The oldest village in the Eastern Cape

Mgwali village is typical South Africa village, the center of which is the "Market Place". Join the bustle of villagers selling and swapping their goods. Buy local craft work and meet the artists and craftsmen. Take a ride in an ox-cart and browse through the museum.

A Warm Welcome awaits you from the people of Mgwali. Your tour guide will walk you through the village and introduce you to the people. Realize life in a thatched hut and cooking over an open fire.

You will be invited into private homes where you will see the Xhosa beer made and be able to taste it. Try traditional food, bread and mngqusho cooked slowly over the fire. An unforgettable taste experience.

Visit the Sangoma's; pipe makers and sages. Enjoy the traditional singing and dancing of the young girls in their welcome. Ancient ceremonies still take place in Mgwali, traditional dress is still worn and old pipes are still being smoked.

For a vibrant experience in rural Africa, visit Mgwali Village, where people live as they did ages ago, and where, if a tourist visits or not, life still goes on in the same way. You are treated with respect and given a warm welcome.

The Mgwali Village is situated near Stutterheim and is part of the Thunga-Thunga Route. As you drive through fields and fields you think you are driving to nowhere, but as you crest the hill and look down on the five little Xhosa villages, the view is spectacular.

The only thing that makes you realize that you are being welcomed as a tourist is the sign Mgwali Village, otherwise, there is no outward sign of urban civilization. The tour guide meets you at the museum, and he provides a short history of the village. It is hot and dusty, as it is in Africa, as you walk along the earth roads and see the people going along with their daily lives.

The market place, where local entrepreneurs are at work, is of interest and you can buy locally produced craft. A group of women, and young folk, entertain you with traditional music and dance where you can really feel the beat of Africa. You experience real traditional Xhosa culture and mingle with the local people who are quite happy to chat to you. You are also exposed to a storyteller and a sangoma (a traditional healer) and the account of how she became one. The pipe-maker plies his craft using locally grown wood, so various pipes can be bought as souvenirs too.

You can experience sitting on the floor in a traditional rondawel to enjoy refreshment, and for those wishing to spend a night, there is backpacker type accommodation. This is also traditional and you sleep on a mat on the floor. Fortunately, a concession has been made for people not used to African ways, and normal toilet facilities have been provided and forks are provided for eating meals. Horse riding is available for those who wish to enjoy the surrounding countryside.