Go! Drive & Camp

As the year draws to a close, I’m always struck by how life seems to accelerate at a terrifying pace. There’s so much to do, so many people to see, school terms to survive - all before you can take a breath and flip that “Out of Office” switch. But once it finally happens - once you can pause for a moment - a glorious stretch of holiday awaits. A time to focus on what truly matters: your family, your friends and the things you cherish. The December break has always meant a great deal to me. Growing up, it was precious family time - with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins everywhere. Summer days were hot and long, and I still smile thinking about how we kids would swim long…

We love hearing what's on your mind! Write to us at drivecamp@gomag.co.za and please remember to include yourfull address and contact details. Drive & Camp reserves the right to edit and shorten letters - and publish them in the magazine, on the website and elsewhere. After 10 years of camping in an off-road camper, my husband Nantes and I decided to go back to a rooftop tent. We’re both over 60, so we chose the BunduTop from BunduTec, which opens electrically. We made a wish list of places we still wanted to see and experience, and planning began. Within weeks, the tent was ready and we had booked our spot on a guided tour. Over the next three weeks, 7 100 km lay ahead… Zimbabwe, here we come! We packed…

Campsites around Bela-Bela are in high demand, especially in the Waterberg region north of town. Modubu Lodge has now joined the list of destinations in this sought-after area. It’s less than a 10-minute drive from town, with a tar road right to the gate, and located in the same cul-de-sac as the ATKV retirement village Klein-Kariba Negester. With no through-traffic, peace and quiet are pretty much guaranteed. Leon and Maria Prinsloo, together with friends Tom and Marietjie Brown, bought the 23 ha slice of Bushveld in 2024, when there were only three self-catering chalets on site. From the start, they planned to add camping facilities, and phase one of three is now complete, featuring 12 stands tucked between indigenous trees. Each stand is named after a well-known Waterberg tree species,…

Wolwehok is a new campsite on the 150 ha Mineral Springs wine farm outside Paarl, where owners Pieter and Helene Beyers farm with citrus and olives. The campsite sits along the banks of the Wildeperdejag River, which rises in the nearby Limietberg Nature Reserve before joining the Berg River close to town. Of the 10 stands, eight are placed alongside one another, with the remaining two set opposite them near the ablution block. Buffalo grass has been planted on each stand and low wooden markers indicate the boundaries. Freestanding drum braais are provided – just remember to bring your own grid. The ablution block is positioned closest to the central stands and comprises three spacious family bathrooms, each with an open shower, basin, mirror and toilet. A gas geyser supplies…

Saggies op 80 is a new “private” campsite on a farm positioned centrally between Vredenburg, Velddrif, Hopefield, Langebaan and Saldanha. It can accommodate up to 30 people, but only one booking is accepted at a time. That means the whole campsite is yours, whether you arrive with a two-man tent or bring all your camping buddies along. The 64 ha farm lies about 5 km outside Vredenburg and belongs to Dewald and Jandra Kraftt. The name, Jandra explains, has nothing to do with age: “It’s an old saying – if a group of people were listening to music on the wireless and someone wanted to speak, someone would say: ‘Put the music softly on 80.’” “We’re social folk,” she laughs. “We originally set up the place for ourselves and our…

THE FUTURE The Lexus LS is a bus-like concept that looks straight out of a sci-fi film. Its most striking exterior feature? Four smaller wheels at the back and two larger ones up front. Why? Because Lexus can. The “LS” stands for Luxury Space – and the cabin lives up to the name. You’ll find traditional Japanese bamboo used throughout, and the four seats look supremely comfortable. The steering wheel and instrument cluster can shift from left to right, allowing the LS to be driven in any country, although the long-term goal is to eliminate the driver altogether and hand full control to artificial intelligence. MOVING UP The Mitsubishi Elevance is an all-electric SUV still in the concept phase. Whether Mitsubishi will ever put it into production is anyone’s guess;…