legends tour and the Soutpansberg
Skirmishes tour that lead you to historical places of the Anglo-Boer War. In the
Soutpansberg area you will also find various birding hot spots.
Some examples of tour programmes include:
- Walking routes and hiking trails, varying from 2 hours to 2 day hikes
- Village life and sun downer mountain bike tour
- Birding tours
- Baobab and Land of Legend tour to Northern Venda
- Soutpansberg Skirmishes route
- Elim Art, Crafts and Culture tour and Village walks
- Blouberg and Makgabeng Cultural Heritage tour
- Workshops with artists and crafters
- Programme with dancing, singing traditional music and storytelling
Activities with children
Madi a Thavha offers opportunities for children and their parents to experience
a special and exciting holiday. While playing and enjoying the activities,
children learn about African culture and daily life of people living in the
rural villages.
- We have a large family guest house available where you can prepare the
meals yourself and eat with the children, but you can also eat in the farm
house.
- We always make sure that there is food that is nice for children. You
can eat around a fire and children can prepare their own bread and snacks.
- We can arrange a babysitter when parents would like to enjoy dinner by
themselves. The meal for the children can be served in the family house.
- Toys and games are available. Children who like making crafts can join
the Madi a Thavha Design team. Children can play traditional music
instruments and there is a box with African fabrics and clothes for doing
performances.
- There is a swimming pool at Madi a Thavha and water games are available.
- The Elim art and crafts tour would be a nice activity for young
children. During the tour children can play traditional music and decorate a
small clay pot.
- For families with teenagers the 4 x 4 adventure tour to the north of
Limpopo would be an exciting experience. During the tour they will prepare
lunch on a fire and it is possible to swim in a small mountain lake.
Social responsibility
Madi a Thavha Mountain Lodge is a Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA)
certified establishment where tourists are assured that their travel benefits
local communities and economies, and that the business is operated ethically and
in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.
Madi a Thavha staff
Our employees did not get opportunities for education in the past. Now they
attend skills training to work towards NQF accredited certificates. Furthermore
they gain job skills and social and management skills through 'learning by
doing' and support on the job.
Our handy man attended for 4 weeks woodcraft production training and our farm
manager acquired his tour guide qualification. Four women of Madi a Thavha
Design are doing a 2 year course in fashion design. The entire team was involved
in a training needs assessment and HIV/Aids awareness. We developed with each of
our employees a skills development plan, with these plans we are able to plan
future training and support and raise the needed funds.
Local procurement
We try to support local economy by buying as much as possible from local
suppliers e.g. to buy from the local women who run fruit stalls and other street
vendors.
Most of the art and craft products that we sell in our lodge shop are produced
by local artists and crafters. Our guests who visit the rural villages also buy
directly from the artists and local shops.
For all the renovations at Madi a Thavha we made use of local contractures and
labour from the local villages around Madi a Thavha. The builders gained a lot
of skills during the building process e.g. planning skills, measuring and many
building and technical skills.
Community development
The staff and owners of Madi a Thavha are committed to make an effort to improve
the lives of their families and people in the local communities.
There is a strong support structure between all members of staff and their
extended families. We support each other as much as possible when somebody in
the family is sick or with funerals. We involve the partners and children of our
staff when we have something to celebrate or when we organise our annual outing.
Furthermore we support the children who live on the farm to be able to attend a
crèche and a school in town by donations of the Madi a Thavha school fund.
Guests are invited to contribute to a toy box for crèches supported by the
Farananani trust, an organisation who supports Early Childhood Development.
All the Madi a Thavha staff are involved with the support to the artists and
crafters by contributing to their training, supporting them while they visit
Madi a Thavha for inspirational gatherings and contributing to the improvement
of their products and workshops.
Accreditations
- SA Grading council - 4 star lodge
- Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) certified
- Member of the AA Quality Assured programme - highly recommended
- Member of the Portfolio Collection
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