Hartbeespoort is on the map for a new tourism craze (or is it daze?) with cannabis tours visiting the area to offer tourists a combination of weed, culture, relaxation and, of course, munchies!

The tour operator, High Holidaze, offers a five-day tour around the cannabis communities around Johannesburg, the Cradle of Humankind, and Hartbeespoort. The tour includes a visit to local cannabis social clubs and a night’s stay at a cannabis farm where visitors can learn about the healing qualities of cannabis.

And of course, it also means a visit to a local restaurant for the inevitable munchies after all the cannabis-related activities. According to High Holidaze’s website, other optional activities include “responsible” elephant interaction and probably a very amusing visit to a monkey sanctuary. Additional activities offered are zipline, bungee jumping and boat trips… assuring an additional high!

The tour operator’s motto is “Learn, laugh, explore” and it offers tourists ” a unique curated Cannabis experience”. Tourists can look forward to learning about all aspects of the plant. Grow, cook, enjoy, meet cannabis activists and learn about cannabis in South Africa, High Holidaze promises of their tours.

In 2018 the Constitutional Court ruling, personal cannabis use and possession within a private space was decriminalised. This gave way to cannabis social clubs The Proposed Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill was passed by cabinet in August 2020, but is still to be considered by Parliament. According to the law, a person may not sell cannabis, but you may be a member of a cannabis social club.

A group of delegates from government departments such as the health and agricultural department, last month visited Hartbeespoort’s own cannabis social club, Die Joint, to learn more about the lifecycle of the plant. The North West agriculture department has been urging farmers in the province to register for cannabis cultivation.