This winter is your chance to escape to a secluded chalet.
Set up camp in the bush, relax at a luxury lodge, climb a mountain, see rock art, sleep in a cave, hike into the wilds, saddle up, take your 4×4 for a spin, spend time with the family and realise anew what a beautiful country we live in.
Off the Beaten Track
Only just woken up to the fact that there’s a looooong holiday coming up and want to get far away from everything? There are still havens waiting for you.
1. Ndumo
Ndumo on the Mozambican border is big birding country, with some 430 species. It’s big enough for big game, too, but small enough to be well off the tourist map. There are lovely old-school chalets for people who loved them way back when.
Contact: 033 845 1000, website
2. Die Hel
If you’re looking for peace and quiet, you’ll think Die Hel is heaven on earth. For years the only way in was by donkey and it still feels lifetimes removed from the city. Stay in the beautifully renovated traditional cottages once belonging to the residents of the valley.
Contact: 0861 227 362 8873, website.
3. Mountain Zebra
The rolling plains and steep crags of Mountain Zebra are only 12 km from Cradock in the Eastern Cape. The 4×4 trails are a must for enthusiasts. Guided game drives, rock art excursions, hiking trails and picnic sites are also available.
Contact: 012 428 9111, website
Pitch a Tent
Sure, chalets in flagship parks such as Kruger, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and Addo may be fully booked, but have you considered camping in other holiday hotspots? Campsites are set up to make your life easy, with cooking facilities, ablution blocks and laundromats. And it’s relatively cheap. You could easily stay the whole holiday.
4. Umlalazi
Umlalazi on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast offers some of the finest water-sport activities in the country. The Umlalazi River that flows through this park is best for boating, canoeing and waterskiing, the lagoon for fishing and the beach for surfing and angling.
Contact: Reservations 033 845 1000, website
5. Salmonsdam Nature Reserve
In Salmonsdam Nature Reserve at the foot of the Perdeberg outside Stanford, you’ll find beautiful waterfalls, indigenous trees and colourful birds such as sunbirds and kingfishers. The camp has gas-heated showers and braai facilities.
Contact: 086 227 362 8873, website
6. Injisuthi
Injisuthi is the stopover point for many of the hiking trails that lead across the Drakensberg. Stay in the spacious campsite or overnight in one of the caves. Battle Cave rock art site is a must-see while you’re there.
Contact: 033 845 1000, website.
7. Mokala’s Haak-en-Steek Camp
Stay in one of the five campsites. It’s not too crowded, not too isolated and, without fences around the campsite, you really are in the wild. Look for the peculiar black springbok found in this park situated southwest of Kimberley.
Contact: 012 428 9111, website.
8. Bontle
Bontle in Marakele has everything you could possibly want from a campsite: shady trees, grass, clean ablutions and lots of space. Drive to the top of the Waterberg Massif and see one of the world’s largest colonies of endangered Cape vultures.
Contact: 012 428 9111, website.
9. Albert Falls Dam
This dam near Pietermaritzburg is wonderful for water sports, birding, game viewing and bass fishing. The comfortable campsite on the banks of the dam is ideal if you’re after the simplicity and tranquillity of camping in the wilds.
Contact: 032 533 2315, website.
Deep in the Bush
If you completely want to forget about the FIFA frenzy, setting up camp in the far corner of a park is your best option. Pick a park geared towards adventurous campers and you might not even see another soul, never mind any soccer fans. Accommodation is ‘as you find it’. There are no facilities, which rules out all but the most ardent of self-sufficient campers.
10. Namaqua National Park
As the latest addition to theNamaqua National Park, Groen Spoeg offers an unspoilt coastal area between two rivers. Trails take you to secluded bays and you can camp wherever you like.
Camping: free. Contact Bernard van Lente, Park Manager, 027 672 1948 or 083 640 4915, email.
Cederberg is the best place for hiking in the Cape, if not the whole country. Well laid paths and good camping, plus the old woodcutters’ huts below the peaks make for unforgettable outings.”
– Travel Writer David Bristow11. The Cederberg
A haven for mountain climbers, the rugged mountainous terrain of the Cederberg excites both hikers and nature lovers. The area is known for spectacular rock formations and San rock art paintings.
Contact: 0861 227 362 8873, website.
12. Tankwa Karoo
A place of arid beauty situated within the Succulent Karoo Biome. Here you’ll find rare and endangered plant species and birds such as the rare doublebanded and Burchell’s courser.
Contact: 012 428 9111, website.
Child’s Play
With the kids on holiday for a whole month, you’ll want to stay somewhere that’ll keep your little darlings entertained while allowing you to kick back and relax.
13.Tsitsikamma
Spectacular mountain slopes, ravines dense with trees and a rocky coastline make up Tsitsikamma. River cruises, blackwater tubing, a snorkel trail and treetop canopy trips are offered, and there are plenty of short hikes in the verdant forest.
