{"id":98857,"date":"2016-04-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/national-alpaca-day-cute-celebration\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:53:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:53:23","slug":"national-alpaca-day-cute-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/national-alpaca-day-cute-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Join In SA\u2019s Cutest Celebration This Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Is it a sheep? Is it a llama? No\u2026 it\u2019s an alpaca! Nadia Krige visits Helderstroom Alpacas<\/a> just outside\u00a0Villiersdorp to find out more about these cute camelids and why it\u2019s worth taking a mini road trip\u00a0to hang out with one on 30 April 2016 aka National Alpaca Day.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an early Saturday morning and the little corner of the Overberg we find ourselves in is bathed in\u00a0that special sort of Autumn light that lends an aesthetic otherworldliness to this time of year. Adding\u00a0to the feeling of being suspended somewhere outside of reality, we\u2019re standing at the edge of a\u00a0paddock filled with creatures that look as though they have stepped straight out of the most\u00a0imaginative of Pixar animations.<\/p>\n

Soft barrel-shaped bodies in an array of sizes and colours \u2013 white, brown, black, grey \u2013 rest on four\u00a0woolly legs, the front two markedly knock-kneed, and long necks extend elegantly upward, ending the most ridiculously character-filled faces. Some sport cheeky coifs and others have chubby cheeks,\u00a0there are pronounced overbites and strong jawlines, but there are two features they all share: large,\u00a0long-lashed eyes and soft ears, pricked inquisitively at everything happening around them.<\/p>\n

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They all seem aware of our presence and a few of the younger ones cautiously make their way over\u00a0to take a closer look at the intriguing intruders.<\/p>\n

Alison Notley – chairperson of the South African Alpaca Breeders\u2019 Society (SAABS) and co-owner –\u00a0along with her husband, Christopher – of Helderstroom Alpacas, introduces me to them one by one.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see this stocky white one? That\u2019s Salt. And these two dark little ones are Magnum and Ebony.\u00a0(The names are charmingly appropriate!) That mottled grey boy over there is a very special colour\u00a0indeed and named Mappin, while tiny Tangle over here is just two days old.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Located in a picturesque, hidden valley about 10km outside of Villiersdorp, Helderstroom is a 4.8ha\u00a0smallholding where Alison and Christopher have been breeding alpacas for the past 12 years.\u00a0They started out with a shipment of five pregnant (in cria) females from Chile back in 2004 and have\u00a0since seen their herd grow to its current size of 52. The paddock we\u2019re in has about 30 alpacas\u00a0milling around, 11 of which are recent moms to 11 adorable babies and an adjacent field is home to\u00a0a handful of energetic young males. A few herd sires (males used for breeding) are kept a little way\u00a0off, as they have a tendency toward aggression that the \u2018girls\u2019 typically don\u2019t possess. Astoundingly,\u00a0each alpaca has a name and each a special place in the hearts of Alison and Christopher.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe came down from Zimbabwe in 2002, in search of a new place to live and stumbled upon\u00a0Helderstroom. While the original idea was to have a large enough piece of land to keep my horses, it\u00a0all changed when I read an article about the first pallet-load of alpacas that had been delivered to\u00a0South Africa circa 2003. This strange new agri-industry intrigued me and seemed like something\u00a0worth exploring. Our five females arrived on the very next shipment in 2004,\u201d<\/em> she recalls.<\/p>\n

So, wait\u2026 alpacas actually have a purpose beyond being cute? I ask Alison incredulously.<\/p>\n

Alpaca fibre<\/h2>\n

Well, it seems they certainly have\u2026 and a rather elevated one, at that.\u00a0Alpacas are the bearers of some of the finest fibre in the world, highly sought-after for the\u00a0production of garments that are both warm and cosy, but also lightweight and low maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe diameter of an average human hair is about 100 microns, whereas the diameter of alpaca fiber\u00a0is between 15 and 30 microns, which mean that it really is super light and super fine,\u201d<\/em> Alison\u00a0explains.<\/p>\n

She adds that, unlike sheep\u2019s wool, alpaca fibre contains zero lanolin, which means that minimal\u00a0washing is required after shearing. It\u2019s also non-allergenic, water-resistant and fire retardant.\u00a0\u201cNot to mention the fact that since alpacas are the most colour diversified fibre-bearing animal on\u00a0the planet, it also comes in up to 22 different natural shades,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

