Pick and chews
Camp, swim, spot game… and catch a fish or two. Bring on the weekend!
ZELPY FISHING AND GAME RESORT OPTIONS GALORE
If the name Zelpy Fishing and Game Resort sounds unfamiliar, campers may recognise it by its old name, Eastco Magalies. But anglers can still cast their lines in the water in the three dams near the stands, plus there are two more dams in the game camp some distance away along the road.
There are also eight new stands – complete with paving and shade cloth
– in the open behind the heated pool, where you camp on grass. Each have water, a power point, and a braai area.
Like the original three dams, one of the two new ones also has black bass, carp, catfish, and kurper. You don’t pay extra to fish, but everything you catch must go back to the water.
The second dam is meant for species anglers, and if you’re chasing a record, this is the one for you. The largest carp ever caught here weighed 26 kg.
You have to book to fish at this dam. Surrounding it are are seven stands with a shade net canopy and concrete floor.
Three of them don’t have electricity, but all have a braai area. Because trophy fish swim around here, a few rules apply: no nets are allowed, you must fish straight in front of your stand, and also not cast past the centre of the dam. And, after a quick photo, the fish must be released immediately.
If you want to camp away from others and are equipped with an off-road vehicle and off-road trailer, you can make your home in the bush camp on one of 10 sites on top of the mountain. There’s a swimming pool here, but you camp without power (there’s hot water and light in the bathroom). You also have a braai area at your stand.
If you camp here, you’re allowed to go game driving in your own vehicle on the 500 hectare land. There are 11 species, including kudu, zebra, tsebe, red hartebeest, and blue wildebeest.
For people camping on the other side, there are also game drives. They cost R220 pp (R350 for quad bikes) and last 90 minutes. There are also several hiking and mountain-biking trails, ranging from three to 10 km. For the youngsters, there’s a mini golf course, trampolines, and jungle gyms.
A new licenced restaurant serves anything from an impala breakfast with an egg, cheese griller, and two slices of toast (R55), to pizzas (R120-R145), various main courses (R100-R150), salads, and desserts.