As a budget-friendly way of exploring the stunning scenery and variety of the Western Cape, you can’t beat camping. You can experience remote mountainsides, beautiful beaches, riverside tranquillity or rustic dams, reconnecting with nature and escaping from everyday life. “It’s the freedom of open spaces,” says Ian Stanfield. “It’s very relaxing, once you’ve got the tent up. I sleep better camping than anywhere else.” His main requirement for a campsite is that it should be beside water, be it a river, mountain rockpools, dam or ocean, and despite the drought, most of the Cape’s best campsites fit the bill, with natural swimming spots and flowing rivers to slake your thirst for adventure.
Glamping
If you don’t have all the gear to head out into the wilderness, or just prefer a few luxuries to cushion your nights under the stars, glamping is the ideal solution.
Africamps Boutique Camping has camps set on scenic working farms in Robertson, Swellendam, Stanford, Oudtshoorn and Plettenberg Bay. The comfortable two-bedroom tents are fully furnished, with a bathroom, self-catering kitchen, a fireplace for winter and air-con for summer, so you get the best of life under canvas without roughing it.
Cherry Glamping has a camp of 12 luxury bell tents in a forest with gorgeous views over the Elgin Valley and you can book a few tents (each sleeps two) or the whole camp, with extra tents and catering options for private parties and weddings.
Family-friendly
“For us, camping is a family thing. It gives us time to rejuvenate, play board games, boules and have quality time together,” says Wendy Stanfield. Their camping club organises one weekend a month, choosing well-maintained sites that accommodate caravans as well as tents, with electricity and hot water. Recent favourites have been Koningskop in Citrusdal and Die Watergat near Rawsonville.
Trouthaven on Dwarsberg Farm near Rawsonville is ideal for groups of family or friends who want their own space and privacy. Eleven self-contained sites take up to 20 people each, most bordering the pretty mountain river, where you can swim, fish for trout or explore the rugged trails on foot or mountain bike. Like many popular sites, weekends and holidays get booked up months in advance, so plan well ahead.
SANParks
The National Parks board runs a number of campsites well worth visiting. One such hidden gem is Bontebok National Park near Swellendam, where you camp on the banks of the Breede River, hike nature trails and see bontebok, red hartebeest and grey rhebok among the fynbos. Heading up the Garden Route, Wilderness Ebb and Flow rest camp is a beautiful spot known for fantastic bird-watching along the various Kingfisher hiking trails, canoeing on the river and beach family time. Both have wooden chalets as well as campsites.
Hidden gems
If electricity isn’t a priority and you’re not fussed about staying connected to a cellphone and the internet or driving for miles down bumpy gravel roads, there are some beautiful wild places to visit in the Cederberg area. No longer a best-kept secret, but still tucked away down a winding dirt road (only off-road trailers/caravans are advised), Beaverlac’s attractions include shady places to pitch tents, hidden mountain pools and rock-art in caves. A perennial challenge for older kids is jumping off the cliffs into the deeper pools.
Off the beaten track and even more private is Enjo Nature Farm in the remote Biedouw Valley, where there are four self-catering chalets and just three individual campsites. Visitors enjoy wilderness hikes, a farm dam to swim and canoe in, the river running past, endless peace and quiet and star-filled skies at night.
“I grew up in the bush, so camping restores my soul, grounds me and puts the gentle rhythm of nature back into my life. We love escaping to the Koue Bokkeveld and the Cederberg.”
-Michelle Snaddon
“I love the fact that there’s nothing more than a few microns of canvas between you and the stars.”
-Bruce Snaddon
Starter camping toolkit:
- Tent
- Fold-out table with storage underneath
- Blow-up mattress and pump
- Braai grid and jaffle iron
- Plastic tub and sink plug
- Torch and lamp
- Spade
- Raingear
- First-aid kit
- Matches
Useful sites:
Camping clubs:
Words: Kit Heathcock | Images: Supplied
