Camping is a wonderful way to take a vacation, whether with friends, family or even on your own. Camping allows you to get out there, enjoy a more natural connection and become one with your surroundings. South Africa has a host of beautiful camping spots where there\u2019s something for everybody, no matter what they enjoy.<\/p>\n
Perhaps you love open landscapes, or perhaps you\u2019re looking for a mountain paradise. Whatever you prefer, South Africa has it all. So, whether you\u2019re seeking amazing seascapes, forest scenery or a complete wilderness, here are some top places to camp that are sure to impress.<\/p>\n
The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park<\/strong><\/p>\n Just two hours to the north west of Durban, you\u2019ll love this impressive World Heritage Site. With its amazing mountain scenery, this park has lots of outdoor activities to enjoy. You\u2019ll see impressive views around each corner, and every one of the four areas of this national park has its own unique offerings. Whether you love to walk and hike, explore caves, go boating or fly-fishing, swim, ride a horse or cycle, you\u2019ll have something to enjoy here and there are more than 15 campsites on offer.<\/p>\n Addo Elephant National Park<\/strong><\/p>\n The Addo Elephant National park<\/a> is a huge reserve with lots to see and do. Located in the Eastern Cape, you can enjoy a Big Five safari here or take a hike on one of the southern hemisphere\u2019s largest dunefields. This park covers a huge area that takes in mountains, marine-protected reserves, rivers and semi-arid zones. You can experience a guided game drive or take a self-guided game drive, go fishing, take a hike or walk on the trails, go horseriding, drive a 4x 4 or go bird watching. There are several camps, but if you head to the main camp, you\u2019ll discover a floodlit watering hole, all an hour\u2019s drive from Port Elizabeth.<\/p>\n Tsitsikamma<\/strong><\/p>\n Head to the Garden Route National Park<\/a> and explore its Tsitsikamma section. Just three hours\u2019 drive from Port Elizabeth, this national park has two rest camps \u2013 the Natures Valley and Storms River. You\u2019ll find an exciting coastline at Storms River, together with high adrenaline sporting activities. There\u2019s snorkelling, scuba diving, walking, hiking and boating to enjoy as well as treetop canopy tours, biking, climbing and bungee jumping. Meanwhile, if you head to Natures Valley, you can enjoy a more serene experience, sunbathing on the beach, canoeing or sailing on the estuary.<\/p>\n Cederberg Nature Reserve<\/strong><\/p>\n The Cederberg<\/a> Nature Reserve is another World Heritage Site. This national treasure boasts impressive soaring peaks and stone formations as well as sub-alpine habitats. You\u2019ll also see ancient rock paintings here with some of the sites being open for the public to visit. Here, you\u2019ll discover the stunning Algeria campsite which offers swimming in the Rondegat River\u2019s clear waters. You can also enjoy activities such as biking, walking, hiking and mountaineering. All of this is only a two hour drive from the heart of Cape Town.<\/p>\n Shongweni Dam<\/strong><\/p>\n If your aim is to see some amazing wildlife, this beautiful game reserve should be your first stop. Only a half hour\u2019s drive away from Durban, this is the perfect spot for a short camping trip in a natural environment. You can stay in a stilted tent on the water\u2019s edge and try fishing and non-motorized watersports on the dam. There are also guided walks and game drives to enjoy. Some of the other activities include birding, rock climbing and trying bush meals.<\/p>\n What You\u2019ll Need<\/strong><\/p>\n As many of these camping sites are a long way from civilization, it is important to make sure you\u2019ve planned ahead for your trip so that you have everything to hand that you could possibly need. You don\u2019t want to arrive at your destination and find that you\u2019re missing something vital like tent poles or your sleeping bag. Make sure to draw up a checklist so that you have everything from the tent and the camp beds to the grill that\u2019s perfect for your trip<\/strong><\/a>. Once you have everything you need and as long as you\u2019re well prepared, you\u2019ll be ready to enjoy an amazing vacation under canvas in stunning South Africa. Enjoy your trip!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Camping is a wonderful way to take a vacation, whether with friends, family or even on your own. Camping allows you to get out there, enjoy a more natural connection and become one with your surroundings. South Africa has a host of beautiful camping spots where there\u2019s something for everybody, no matter what they enjoy. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4240,2711],"tags":[2858,4249,4242,4241,4246,2671,2868,4245,4250,3980,4252,4248,4251,4244,4243,4253,4247],"class_list":["post-5418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-camping","category-south-africa","tag-addo-elephant-national-park","tag-braai","tag-camping-south-africa","tag-camping-spots","tag-cederberg-nature-reserve","tag-durban","tag-garden-route","tag-garden-route-national-park","tag-grill","tag-hiking","tag-scuba-diving","tag-shongweni-dam","tag-snorkelling","tag-tsitsikamma","tag-ukhahlamba-drakensberg-park","tag-walking","tag-world-heritage-site"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}