Contact: 012 428 9111, website.
14. Bontebok
Bontebok is a paradise for fauna and flora lovers who come to see plants of the Cape Floral Kingdom and some 200 bird species. For the family there are hiking trails, birding, fishing, picnic sites, biking and the Breede River for canoeing.
Contact: 012 428 9111, website.
15. Tweede Tol
In the Du Toitskloof mountains near Paarl, Tweede Toloffers incredible scenery: fynbos, rugged mountains, steep kloofs and deep valleys. Overnight in the revamped campsite, complete with a jungle gym for children and clear rock pools.
Contact: 0861 227 362 8873, website.
16. Midmar Dam
Families can enjoy a variety of water sports and activities such as cycling, walking, game viewing and angling. Two of the campgrounds are on the water’s edge.
Contact: 033 845 1000, website.
Leave the Country
17. Swaziland
There’ll not be much soccer happening in Swaziland during the 2010 World Cup, so that’s a really good place to go to get away from soccer mania. Stay in the traditional beehive huts at Mlilwane or opt for the stone cottages at Mkhaya
Contact: +268 528 3943, website.
Go for Gold
Some people believe that if you have your heart set on something, you’ll get it. If so, try one of thesespecial lodges or homesteads. But best book now, before everyone tries out the theory.
18. De Hoop
Only three hours from CapeTown, De Hoop is an exquisite destination with one of the largest marine reserves in Africa. Farmsteads have been converted into luxury accommodation. Hike, cycle and go bird-watching or look out for whales along the coast.
Contact: 0861 33 4667, website
19. Thendele Camp
With a view of the world-famous Amphitheatre the newly refurbished Thendele Camp and a six-bed luxury lodge sit among yellowwood forest and protea savannah. Walks here reveal an ever-changing landscape, fast flowing waterfalls and prolific birdlife.
Contact: 033 845 1000, website.
20. Reilly’s Rock
Reilly’s Rock in Swaziland is a luxury hilltop lodge that was once the home of the Reilly family who pioneered Big Game Parks. The house is steeped in history and stands much as it did nearly a century ago, only now with subtle renovations and tasteful furnishings.
Contact: +268 528 3943, website.
Try Something New
Make this the year you stretch your imagination – and your muscles – on one of these exciting outings. Each of these adventures deserves to be on your list of 10 things to do before you die.
21. iMfolozi
Explore iMfolozi’s wilderness area on an overnight trail. It’s not exactly roughing it as the trails are catered and you overnight in tented camps.
Contact: 033 845 1000, website
22. Didima Rock Art Centre & Kamberg
Take a guided rock-art tour for fascinating insights into the life of the San. Didima Rock Art Centre explores the imagery used in rock art, while at Kamberg small groups are taken to see pristine paintings.
Contact: Didima 036 488 8025 Kamberg 033 267 7251
23. Drakensberg
There are several caves in the Drakensberg where you can spend the night in the wild. Keep an eye on the weather – a cave offers only so much protection from cold and snow.
24. Marakele
The three-day, 4×4 eco-trail in Marakele takes you off the beaten track into the heart of the Water-berg Biosphere where endangered cycads grow. Overnight in unfenced bush camps. A maximum of five vehicles, four people a vehicle, allowed.
Contact: 012-428-9111, website
25. Grootvadersbosch
There’s no better way to explore Grootvadersbosch near Barrydale than on a mountain bike. Trails range from short to long, easy to hard. You can camp in the small site in the reserve or choose one of the farm stays.
Contact: 0861 227 362 8873, website
26. Hlane Royal National Park
Get up close and personal with some of Wild’s models: Hlane Royal National Park in Swaziland offer white rhino tracking trips.
Contact: +268 528 3943 website
27. Anysberg
Go horse riding through the Karoo at Anysberg.
Contact: 023 551 1922.
28. Inanda Dam
It isn’t just where Duzi champions are made, it’s also where champion-sized bass lurk in the deep. Maybe you’ll be the one who hooks an uncaught monster of 7 kg?
Contact: 031 766 9946.
29. Palmiet River
In winter, the peaceful Palmiet River near Kleinmond is transformed into a white-water adventure trail. Gravity runs guided rafting trips lasting between one and two days, so join them if this is your first outing.
Contact: 021 683 3698
30. Kruger
Book at one of the waterhole hides in Kruger for a night really close to nature. Hides sleep two to six people and bedding, crockery, cutlery, braai and lamps are provided.
Contact: 012 428 9111, website
Your Ticket to Adventure
With your Wild Card you’ll get free entry to the parks and reserves featured here. In the monthly Wild e-newsletter we’ll keep you updated on special offers and last-minute accommodation deals for the World Cup period. Also check out our website for the latest on what’s happening in the Wild world. Woza World Cup!
Article by Wild Magazine (Autumn 2010 edition). Photographers: Roger De La Harpe, Riaan Vermeulen.
