Albertinia travel guide

Being only a few hours from Cape Town and tantalizingly close to the Garden Route, few people stop here. The predominant business is still wheat and sheep farming, although the local economy was able to diversify following the discovery in the 1920s of large ochre deposits. Another unusual product collected around Albertinia is the juice from aloe plants, Aloe ferox, which is an important ingredient in medicine and cosmetics. You can visit the Alcare Aloe Factory T028-735 1454, http://www.alcare.co.za, 0900-1700, just outside town. They conduct free daily tours and sell a variety of aloe skincare products and there’s a coffee shop.

Garden Route Game Lodge (7 km east of Albertinia off the N2, T028-735 1200, http://www.grgamelodge.co.za, day visitors 0730-1630) 2 hr game drives 1100 and 1400, R350, is a private game lodge that has been stocked with a number of species of large game including giraffe, white rhino, lion, elephant, kudu, zebra, wildebeest and buffalo. It’s a popular overnight stay from Cape Town and one of the nearest places to the city for wildlife viewing. Transfers from Cape Town can be arranged. There is luxurious accommodation at the lodge but day visitors are also welcome for game drives, which must be pre-booked, and lunch in the à la carte restaurant. As well as game drives, tours of the reptile centre are on offer where the resident herpetologist (reptile man) will share his knowledge of snakes, crocodiles and other cold-blooded creatures. You can also visit the cheetah-breeding centre and there are a variety of programmes for children, including bush survival skills, children’s game drives and guided bush and insect walks.