Africamps Mackers Hazyview Experience

Sometimes you need to switch things a little and go back to basics, but maybe upgrade the basics into a whole lot more. This is where AfriCamps, Mackers, in Hazyview, Mpumalanga comes in, this not your usual camping, this is glamping. Glamping is the best way to connect as a family and with nature. Hazyview is about 4h30 min from Johannesburg. Do you know why Hazyview is called Hazyview, it is because of the haze that hangs over the town in summer. Hazyview is always lush and green.

AfriCamps has taken South Africa by storm and we love them for that, their family-friendly approach to glamping is admirable, they are always close to nature with lots of adventures on their properties. Located on the banks of Sabie River is AfriCamps Mackers in Hazyview, which sits under a canopy of trees and with the river ever-present in the background. Getting there is easy once you have located the town of Hazyview, on the R 536 drive for 21 km till you see the sign, or you can come through from the town of Sabie on the same road.

Let us start, with a seamless check-in, Africamps have taken checking-in to a new level. On arrival there are arrow boards with your surname and tent number, telling you to proceed straight to your tent. All the tents have views of the beautiful Sabie River and your car is parked next to your tent under a canopy of trees. After the normal offloading of your luggage, with the river as your soundtrack, then you let the magic begin.

All tents have two bedrooms. The main bedroom has a queen-size bed and the other bedroom also has a queen-size bed and a single bunker bed. Each tent can accommodate five people in total. There is a rustic decorated shower and toilet with ample natural lighting and ventilation, this is accessible from both bedrooms with a novel swivel lock that allows you privacy, irrespective of which room you emerged from. The tent deco is tasteful with the use of copper pipes in that retro steampunk come modern industrial style with windows along both sides. I know what you are thinking, what windows it’s a tent, yep, I also discovered tents have zip-able windows.

A fully equipped kitchen with a gas stove and an electric oven grace the front of the tent creating a tasteful backdrop to the liveable area. This creates a lovely ambiance, where you can create delectable food without missing out on the board game action. The six-sitter wooden table in the kitchen allows you to eat away from the elements when you don’t feel like eating amidst nature on the table bench outside. There is a sitting couch, outside on the wooden deck for more sitting area, just an ideal space for a relaxing family weekend.

On arrival, we had a chilled afternoon playing board games. I always pack board games when travelling with kids it is a fun way to bond as a family. The memories we create together stay with us for a lifetime, try it you might find the inner child in you again. They also come in handy when the weather changes and you are stuck indoors.

My husband whipped up one of his quick tasty meals while we were in the middle of a 30-second game without losing a beat and he still won the game. The tent was filled with aromatics as the chicken and the steak on the stove sizzled and the ribs grilled in the oven. We had been travelling since the morning and after a few games too many of cards we decided to retire. Sleeping in nature with the soothing sound of the river is revitalising. The bed is comfortable and has an electric blanket for those chilly winter nights.

We had ordered a breakfast basket for the next day, which is something you can order beforehand which comes with muffins, yoghurt, fruits, eggs, bacon, sausage, and bread. You can also do your own thing and bring everything in, we wanted to experience everything, so we ordered in. When you arrive the morning order is already prepared all you must do is put it in the fridge. The morning was spent soaking up the sun rays as it peered through the canopy of trees and sipping coffee and tea. Did I ever tell you that my husband travels with his coffee machine, as he says, “why spoil a good trip with bad coffee”, I agree? breakfast was served, and I chose to go the healthy route, I had brought muesli, banana, blueberries and plain yoghurt while the rest of the family had what was on the breakfast basket provided by Africamps at an extra fee.

There is an honesty shop on site. An honesty shop is a totally different retail experience where items are priced and relies on customer's honesty to put the money in an envelope and slot it in a box that is in the shop. There are ice packs, snacks, cool drinks, wines, beers, meat, coal, firewood, insect repellent. Stuff that you might need, and each tent has an inventory list of every item and price, so you make note of everything that you use on the list and you calculate the price and put the money in an envelope and put it in a box in the shop when checking out. What a cool shop idea, you honestly just want to make sure you have calculated everything that you have used to make sure that you are paying the right amount.

We had two activities planned for the day. Spa treatment in the comfort of our tent, which we the girls were super excited about, while the boys went fishing up the river or whatever boys do when we are at the spa. The soothing sound of Sabie River almost conquered me to fall asleep while having my treatment, I was fighting falling asleep with all I have, maybe I might have fallen asleep for a minute. The massage was so relaxing, it was just what I needed. We spent the afternoon in the pool swimming and enjoying the sunset. My kids, love jumping in the pool, splashing water, and just being kids. We had a beautiful day. It was time to prepare dinner

We had ordered a braai basket for Saturday evening. My braai master you can wake him up at 3 am and say can I please have a braai, he will say “with pleasure”. The boys prepared the fire and then prepared the meat. The plan was we the girls were going to make s’mores for dessert but swimming the whole afternoon we were finished all we wanted to do was eat and sleep and that’s all we did. The next morning my kids said “We can’t believe the weekend is over,” and it was time to get back on the road and head back to Johannesburg.

Wishing you weekends that are full of love, laughter, and bliss but at AfriCamps, you can find all of that and more any day of the week.

For more details, you can visit https://africamps.com/