Investec Great Kei Trek offers adventure without the hassles
The Eastern Cape is home to sprawling green hills and foaming coastlines and the Investec Great Kei Trek is an annual set of trail bike rides and runs that highlight these natural wonders.
The routes span 180km in total over the course of three days. Participants are based at various hotels and camping grounds in the scenic town of Morgan Bay, and throughout the stay the troupe is led on a series of trails dependent on the package chosen.
The settings selected for the different trails are deliberately earmarked because of the sense of adventure they invoke, as trails take place on private farmlands, alongside the cliffs of Morgan Bay, over the Kei River and across the dunes to sparkling beaches.
The first set of trail runs and rides have taken place for the year in April and May, but in August the Investec Great Kei Trek will return with another daring trail through the hills of the Eastern Cape.
With almost five years of successful trail routes under its belt, Leverage Corporation, the organisers and co-ordinators of the Investec Great Kei Run, have become pivotal role players in the local tourism sector.
Leverage Corporation MD Rob Jackson explains that many of the entrants were people from inland cities and urban hubs who had little idea of the natural beauty of the landscape in this region.
The aegis behind the Great Kei Trek is the opportunity to generate awareness about Eastern Cape tourism as “a lot of people don’t know about the areas that we take them to on the trails and for most people it’s the first time they have ever seen or experienced the beauty that we are able to show them on these trails”, says Jackson.
Leverage Corporation believes that tourism should feel as uncomplicated as possible for a consumer and the approach of the Investec Great Kei Trek is “adventure without the admin because we arrange everything for the guys, we arrange their luggage, flights, accommodation, all of that so once our participants are on the flight, everything else related to their holiday is taken care of, they just need to have fun,” says Jackson.
The Investec Great Kei Trek provides a boost to local tourism, economic development and social sustainability as Leverage Corporations has been able to raise R350,000 for the development of child welfare programmes, cancer drives and rural development initiatives for communities in Morgan Bay.
Through the involvement of corporate sponsors such as Investec, Midas and Twizza, Jackson explains that areas in need of support and development in the Eastern Cape have been noted.
“One of the guys on the tour has committed R50,000 towards cleaning a rubbish dump in an area we drove through that really needed the help, so the people who are on the trail rides are very interested in giving back to the areas they are visiting.
“We want to leave a positive impact on the places we operate in.”