There was a beehive of activity deep in the Nauga Valley at the end of last year as the Gondwana team prepared to relaunch its beloved Eco Camp experience. The new and improved Eco Campoffers the same off-the-grid, hands on safari experience, with expanded and upgraded facilities to provide more communal spaces and all-weather comfort year-round with thatch roofs. The addition of a new bar near the pool will be a cool spot to sip a G&T in an open-air space under thatch. The entire camp runs on solar power, sources its water sustainably from a nearby perennial spring and is a plastic free zone.
Gondwana Private Game Reserve is a conservation-centric organization with extraordinary resource and passion dedicated to protecting its endangered flora and fauna. The Eco Camp guests help to collect important data to guide the Reserve’s management plan. Guests also enjoy relaxing downtime in the intimate and luxurious camp with only seven-bedroom tents set on raised platforms each with a private bathroom and covered deck area. A wooden walkway over the riverbed links the accommodation to two new thatched recreational tents which house the lounge, dining, and bar areas with a nearby pool and hammock relaxation area.
Guests have been blown away to find this luxurious tented camp hidden in a gorgeous valley deep in the Reserve. Two nights off the grid at Eco Camp feels like a week’s holiday recharging the batteries. Guests are able to enjoy a one-of-a-kind Cape Safari experience while rolling up their sleeves to get involved in the Reserve’s conservation work. “Today’s traveller appreciates a more holistic experience”, explains Wendy Rutherfoord. “Guests at Eco Camp relish in understanding and experiencing the greater context of a wildlife eco system and the synergy between tourism and conservation. We are very pleased how quickly Eco Camp 2.0 has hit the ground running; the camp has been virtually full since it opened November 1 through April. We look forward to developing the conservation safari experience further.”