Campsites In South Africa: A Hiker’s Quest for Affordable (or even available) Grass

Why Is It So Hard to Find a Simple Campsite?

Another rant...try act surprised!!

Does anyone else struggle to find a campsite that’s just… a patch of grass?

I’m deadly serious. You’d think land + grass = campsite would be the easiest outdoor math ever. But no, apparently we’ve turned it into a national treasure hunt.

Welcome to The Great Camping Hunt of Magalies, Hekpoort, Rustenburg, Parys (or honestly, anywhere), where logic packs its bags, common sense evaporates, and simplicity gets buried in a shallow grave behind the ablution block — right next to the broken tap and three-legged braai stand.

Why Am I Desperately Needing a Campsite?

There are a couple of short hikes on my list that each require at least a two-hour drive.

Yes, I have been known to drive two hours for a hike—but for a little 3 to 5 km loop that’s over before you’ve even finished your water? That’s just madness.

So here’s my genius idea: Hike one in the morning, one in the afternoon, stay over, wake up, rinse, repeat and head home.

And the cheapest way to pull that off?

Camping.

Camping can be the most affordable one-night stand with nature. Even if I don't love it, I’ll deal. I’ll camp. Because apparently hiking through the night is not socially acceptable.

And no, I’m not asking for a lodge with a spa. I don’t want to "glamp". I’m a feral savage who sleeps in a tent that I put up myself—badly.

Easy to find this magical patch of grass for my tent?

Absolutely not.

When a Google Search Turns Ugly

So I do what any normal human does. I Google “campsites Magalies.”

Big mistake.

Huge.

Because now I’m in a three-hour argument with my search engine, clicking through websites that:

1. Don’t have updated info.

2. Want me to book for a minimum of 10 people (It's just me and my tent, Brenda).

3. Want me to book for a minimum number of nights.

4. Offer luxury tented camps for the same price as a Sandton penthouse suite.

5. Or, my favorite, they’re actually not campsites at all.

   
   

Listen Up, Campsite Owners

Just let me pay to use your grass—that’s all I’m asking.

I don’t need a catered braai. I don’t need a heated pool. I just need your grass dammit. 

I’m bringing my own house (it folds up nicely into a backpack) and my own bed (shoutout to my newly purchased inflatable mattress—perfect for the sleepless night I will absolutely have).

I’ll pay. Happily. But pay a luxury rate to sleep on the ground? Not on your overpriced lawn, Susan.

Finally, a Unicorn Campsite — Serendipity Eco Trails

I’ve found the first one for the list. Serendipity Eco Trails.

We paid R 180 for a night. That’s it. No small print, no “minimum 10 people,” no “please submit your tent colour for approval.” Just R 180 — and it included two gorgeous hikes.

Was the campsite 5-star? Don't be ridiculous.

Was it gloriously off-the-grid and rustic? 100%.

Perfect? Also yes — because it was no-frills, affordable, and came with no whats, ifs, or buts.

This is how it should be: you pay for your patch of ground, you enjoy the scenery, you hike, you leave.

 No drama. No spa menu. No Susan.

Affordable Campsites — Do They Even Exist?

Here’s the million-dollar question (ironically, because that’s what some places want to charge): Are there any no-frills, affordable campsites in the North West, Parys, Limpopo, or Mpumalanga? And yes, I’m manifesting that one day I’ll be ranting about this in far more exotic locations.

I’m not talking about places with a minimum this and a maximum that, and don't even mention "glamping". I mean, just give me your grass.

If you know, do tell. Because some of us just want to stay the night, and not have to apply for a second bond to lie on a patch of dirt we can’t even take home with us.

Pack it in, pack it out — rant terminated.