Jan Fourie
The Vredefort Dome is the geological name for the world’s oldest and largest meteorite impact crater. Part of this crater was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2005. A crater unique in the world and part of it a World Heritage Area, make it a resource that belong to all peoples of the world.
This beautiful ridge and valley country through which the Vaal River snakes, its unique rock formations, variety of fauna and flora and much more, is a very special place to visit.
The Vredefort Dome is already well known worldwide, as well as in South Africa and people come from far and wide to spend time in our unique and beautiful area.
Tourism activities are the main attractions to draw people to the Vredefort Dome. To give these tourists value for their money and effort, we need a well organised and regulated tourism industry. To achieve this we need well trained and registered tourist guides to see to it that every tourist gain an experience of a lifetime while under our guidance. Tourism is a fast growing industry in the Vredefort Dome.
With the above in mind a Tourist Guides Association was formed in September 2013, with a constitution and a management committee. It is the aim of the Dome Guides Association to establish a tourism industry in the Vredefort Dome of which the people of the area can be proud of and where the tourists will want to come to. Guides joining the Association sign a code of conduct, to which must be adhered to at all times.
Professional tourist guiding is the main objective and therefore tourist guides are expected to be qualified in their field of guiding and be registered as guide with the Department of Tourism. To qualify and register as a tourist guide cannot be achieved without putting in a proper effort. The Dome Guides Association is actively busy supporting guides to qualify and register, by initiating training for guides in all the relevant tourism activities. Training and assessing of guides is presently well under way. To be a Guide in the Vredefort Dome a person can train as a nature guide, a culture guide or an adventure guide. The Association also negotiate with Tourism Authorities to promote and develop tourism in the Vredefort Dome, as well the support for the training of guides.