A Case for Glamping

 

There are lots of reasons to love good old-fashioned camping. Fresh air, starry skies, campfires… pitching a tent. Well, maybe not pitching a tent? Or sleeping on the ground. Or bugs or bad bathrooms… But that’s why there’s glamping – aka glamorous camping. So, you still can get high in the great outdoors in the fresh air and starry skies without getting down and dirty. And, of course, like most things luxurious,  you can decide just how glam and indulgent you want to go - so pack it all in! 

 

South Africa has some of the most gorgeous glampsites in the world. 

 

According to Culture Trip, a must-travel app wherever you go, “the glamping scene has shifted into high gear over the last few years, too, offering access to game drives and gorgeous nature trails.” Some of their most luxurious picks include:

 

Chapungu Luxury Tented Camp in the Thornybush Game Reserve ( part of the Kruger National Park) with eight air-conditioned tents, indulgent Spa treatments, and three-course dinners offering some of SA’s finest wine.

 

Tanda Tula Safari Camp, set in the Timbavati, with its 4 Explorer (or rather – exquisite) Tents for up to 8 guests offers one of SA’s most authentic and immersive safari experiences. From walking safaris to wildlife tracking on foot and evening game drives, from picnic brunches to sundowners and campfire dinners, this is the great outdoors at its greatest. 

 

Luxury Tented Village at Urban Glamping in Saint Lucia, on the east coast of the KwaZulu-Natal coast, has raised walkways leading to self-catering tents that overlook a canopy of trees. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom, a large shower, and mosquito nets. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park, just a stone’s throw away, is a treat for game lovers – teaming with elephants, hippos, leopards, and white rhinos.

 

West Coast Luxury Tents, situated between Dwarskersbos and Elands Bay, will certainly give you a  taste of how the super-rich do it. From landing on its private airstrip – if you so choose, to enjoy private access to an exquisite, secluded beach – you’ll have a good idea why glamping is not camping.  

 

While perhaps not quite in the luxury league of Chapungu or Tanda Tula, Culture Trip makes mention of a number of fabulous, fun glamping sites too – like the bucolic charm of Schoemanshoek Glamping and Self-Catering – with chicken ducks, sheep and the odd tortoise roaming around;  Magical Teepee Experience, set in a misty landscape surrounding Hogsback in the Amathole Mountains, with its cluster of two-person tipis (all on raised wooden decks with private bathrooms); and Ndzhaka Camp, hidden in a thick forest on the banks of the seasonal N’waswitsontso riverbed, in the Manyeleti Game Reserve, close to a big dam where elephants, buffalo and other wildlife swing by for a drink throughout the day. With only five two-sleeper safari tents up for grabs, it’s a sight reserved for only a handful of people.

 

https://theculturetrip.com/africa/south-africa/articles/the-most-luxurious-glamping-sites-in-south-africa/

 

Whether you’re game for glamping on beaches or with the Big 5, you’ll be relieved not to have to pack the endless stuff required for a traditional camping trip. Tent, sleeping bag, pillows, first aid, food, and Mosquito repellent. Lots of it. And the list goes on…

 

But there is good reason to select a case for glamping that is as beautiful and practical as the glampsite you choose. 

 

Here are some of our favourites: 

 

Happy Glamping!