Slurp white lightning, outstare a tiger and break out of jail this mad March! You're probably wondering what the bliksem does “white lightning”, breaking out of jail and rare Chinese tigers have in common? Get to the tiny dorp of Philippolis to experience all three in an exciting fun-filled weekend festival in the Free State’s oldest town.
So, what's going on in Philippolis? You can discover the age-old secrets of distilling witblits, a traditional local moonshine that also has the name "white lightning". This festival is unique in that it’s the only one at which the fiery drink is legally distilled - the town’s Transgariep Museum actually has a witblits distilling licence.
Jail Break is especially for the adventurous and energetic folk, where “convicts” have to escape from the original 1830 Philippolis jail and run the gauntlet of a "prison guard" army. Escapees are required to run, swim and abseil across 40 km of rough terrain within 12 hours - all good, clean, legal fun!
Visit Tiger Canyon! Join maverick conservationist and filmmaker John Varty on an exclusive outing (numbers are limited). He will get you up close to endangered tigers and his ground-breaking conservation programme for wild cats.
Against the backdrop of the dwindling tiger populations in the wilds, Tiger Canyons was established 25 km north west of the town of Philippolis on the Van der Kloof Lake in the Karoo of South Africa.
And if that isn’t enough to thrill you there’s a whole lot more - chomp and slurp your way through assorted local fare like afval, stampmielies, Karoo Oesters en selfs skaapstertjies as well as wine tasting. Try your hand at quad biking, line dancing, a potjie competition, check out a champion sheep shearer, cow milking and boeresports for kids.
Missed the festival? Visits to Tiger Canyon can be booked throughout the year. Contact Sunette - Tel: 051 773 0063 Cell: 082 89 24680 or email info@jvbigcats.co.za, Tiger Canyons, Philippolis