My boys love camping – rugged living, sleeping on the ground, at one with nature. I prefer “glamping” – luxury safari tents, outdoor showers with a view, sipping cocktails at sunset and a skilled team seeing to your every need.

We discovered a happy medium at Black Eagle Tented Camp in Kleinrivier Wilderness, just North of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. There is no onerous campsite rigging and derigging – the four safari tents are permanent, perched on wooden platforms overlooking a stream, with real beds, sprung mattresses and carpeted floors. There is no electricity, no staff to cook and clean up, and no neighbours – making it the perfect “real” camping trip for those who don’t own a bevy of fancy camping equipment or have the energy to put up tents.

Our blissfully comfy tent

After a long and hard festive season working in the hospitality industry, we needed to be at one with Mother Nature, in a relaxing and peaceful environment and this was just the right spot. In addition to the comfy rustic accommodation, we were treated to a fully equipped bush kitchen, a hot shower, and a loo with a view!

Kleinrivier is surprisingly close to PE – after less than an hour’s drive, it feels like you have arrived in unchartered territory. Deep in a gorge just North of Uitenhage, Black Eagle Tented Camp is tucked under large, leafy trees hugging a stone clad river bed dotted with natural pools. The cliff faces are sharp and steep and look like the mountains were ripped apart in heavenly anger. We visited in early January when the mercury was well into the late thirties, and the position of Black Eagle Camp at the bottom of the gorge provided welcome respite from the scorching heat.

Black Eagle Tented Camp lies in a deep gorge

There is a five minute walk over rocky terrain from the parking space to the camp, so you have to pack reasonably light. The camp is so well nestled into the surrounding bush, its hard to spot until you are right in it. Our kids were delighted with the little pools just bursting with life. At first glance, there was nothing, but on closer inspection they found crabs, minnows, platannas, numerous water bugs and even a harmless Natal Green Snake.

Cian and Caden exploring life in a pond

While they were delighting themselves catching the local wildlife, Ralph and I explored the camp and were super impressed by the lovely setting, the bonfire area outside a perfectly equipped kitchen, and the bush loo which was situated a charmingly wild distance from the camp. As darkness enveloped the Eskom-free camp though, the delightfully natural ablutions morphed into a terrifying gauntlet of shiny-eyed predators, spiders, and the great unknown making a midnight loo run somewhat awkward.

The bush loo with a view

There are loads of hikes to explore, but our favourite was Springgat (“jump-hole” in English) – a 6 meter deep natural pool surrounded by high rocks which make the perfect 360 degree diving board – adding some adrenalin to a welcome respite from the heat.

Springgat’s respite from the heat

Jacob and Ralph trekked off on a long hike above Springgat, and they both agree that it was breathtakingly beautiful and brimming with incredible miracles of nature. We rounded off the days with tales and chatter around the campfire. Freshly braai-ed meat finished off with Smores and hot chocolate.

Getting ready for campfire stories

Thank you Black Eagle for a couple of days of sheer blissful relaxation – an escape from technology and the pressures of every day working life, with enough creature comforts to ensure a stress-free stay. We highly recommend it for anyone wanting to experience a bit of wild Africa – to take the kids camping without the schlep, and to escape the rat race for a while.

Watch the video highlights of our visit to Black Eagle Tented Camp:
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