This Tour is Fully Booked

Pre-conference Tours

A pre-conference tour will be offered from 15 – 20 October 2007, combining an intensive
view of the South African forestry industry with sight-seeing of some of South Africa’s most
spectacular areas. The preconference tour route has been carefully planned to best
illustrate the conference theme of ‘Eucalypts and diversity’. The route will take in some of the most scenic areas of the country covering grassland, forest and woodland biomes and will allow delegates to experience the diversity of the ‘rainbow nation’.
The tour starts in the town of Nelspruit in Mpumalanga province. This is one of South Africa’s fastest growing provinces and contains the ‘heartland’ of the country’s forestry plantations with 450 square kilometres under cultivation. Visits to different pure species and hybrid trials will be included, as will stops at site-species interaction trials in the area. Silviculture regimes for the production of eucalypt saw-timber, as well as various threats to the industry, are interesting topics of discussion. En-route, delegates will have an opportunity to visit one of the premier game parks in southern Africa – a night will be spent in the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park, renowned for the conservation efforts to save the white rhinoceros from extinction, and Game Drives will be included.
The second half of the tour will take in forestry in the Zululand coastal region on the east coast of the country. This area is considered ideal for plantation forestry, particularly for pulp production from sub-tropical eucalypt species and hybrid clones. Visits to various tree improvement and deployment trials will be included. Mechanisation, innovative nursery practice and intensive silviculture operations are of special interest in this region. Visits to farm forestry operations will provide delegates with an understanding of how small and
medium enterprises are accommodated in the Industry.
The tour will be rounded off with an overnight visit to the cultural village and hotel at Shakaland. This experience is a must for visitors to South Africa, as it allows one to experience aspects of Zulu culture and history within the environment of a world class tourist facility. A unique walk along a canopy trail through indigenous forests will provide a break in the drive through to Durban, where the tour ends. Delegates will be taken to the hotels accommodating them for the duration of the conference.
The cost for the 6 day/5 night tour is in the region of ZAR 8 100.00 per delegate sharing accommodation and ZAR 9 300.00 for single accommodation. These costs include all accommodation, transport, meals and entrance fees for the duration of the tour. The tour party will be limited to 40 delegates. As this tour passes through parts of the country that are malaria areas (northern Zululand), it is recommended that anti-malarial prophylactics be taken. Visit http://www.doh.gov.za/issues/malaria for more details.