Sho’t left Mzansi: this is where you can spend your Heritage Day

Why not take the family or friends on an epic camping trip?

Jamie Owen, marketing manager for Thule, shares three camping sites to visit in South Africa:

Meiringskloof Nature Park, Free State

Ideal for groups of friends, Meiringskloof Nature Park is surrounded by sandstone cliffs and open caves.

Meiringskloof, located over three-and-a-half hours’ drive from Joburg, is set in a beautiful kloof with stunning birdlife.

“Numerous short hiking trails allow you to explore the kloof and caves, and there’s a swimming pool to cool off afterwards,” said Owen.

“The 4×4 trails will challenge both the experienced and novice drivers. The reserve also offers horse riding and abseiling at an extra cost,” he said. There is electricity at all of the 24 camping stands and braai facilities.

Berg River Resort, Western Cape

Enjoy a camping adventure with friends at the Berg River Resort in the Cape Winelands in the Paarl Valley, just 60km from Cape Town.

The campsite offers 150 stands with grass for tents or caravans, most with electrical outlets.

The property has an Olympic-sized swimming pool, children’s pool, waterslide, a café and a river for swimming and canoeing.

“For the best of both town and country, the area is amazing to explore, with a number of museums, art galleries, restaurants and wine farms nearby as well as the Drakenstein Lion Park, Bien Donné Herb Farm and the Paarl Bird Sanctuary nearby,” Owen recommended.

Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal

If you really want to get away from it all – and everyone – then camping in the exceptional beauty of Isimangaliso Wetland Park is for you.

According to Isimangaliso's website, the Cape Vidal campsite is set up a stone’s throw away from the expansive beach of Cape Vidal.

There are 50 campsites in the dune forest near the beach at Cape Vidal.

Ablutions with hot and cold water are available in the camping area and include showers and baths.

“There is something for everyone. You can enjoy snorkelling, swimming, fishing, hiking and bird watching or you can laze on one of the pristine beaches.

“If you are lucky, you may also see hippo, crocodile, elephants and buffalo, loggerhead and leatherback turtles, playful dolphins and elusive whales when exploring the area,” said Owen.

This story originally IOL