Glamping: camping with style

There’s a reason I don’t enjoy camping. No beds.

Why would one leave the comfort of a double bed with a pillow that adjusts to your neck, to go sleep in a tent on the floor?

A few months ago, I watched a movie about a guy who got lost in a forest and had to do all sorts of weird things to survive. This, along with high school veldskool trips, turned me off camping.

A close friend swears that camping is the best way to de-stress, get some fresh air and forget about all your woes. I disagree. This got me wondering how people actually survive getting lost in the wilderness.

For advice, one would channel survival champ Bear Grylls, the man with a television show on survival. He willingly thrusts himself into the wild without as much as a compass or even survival gear. He eats raw fish and bites the heads off insects for nourishment.

I’m from the generation that didn’t learn to use a compass. We have phones with built in navigation systems. This is not to say I’d ever turn down camping trips if it were in a luxury camp site with beds, baths and no threat of a snake crawling into your sleeping bag and having to eat locusts or termites for dinner.

Gosh, I’m such a girl. And, of course, my biggest fear, getting lost and never being found.

There’s new a sub-culture of camping called “glamping”. This is the type of camping that’s made for girls like me. You get to experience the joys of wildlife while not really abandoning creature comforts you’re accustomed to.

All the “glamps” are set up in game reserves and will cost a little more than your average camping experience. Your chalet is actually built to look like a tent, with a patio overlooking the wilderness, so you get the best of both worlds.

Who doesn’t want a tent with an en-suite bathroom, bed and breakfast, pool and spa facilities?

The added advantage is you can even go in couples and share the experience, including game drives and evening dinner parties.

I’ve decided as much as I love watching Bear Grylls jump off rocks into icy cold water, that life isn’t for me. I’ll stick to glamping.

I’ve already found the perfect place to book into at the Kruger Park. If you’re looking to book similar types of getaway check out: www.booking.com for a full guide of the best “glamp” sites in SA.

Places to go ‘glamping’

1. Buffelshoek Tented Camp

Buffelshoek Camp Road, 1363
Manyeleti Game Reserve, South Africa.

2. Tented Adventures Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

73 Pretoriuskop Camp Road, 1242
Pretoriuskop, South Africa

3. Ivory Wilderness Riversong Camp

Hoedspruit, 1380 Klaserie
Private Nature Reserve, South Africa

4. Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge

Route R571, Crocodile Bridge
1340 Komatipoort, South Africa