Time to disconnect

Every so often, you get the urge to detach completely from the world around you and camp where you can commune with nature. That's the kind of tranquillity you'll find in Hoedspruit.

- Leon Botha

Hoedspruit is synonymous with game farms and reserves, and the local authorities are very aware of this. Welcome signs are proudly displayed along both roads leading to the town – the R527 from the direction of Ohrigstad and the R40 from Phalaborwa – they’re adorned with two steel warthogs triumphantly peering over them, as though trophies on a wall. “Wildlife haven” is inscribed on the back of the signs. As you travel here, you’ll drive for many kilometres next to game fences, often spotting animals along the road: bushbucks, baboons, impalas and of course, those charming warthogs. There are also signs warning motorists of elephants and hippos.

In this world, marula trees are abundant, and the sweet aroma of the ripe fruits is almost overpowering.

Just a few kilometres outside of Hoedspruit, on the R527, we set up camp in the bush – even giraffes have been known to visit the campgrounds. At Maru Djembe and Bushwillow Creek, it’s easy to tune into nature’s peaceful rhythm – no one disturbs you here. You can even forget about loadshedding for a while, as these two campsites don’t have electricity.

This area is in a drier region of the country where it rains about 500 mm per year. But during our visit, Cyclone Freddy had already made its way to Mozambique, disrupting the local weather. At the Ingwelala Private Reserve, just past Hoedspruit, they recorded 346 mm of rain just for February, the highest since 2000, according to an entry on their website.

But the rainy weather did not stop us.