While the actual alpacas are admittedly a quaint drawcard for visitors, there is a second facet to\u00a0Helderstroom Alpacas: the production of once-off, handmade garments.<\/p>\n

Once the alpacas have been sheared, Alison, along with master spinners Brenda Willemse and\u00a0Theresa Jansen, set about hand-spinning the fibre into workable yarn. This then gets sent off to\u00a0about 20 women throughout the Overberg, who knit and crochet an exclusive range of garments:\u00a0gloves, scarves, beanies and shawls, but also jerseys, jumpers, dresses and skirts.<\/p>\n

Being hand-made from start to finish and 100% organic, it\u2019s hardly surprising that alpaca wool\u00a0clothing does come with quite the price tag.These items are sold in a little shop on the property, but are also available at various exclusive\u00a0markets throughout the Western Cape as well as at the Bryanston Organic Market in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

National Alpaca Day<\/h2>\n

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Since Alison and Christopher started out in 2004, it is not only their own herd that has been growing\u00a0steadily, but also the \u2018national herd\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number of alpacas in the country currently stands at around 4 000,\u201d says Alison, adding that\u00a0breeders and farms can be found throughout the country.<\/p>\n

As part of an effort to introduce the general public to this emerging agri-industry, SAABS decided to\u00a0instate National Alpaca Day early last year. After a successful first run in 2015, the second annual\u00a0Alpaca Day is set to take place across the country on Saturday, 30 April 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basically an awareness day where various alpaca breeders will be opening their gates to the\u00a0public,\u201d<\/em> she explains.<\/p>\n

Festivities will differ from property to property, but guests can expect to enjoy a variety of alpaca-centred activities \u2013 from leading and feeding the animals, to hand-spinning lessons and felting craft\u00a0for kids. Since alpacas tend to be slightly more curious than careful, you may also get a stellar cute\u00a0animal selfie opportunity.<\/h3>\n

Where to celebrate<\/h2>\n

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National Alpaca Day will be celebrated at 13 different properties in four different provinces \u2013<\/p>\n

Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a round-up of farms and breeders that will be open to the public on National Alpaca Day:<\/p>\n

Gauteng<\/strong><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Alliepad Alpakkas in Golden Valley, Magaliesburg<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Arum Alpacas in Meyerton<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Cherre Ann Hill in Kameeldrift West<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 A Capella Alpakkas in Centurion<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Magic Alpacas in Kempton Park<\/p>\n

KwaZulu-Natal<\/strong><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Serena Alpacas in Mooi River<\/p>\n

Mpumalanga<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Mistique Alpacas in Wakkerstroom.<\/p>\n

Western Cape<\/strong><\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Helderstroom Alpacas in Villiersdorp<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 The Alpaca Loom Coffee Shop and Weaving Studio on the Old Paarl Road<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Akelei Alpakas in Philadelphia<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Quenti Alpaca & Mill in Wellington<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Willowbrook Alpacas in Noordhoek<\/p>\n

Visit the SAABS website<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n

\"Processed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is it a sheep? Is it a llama? No\u2026 it\u2019s an alpaca! Nadia Krige visits Helderstroom Alpacas just outside\u00a0Villiersdorp to find out more about these cute camelids and why it\u2019s worth taking a mini road trip\u00a0to hang out with one on 30 April 2016 aka National Alpaca Day. It\u2019s an early Saturday morning and the little corner of the Overberg we find ourselves in is … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":98862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_destination_ratings":[],"_destination_review_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[450,13,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture-lifestyle","category-lifestyle","category-travel","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"\nJoin In SA\u2019s Cutest Celebration This Saturday - Travelstart Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/national-alpaca-day-cute-celebration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Join In SA\u2019s Cutest Celebration This Saturday - Travelstart Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is it a sheep? 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Is it a llama? No\u2026 it\u2019s an alpaca! Nadia Krige visits Helderstroom Alpacas just outside\u00a0Villiersdorp to find out more about these cute camelids and why it\u2019s worth taking a mini road trip\u00a0to hang out with one on 30 April 2016 aka National Alpaca Day. It\u2019s an early Saturday morning and the little corner of the Overberg we find ourselves in is ... 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