As we drove down the dusty farm roads towards Buttonquail private nature reserve in the Elgin Valley, we had no idea what to expect. We (my husband and I) had booked into Annalise’s tented camp for the weekend, our first tented camp experience in the Western Cape. Tented camps are common in wildlife reserves such as the Kruger Park, the Okavango Delta in Botswana and other reserves and wilderness areas in Africa.  But it’s quite a new and novel concept in the mountains and valleys of the Cape…..however its catching on with more and more people looking for a holiday destination where they can ‘get away from it all’ and ‘be part of nature and the environment’ without having to travel too far away from the city.

We arrived at the eco-friendly camp after tackling the short, but rocky road down into a steep valley - not far from the N2 highway, but far enough that we felt like we were miles away! The views from the camp are breathtaking with mountains on either side of the camp and the crystal clear Palmiet river running past. The deep ‘swimming pools’ in the river to cool off after a long walk in the mountains are just some of the many attractions of staying at the camp. Another is the warm hospitality of George and Annelise who were there to greet us on arrival, and offered to cook delicious traditional South African food for us in case we did not feel like self-catering (at a small additional cost).

We opted to self-cater this time and spent the days relaxing, walking and enjoying the incredible surroundings from our comfortable tent. And evenings sitting by the warm fireplace in the communal lounge/kitchen chatting and getting to know other guests. One afternoon we joined George in his ‘very rugged’ Landrover up the steep and very rocky road to the top of the mountain on the other side of the valley. This is an activity that everyone can do once during their stay and the landrover can take about 7 people comfortably. The views from the top of the mountain make the bumpy trip worthwhile and, in spring and summer, all the wild flowers and Proteas are in bloom making it a botanists paradise. If the land rover trip is not exciting enough, one can also mountain bike up the road…..although we thought we would leave this for next time! Far too strenuous for us!

The Elgin Valley is fast becoming one of the most popular weekend getaways from Cape Town not only because of the short drive to get there (no more than 45 minutes) but also because of the unbelievable scenery and the huge variety of activities offered in the area - from mountain biking and hiking to wine tasting and scenic drives.  For more information on the Buttonquail private nature reserve and the Elgin Valley, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it