Had I known about the Borakalalo National Park, 60km north of Brits, I would definitely have diverted my Gauteng bushwhacking pilgrimages there a long time ago.
For a start, it offers an authentic bush experience, serene and wild, yet it's only two-and-a-bit hours' drive from Johannesburg (if the traffic isn't heavy).
Borakalalo, meaning "place where people relax", is a 14 000ha reserve that is home to 35 species of mammals including giraffe, white rhino, leopard, zebra and a wide variety of antelope, and a really excellent location for birders, with more than 350 species recorded.
It wasn't really for the game viewing that I went, but to do some not-too-serious camping in pristine bush, under trees and close to a gurgling river.
Being a not-too-serious camping type, I've almost sworn to never again bother with a tent, stretchers, fridge or any other contraption that entails rods, pegs or cables. It's never simple getting set up, no matter how vehemently your travel mate might protest that it is, and the darned air mattress is always deflated by morning.
So Borakalalo's Moratele tented camp - 10 tents nestle amid acacia thickets overlooking the Moratele River - is ideal. Constructed on concrete plinths, the tents are equipped with two comfortable single beds with respectable bedding and an extra blanket, a clothing cupboard, food storage cupboard, table and two sturdy wooden chairs, a small gas-powered fridge and braai.
All you have to bring is your own cooking and eating utensils and a towel. A boon is there's no electricity, just two paraffin lamps, which eliminates the inevitable generator drone from fellow campers who can't quite cut the umbilical cord to white noise.
A little walk uphill and you have hot showers and a separately built toilet, the original brick whatsitsname. What more do you need?
Okay, so some people need more, fullstop, which is the purpose of the Phudufudu camp, which, among six standard camps, boasts four luxury tents on stilts with wooden decks.
Each of these tents has a double bed with linen, toilet with a bath and fully equipped kitchenette with a bar fridge. There's also a communal kitchen with utensils, gas oven, deep freeze and fridge, as well as a lounge/dining area with an expansive patio overlooking a watering hole and swimming pool.
With permit in hand, the fishing is great, I'm told, and the river is full of mostly bream, carp and barbel.
And to those who've found a way to not mind the rods, pegs and cables thing, there are caravan/camping sites. Borakalalo is a gem, and I recommend it to all who enjoy noiseless idling.
Rates
- Moratele tented camp: R390 a tent a night. Camp site: R90 a person a night.
- Phudufudu luxury tents: R550 a tent a night and standard tents: R450 a tent a night.
- Note: Entrance to the reserve is R25 a person, and R10 a car.
- To book: Call 012 ë 0131 or visit www.borakalalo.co.za