About
The Cape Camino experience is designed to improve people's lives through personal growth, deep thinking and a sense of adventure; bringing wealth, opportunities and power to local communities and small business.
Cape Camino believes in supporting small/medium, family-run, local establishments and the revenue generated goes directly to the communities, which creates employment and business sustainability. On a typical 36 day Camino, over 100 small businesses are supported.
Creating a culture of Peace, Unity & Thriving for the whole nation.
A Camino is a National Asset. It is a dynamic and organic unfolding of new routes, new sacred spaces and hosts as the locals embrace this new idea, participate and take ownership.
A pilgrim's journey has purpose and intention for you and you alone. This is what sets it apart from a hike or a walk. We have organized for you, to the best of our ability, access to information to assist you with your journey. But it remains your journey and your responsibility to use the experience to best maximise your intentions.
"A Camino experience is designed for you to explore and reflect how you are in the world."
Role Players
There are three role players in this experience
1. Cape Camino development and administration team.
2. The hosting community
3. The pilgrim
Cape Camino development team
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Facilitates and supports a walking route based on articulated need from hosts and sacred spaces. Each host maintains sovereignty while taking ownership for their Leg.
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Offers opportunities for economic growth and expansion to local neighbourhoods who wish to participate in any way.
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Networks with other walking routes to create a walking web across the province and country.
Cape Camino administration team
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Offers information on: terrain, difficulty, descriptions, details on each host.
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Books pilgrim dates with hosts.
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Connects pilgrims on similar dates.
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Offers tailor-made Camino routes on special request.
Hosting Community
Offers:
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Clean, safe accommodation.
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A variety of local food and meals.
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Assistance with navigation and safety.
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Any other logistics the pilgrim might need.
Pilgrim
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To Walk Your Way…
Perhaps you'd like to change something about yourself. Or simply take time away from your normal routine. It can be used to bond with your partner or family. To heal from a loss. To meet your fellow country men and women. For a personal growth experience. It's all up to you. You walk with your own intentions and purpose, and are responsible for your own outcomes.
The Spirit of Camino requires a clean slate. Be open to whatever your journey brings you. Manage your expectations and judgements. Allow the journey to offer you what it has, be it comfortable or difficult. This attitude will help you take what you need from whatever arises.
The Camino Spirit creates a momentum which stays with you long after you have completed the route, so keep this awareness with you.
Media Features
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Walk the Cape Camino. By rediscovering a city on foot, you are likely to rediscover yourself.
Mango Airlines, Juice Magazine. Page 54
Paul Harris Fellow
Award presented to Gabrielle Andrew 20/11/2021
In appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.
History and route development
The route is inspired by El Camino de Santiago in Europe.
A mother and daughter team, Gabrielle and Peggy walked Camino de Santiago in 2011 and Gabrielle was blown away by how much the broader community benefits from passing pilgrims.
Cape Camino Peninsula section, a 7-day pilgrimage, was launched in 2015.
South Africa is in need of small business development and in 2016 the Department of Agriculture appointed Cape Camino to develop a route along the Berg River, into the Agritourism space. This gave rise to the extension route from Wellington to Velddrif, following the direction of the Berg River to its source in Velddrif.
Another 7 days later, the Sandveld and Strand section through West Coast towns and along the coast was launched soon after. Today, in 2021 the Cape Camino is 32 days and approximately 640 kms. It is still growing.
Gabrielle: "I have total faith that this country is great in every way. We have endured the heart wrenching pain of separateness; the greatest lie in all humanity. And now, we shall overcome, we shall triumph, together. My skill is facilitation and my goal is to facilitate consensus within our powerful diversity. We have the same needs of decency and respect. The same needs for shelter, employment and safety. We need to hear our own voices, our history, our visions for the future. We all need spaces to play and work and worship. And it is in these spaces of worship that we find Grace."
Peggy: “On Camino, I found that it's OK for expectations not to be met. That unlikely people can have so much in common. That new adventures are good for my soul”
