SANBONA’S TENTS AND PURPOSES
This adults-only camp in the Klein Karoo turned out to be just the ticket for a reboot, writes
THE words appeared on the invitation like some test from the gods. “No children under 16 allowed.” Now as any parent of young offspring will tell you, there can be a lot of hand-wringing and heated debate when the prospect of a childfree weekend is on the table, especially if there are no relatives at hand.
In the left corner, we had on offer: a luxurious tented camp in the Klein Karoo, guided sunrise hikes in the morning, amarula cream in the afternoon and delicious supper around a bushfire under the stars.
In the right corner, we had: no cellphone reception, several hours from home, and children left in the care of unsuspecting friends who’d have no way of letting you know if, say, someone plummeted from a bunk bed.
But let me tell you, you brave souls who have spawned the next generation, and I am going to say it only once: it was Just. The. Ticket.
The very moment we were out of cellphone range and the tarred roads and traffic gave way to the bald beauty of the Klein Karoo, I handed myself over to this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The Explorer camp at Sanbona is an activity as much as it is a venue. For two days, you’re taken into the care of an experienced guide and a camp assistant, who see to your every need and take you on the most magical game drives, walks and excursions.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and parked at the designated spot inside the reserve. From there, a driver picked us up and drove for half an hour along the winding dirt roads of this colossal place.
First stop: sundowners at one of the luxury lodges for those who have very deep pockets and also aren’t as hellbent on having the “up close with nature” experience that the Explorer camp offers. En route from here to the next stop, we saw buffalo, kudu and giraffe.
Second stop: an enchanting spot we’d call home for the next two days, deep in the heart of this beautifully eerie landscape.
On that weekend, in terms of guests, it was just us two. But even at maximum capacity, it would only be six guests at a time.
In other words, this isn’t the sausage-machine safari you get at some of the day-trip game lodges nearer Cape Town.
Imaging being surrounded by Klein Karoo landscape as far as the eye can see, but having at your disposal a hammock, a warm bed in a safe-as-houses tent, a toilet and shower out in nature (where the only way to know they’re occupied is because someone has laid the log across the horns of the antelope skull on the path), a drinks cabinet, a “lounge” with cosy chairs and books …
On the first night, we simply unwound around the campfire — with our lives and busy jobs in the CBD of Cape Town suddenly seeming like a strange and faraway place.
The next morning, Casper Bester, our incredible guide, and Desmond Jagger, our leave-nothing-to-chance