EXPLORE
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JOURNEYS, EXPERIENCES & RETREATS
IN THE MOST EXCITING WILDFLOWER, CULINARY & ARCHAEOLOGICAL HOTSPOT ON EARTH
Cape Floristic Region - UNESCO World Heritage Site
South Africa
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South African Fynbos® is a nature-based approach to people development incorporating intentionally designed experiences and an accompanying range of ancient culinary herbs that shaped the evolution of human consciousness at the southern tip of Africa. Being older than humanity itself, these flavours of origin awaken a remembering of what it means to be essentially human: creative, intuitive and deeply alive.
ORIGINS LEADERSHIP JOURNEY
An Epic Expedition to the Origin of Human Consciousness
The ORIGINS LEADERSHIP JOURNEY
is a groundbreaking organizational development intervention designed to activate human potential, deepen innovation and expand leadership consciousness by immersing participants in the primordial landscapes of human cognitive evolution.
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Embark on an epic expedition through southern Africa, retracing the footsteps of our ancestors to the dawn of modern human consciousness and the emergence of Homo sapiens, the species of wisdom. ​
By engaging with mythical sites, archaeological finds, megalithic structures, fossil records, deep time impact craters, prehistoric animals and ancient edible botanicals, this sensory-rich experience reconnects participants with the deep evolutionary forces that shaped human perception, creativity and problem-solving.
The intervention leverages primal intelligence, embodied learning and sensory activation to reignite innovative thinking, leadership resilience and deep intuition in modern organizations.
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This is more than a leadership programme - it is an odyssey of self-exploration, unlocking the potential to lead with clarity, authenticity and vision.​
THE TASTE OF ORIGIN
South African Fynbos®
A SENSORY CONNECTION TO ORIGIN
The wildflower biome at the southern tip of Africa is the greatest natural garden on earth, not only because of its unsurpassed floral diversity, breathtaking scenery and novel flavours that the world is only now discovering, but also because it holds the 'seeds' of human consciousness.
Unearthed in Cape coastal caves is some of the world's earliest archaeological evidence of human creativity and abstract thought dating back 160 000 years. Fynbos vegetation already covered the landscape at the time of the emergence of innovation in Homo sapiens, 'sapiens' meaning wisdom.
By experiencing the ancient flavours of Fynbos today, it could be said that we reach into the depths of time and sense the first flowering of symbolic thought, the origin of consciousness.
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Gourmet Fynbos Flavours Tasting
A tasting of South African Fynbos® fresh edibles, herbal tea infusions, culinary herbs and seasonings. Add optional experimental tapas.
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​Fynbos Gin & Tea Tasting
A tasting of bespoke gin infusions and fragrant indigenous herbal teas accompanied by complementary tasters.
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Fynbos & Wine Tasting
A pairing of our estate Cabernet Sauvignon from the slopes of the iconic Hawequas Mountain in Wellington and the ancient wild herbs that share the decomposing granite terroir.​
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AN ANCIENT FLAVOUR TRAIL
Cape Town Fynbos Experience®
A MIXOLOGY OF VELD & FLOWER
This cutting-edge organisational development intervention immerses delegates in a transformative journey at the southern tip of Africa, connecting participants to a pivotal time in human history - 160,000 years ago, before the rise of culture - by engaging the senses and imagination through a unique sensory tasting experience.
At the heart of this intervention lies the novel exploration of ancient botanicals, endemic to this region, through flavour. Delegates taste carefully crafted infusions of these edible naturals, sparking an immediate sensory and symbolic experience. Each novel flavour becomes a portal to the essence of human origins, evoking associations, stimulating abstract thought and activating creativity. Like poetry, the tasting of these unique botanicals fosters symbolic thinking, bridging the ancient and modern mind in a deeply personal and imaginative way.
This process invites participants to connect with the "inner explorer" - the core of individuality - by blending nature with imagination. As delegates engage with this fusion of the tangible and symbolic, they embark on a personalised journey of self-discovery. This active sense of self, cultivated through symbolic engagement, builds a responsive, adaptable identity. It fosters authenticity, enabling individuals to engage meaningfully with others while celebrating diversity.
By anchoring diversity training in humanity’s shared origins and leveraging the power of sensory exploration, this intervention transforms the understanding of individuality and collective identity. It empowers participants to embrace diversity through authenticity, creativity and the shared symbolic journey that unites all humans across time and culture.
A SENSORY RETURN TO ORIGIN
South African Fynbos® Origins Retreat
Embark on an extraordinary sensory journey into the living world of ancient botanicals that shaped the evolution of human consciousness at the southern tip of Africa: Fynbos.
Fynbos herbs possess unparalleled culinary, aromatic and medicinal qualities, their distinctive flavours and fragrances are unlike anything found in the herbal systems of the world. To experience Fynbos is to enter a living archive of the planet where no less than 7,000 tenacious species hold the memory of modern human origin.
Fragrant Fynbos at every touchpoint of the retreat guides a sensory discovery. The daily menus are crafted by resident chefs and the curated experiences are a sojourn of botanical mixology that includes the art of cooking with wild flavours, experimenting in nature's apothecary, revelatory walks and symbolic photography - an invitation to pause, to sense and then see. From rare scents born of deep time to immersive tastings amidst archaic landscapes, this is more than a retreat - it’s a return to the origin of self.
This exclusive getaway is ideal for five single guests or a maximum of eight sharing. It includes four full days of guided experiences and three nights in a pristine, private mountain sanctuary in the Cape Floristic Region - the sensory landscape of origin.
The retreat is led by Giselle Courtney, an organisational development and culinary Fynbos specialist based in the Cape Winelands of South Africa. She is the creator of South African Fynbos®, a nature-based approach to people development incorporating intentionally designed experiences and an accompanying range of culinary Fynbos herbs. Being older than humanity itself, these flavours of origin awaken a remembering of what it means to be essentially human: creative, intuitive and deeply alive.
RETREAT DATES
14 – 17 October 2025
28 – 31 October 2025
18 – 21 November 2025
2 – 5 December 2025
ITINERARY & POA
+27(0) 66 2255722 or info@southafrianfynbos.com
"The concept is visionary, the setting extraordinary and the experience is profound - it's like sensory time travel."
FLAVOURS OF ORIGIN
Conference and Corporate Gifting
Fynbos gifting from the most exciting wildflower, culinary and archaeological hotspot on earth.
See THE GREATEST GARDEN ON EARTH – South African Fynbos
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Choose from a gourmet range of eleven indigenous herbal teas and seasonings and matching botanical gift bags, tea towels, tray cloths, tableware and travel towels.
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Free Fynbos Flavour Wheel brochures - includes meal pairing suggestions.
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