When my husband told me that we were going on a family camping weekend to a site between Witbank and Middelburg, I honestly thought he’d lost the plot a little… If you’ve met me, you would know that, firstly, camping is NOT my thing; and, secondly, why would anyone want to go to Witbank or Middelburg for fun? But they say that we should try all things at least once in our lives…
Admittedly, I started feeling excited when we heard that Suzuki would be lending us the preppy Vitara for the trip; and was more excited when I googled Olifants River Lodge and saw that it wasn’t a typical “roughing it” campsite. From online reviews and information on the site, it looked beautiful, clean and entertaining.
So, about mid-morning on Friday, we set out on a family camping weekend. (I heard a little later that hubby had called it his angling weekend – how typical!).
Only about two hours from Joburg, the resort is hidden in the Great Olifants Gorge, tucked in against the banks of the mighty river – well, at least that’s what the website promised. However, as our GPS was proudly announcing “Arriving at destination on left”, when all we saw was the Middelburg Landfill site, I was just a tad worried! My GPS is clearly a girl who gets lost often… Let’s just call her Mary.
After punching in the correct coordinates, we travelled on. The Vitara impressed me with a fairly smooth drive; and, although it’s not as spacious as the bigger SUVs out there, there’s enough room to pack more than you’d think!
The real Olifants River Lodge bears no resemblance to a landfill site. Once you come around the bend in the gravel road (a bit tough on both car and trailer), the beautiful, tranquil valley welcomes you – a little oasis of sorts, surrounded by mine dumps in the midst of drought.
History has it that this gravel road follows the route taken by Oom Barries, the first lodge owner, back in 1985 when he was en route to Presidentsrus. He came over the hill, fell in love with the view from afar, and promptly decided that that was where he wanted to spend the rest of his days. Its humble beginnings were as an Inn, before the caravan and camping site was generated.
When we arrived, 20 years and major renovations later, we also fell in love with the view of the enthralling valley, and were ready for a weekend of relaxation and adventure.
Check-in was easy; and, once we’d picked a prime spot under the Willow trees on the river bank, setting up camp was equally painless… This is why we have husbands and sons, right? The clean and spacious campsites are all conveniently situated close to one of the ablution blocks scattered across the camp terrain, which all come equipped with a tap and a 220V power point. And, as none of us would consider the idea of camping without some meat on the fire, we were delighted that loose-standing braais are delivered to the stand within minutes of one’s settling in! Wood is also readily available and delivered by friendly and efficient resort staff throughout the day − at an affordable price, of course.
If only my dear husband, who’d handled the packing of our camping requirements, had been as efficient as the resort staff. Luckily, the on-site kiosk was reasonably well-stocked and -priced, so that we were able to buy all the emergency items that we’d forgotten to bring along.
What we had not forgotten, of course, was the fishing gear; and before I knew it, I had lost my husband and son to the fishing rods, earthworms and other bait. So, the girls and I set off to explore the facilities, of which there is no shortage. We found a 400m² heated, indoor swimming pool, two smaller outside pools, ample shade, chairs in which to relax and soak up the sun, pool tables, dart boards, a fantastic play area for the little ones, jumping castles, jungle gyms, restaurants, and a very well-priced pub. Hiking trails, quad biking, volley ball, pedal boats, bird watching and horse riding are all available.
As we had forgotten most of our food, Friday night’s dinner was some fantastic pub grub – well prepared, generously-portioned and very affordable. After dinner, we went back to the camp to end the day with a glass of red, while swopping stories and jokes around the campfire… probably my favourite part of camping!
Saturday began after we’d been woken by the call of a fish eagle, and greeted by the chirp and chatter of the hundreds of species of bird life. Then we spent time lounging around the pool area or next to the river, sure that we would have at least a couple of bites, as our neighbour was reeling in one bass after the other. Alas, Olifants River did not bring us any angling luck, but the kids had a ball while swimming and canoeing in the clear river, which (of course) meant that Mommy had a ball sipping vino on the banks. A win-win for all! And, to top it off, it was also a great big win for my team, as the Cheetahs tore the Lions apart in the Currie Cup semi-final. Big screens in the pub allowed us to stay on top of the game.
Saturday night blessed us with a typical Highveld thunderstorm − a great experience in our little two-man tent… NOT! We were very glad that the Vitara’s ample leg-room and cosy interior allowed us to sit the storm out. On the subject of the Vitara: this little car truly impressed us over the weekend with its smooth ride, good space, and very ergonomic interior. The two-tone orange/white number we had on loan truly turned heads wherever we went! However, we thought that it could do with slightly-increased towing capacity and power; at least, if you plan to use it as a family vehicle as we did.
Competing in the closely-contested compact cross-over segment, the Vitara offers a fresh design, exceptional fuel economy, great personalisation options, and fantastic safety features. Equipped with Suzuki’s innovative AllGrip all-wheel drive system, the Vitara also attracts buyers from the compact SUV segment – and we were certainly impressed with its handling on the 12 km gravel road en route to our destination. The AllGrip system adds real all-terrain capability, with four user-selectable driving modes.
And, if the Vitara is all things to everyone, Olifants River Lodge can be similarly described. It offers both conference and leisure-travel facilities of the highest standard. It offers all the spoils of relaxation for the leisure visitor, and the sophistication of the professional conference- and exhibition venue will satisfy all conference-planners and attendees alike.
It is indeed a very well-balanced property which caters for serious conference participants, fun-filled team builders, nature-loving birdwatchers, keen bass anglers, or those just wanting a downright-lazy weekend away. And it’s all just 200km from four major metropolitan areas − Pretoria, Johannesburg, Nelspruit and Polokwane.