The lounge/reception area of this authentic camp that is in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.
Small changes can make a big impression. This is particularly true of the Sun Destinations properties that I visited on a road trip recently.
Africa on Foot prides itself on the fact that it regularly receives return guests who might notice the subtle changes in and around this unique camp.
Unlike a private dwelling, camps and lodges seldom do major structural changes but rely instead on updating and upgrading soft furnishings and modernizing paint colours that might have become dated.
And so I returned here excited to explore the camp to ascertain what changes that had been completed since my previous visit.
An old idiom states: “The devil is in the detail” and here it certainly is.
It is the attention to detail that makes each Sun Destinations camp individual.
For instance, in this space, cushion changes made furniture seem new, while extra trinkets on tables and bookcases, although kept to a minimum, allowed the space to benefit from the updates.
A view through the lounge from the dining area.
This public space welcomes guests on their arrival as well as being a meeting point before setting out on either a game drive or a bush walk.
The tree in the centre is what gives the space character, and the furniture is both comfortable and practical.
This is the bar area. As the staff on duty will bring you your beverage of choice, the guests tend to use the lounge or the pool area to mingle and chat.
Some people count sheep to enable them to fall asleep, I count poles on the inside of thatched roofs!
This practice has always had a calming effect on me, although I am uncertain as to the reason.
Perhaps it takes me back to being a 13-year-old on my first visit to the Kruger National Park in 1966. Whatever the reason, I still do it to this day if I sleep under thatch.
Did you know? A thatched roof ensures that a building is cool in summer and warm in winter. Thatch also has very good resistance to wind damage when applied correctly. In South Africa, thatching materials are usually made from certain grass species.
Don’t feel like lying indoors staring at a thatched ceiling?
Then go and make yourself comfortable on one of the loungers next to the raised pool.
Here guests can look out over the bushveld and might even be lucky enough to have a heard of elephants stop by for a drink.
Always an exciting experience, as long as their arrival is treated with respect.
The ‘hidden’ entrance to my accommodation for the duration of my stay.
Although I spent some time in the lounge chatting to the guides, it was time to see what lay behind the door that was secreted behind the reed privacy screen.
BTW, the reason for the wooden screen is simply that this is the closest chalet to the lounge and if the door was visible, guests in the lounge could see directly into the bedroom…not something guests might enjoy.
But, I digress…
This was not the accommodation that I had stayed in on my previous visit, so it was all new to me.
Having said that, all the accommodations are similar, the major difference being that they either have indoor or outdoor shower facilities.
I am not averse to showering outdoors in winter, but the fact that this had an indoor shower was welcome, given that the nights and early mornings were cold.
Irrespective of the weather, I feel it should be a right of passage for ALL guests to experience the freedom of an outdoor shower in the African bush.
I have two criteria that I like to tick off when it comes to bedroom facilities.
1] A bedside light that I can read by, rather than being for purely decorative purposes.
2] A desk of some description, where I can put my laptop while I edit images from a game drive or prepare articles for publication.
In the case of Africa on Foot, both of those boxes were ticked.
Before the nay-sayers complain let me nail my colours to the mast regarding bedsie lamps. I am old-school when it comes to reading material.
I like a book that is still printed on paper, hence lighting IS important. I have tried electronic reading devices and although they might be easier to pack and carry, I do not get the same joy as the feel and the aroma of the paper as I turn the pages.
Desks, aside from being utilized for work purposes, often have other uses. But for me, the important aspect is being able to sit on a chair that is at the correct height for me to work in comfort.
As more visitors travel with devices to download and produce content for their social media platforms, this is an aspect that I believe is going to become more of a necessity going forward.
However, in the case of this camp, they are ahead of the curve and the comfort of their visitors is front and centre.
Well done!
Looking from the bathroom into the bedroom. Although there is a curtain for privacy, there is also a low wall separating the toilet from the basin
And I am a big fan of round mirrors as they seem to soften the wall they are hanging on rather than the sharp lines of a square or rectangular one.
Just one of the design elements that caught my attention on a table in the lounge.
Africa on Foot MUST be doing something right for guests to take the time and trouble to accurately sketch some of the wildlife they have seen.
Bush TV…that is how a fire in a boma is usually referred to. There is something hypnotic about sitting in the bush under a sky filled with stars and listening to the sounds of the animals roaming on the other side of the protective electric fence.
Often hyenas, lions and jackals can be heard vocalising in the dark outside the light of either the fire or the dining room.
These sounds add to the overall ambience of the experience that guests get to enjoy.
Almost time for dinner, then an early night as the morning will begin with an early wake-up call…
Dawn creeps across the horizon.
Fresh coffee is brewing and there are oat cookies (biscuits) that are SO tasty they should be outlawed.
Or sold in the gift shop!
As the name of the property implies…Africa on Foot!
But more of these walks in an upcoming post.
Click on the logo for more information about the camp.
Travel is the proud winner of this prestigious award from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife. The award is in the category Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa.
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