AfriCamps’ latest addition to their glamping fold is nestled between trees, vineyards and mountains on a wine estate, offering a relaxing break from the world.

Where is it?
Doolhof Wine Estate, Wellington

Why stay there?
AfriCamps’ latest addition to their glamping fold is nestled between trees, vineyards and mountains on a wine estate, offering a relaxing break from the world. There’s also wine tasting, river walks and cycling routes right your doorstep. Plus each tent has it’s own hot tub!

How much does it cost?
From R645 per person sharing, R200 per extra person. Children under three years stay free, while kids aged three to sixteen pay R100 per night.

Can I take my dogs?
No dogs allowed here as it is a working farm and they have their own dogs.

Can I take the kids?
Yes, children will love it!  There’s plenty of space for them to run and play, along with a jungle gym. Plus they’ll enjoy the cycle trails and walks.

Contact details:
Telephone 063 170 4222, email hello@africamps.com, www.africamps.com

The first thing you will want to do when you arrive at AfriCamps at Doolhof is plonk down in the chair on your deck with a glass of wine and take in the view of the mountains while enjoying the peace and quiet! Thankfully you check in at the tasting room so make sure you grab a few bottles of Doolhof wine before heading to your tent. Quite frankly, you may never leave said tent as AfriCamps go the extra mile to make sure you have everything you could need for a relaxing break, including breakfast and braai options. To be honest, when I stayed there recently for two nights I was very disinclined to go anywhere! Except up the road to their tasting room of course!

What to expect at AfriCamps Doolhof

AfriCamps is all about boutique camping (commonly referred to as glamping) and their tents are spacious with two very comfortable bedrooms and a bathroom with a large shower. They are perfect for those who love the idea of camping, but don’t like the notion of having to live without electricity or running water and having to use ablution blocks.  To be honest, the tents are so comfortable that you’ll have a tough time going back to “normal camping” after a stay here!

The wooden deck at AfriCamps Doolhof has a braai area (your first bag of wood is supplied and you can order more), two chairs (that are impossible to get out of, especially after a few glasses of wine) and a pub-style table that seats six. Plus there’s a hot tub, which uses a donkey boiler system – you will definitely be ordering more wood once you experience the utter bliss of sitting in a warm bath under the stars! (Tip: Switch off all your lights to really enjoy the Wellington sky at night.) However, during the summer months Wellington can get really hot, so the tub can also be used as a swimming pool.

Inside your tent you’ll find a comfy couch, another six-seater table, a closed combustion fireplace (really good for chilly nights), air conditioning, a fully-equipped kitchen with a gas hob, oven, toaster and kettle, along with crockery and cutlery. They even provide olive oil, salt and pepper, tea and coffee (there’s also a coffee plunger if you want to bring your own coffee). One bedroom has a double bed, while the other has a double bed with a single bunk bed on top. The bunk bed has been cleverly designed so as to ensure the person on the top doesn’t fall out, while those at the bottom don’t hit their heads when they sit up! Electric blankets are provided for winter nights. The shared bathroom (there’s a clever locking system in place to ensure nobody walks in on you) has a large shower with towels and soap provided. There’s also plenty of plug points to keep everything charged and free WiFi if you need it.

All in all, it’s an extremely comfortable stay for a family or a group of friends, with everything you need for a self-catering and self-indulgent stay in the winelands!

Eat at AfriCamps Doolhof

As mentioned earlier, not wanting to leave your tent may become a reality! AfriCamps is very aware of this and offer options for breakfast and dinner. However they need to be ordered 24 hours in advance so I recommend you get your lazy on when you book your stay.

The Breakfast Basket (R110 per adult, R75 per child) includes homemade muesli, Bulgarian yoghurt, a seasonal fruit salad, croissants, eggs, venison sausage, streaky bacon, white and brown bread, butter, jam, orange juice, milk and cooking oil. It’s a veritable feast and to be honest, I ate it over two days! It arrives beautifully packaged (although you will need to fight your way through a lot of cling film) and is worth every cent. My favourite part was baking the croissants that arrive uncooked. Keep an eye on the oven though, they bake quite quickly!

Their braai pack (from R175 per adult, R110 per child) is another bumper box with traditional South African favourites including boerewors, rump steak, a chicken kebab and a vegetable kebab, along with roosterkoek (to be baked on the braai), a garlic potato (conveniently par-cooked and wrapped in foil), a Greek salad and a cous cous and bean salad. You can substitute your rump steak for a Wagyu steak at an additional cost. I ordered a vegetarian braai pack and loved the homemade chickpea patty (it held up well on the braai which doesn’t happen often!) along with the vegetable kebab. If you are vegetarian, do let AfriCamps know and they will make a plan!

Picnic lunches including vegetarian and kiddies’ picnics are also available to order (from R300 per person) with yummy goodies like homemade bread, bacon meatballs, Greek pasta salad, falafel balls with tahini pesto, a mini cheese and chacuterie board and a dessert. The picnic basket also includes your choice of a Doolhof white or red wine. Again, this needs to be ordered 24 hours in advance.

You can also pop up to the Tasting Room where you’ll find a seasonal lunch menu, including a cheese and charcuterie platter and burgers, along with a kids’ menu (Tuesdays to Sundays). The platter is perfect to nibble on while wine tasting…

Activities at AfriCamps Doolhof

I am not going to lie, I wasn’t terribly active while I was there! I did attempt the River Walk, but that was short-lived as the trail got a bit rough for my liking (I am not good at scrambling up and down river banks) and in my defence I only had flip flops so wasn’t well prepared for hiking! My cycling skills are a bit wobbly, but I did watch other people get on their bikes and take on the various trails – often with some amusement! However I did enjoy a wine-tasting with Doolhof’s very informative winemaker and can definitely recommend that! Wine tasting starts at R50 per person for five of their wines. While you are there, I suggest checking out their bargain bins as you’ll find some really good wines that are very affordable.

For those who are not as idle as I am, there’s a 5km walk through the vineyards as well as a shorter river walk, while cycling enthusiasts can either bring their own bikes or hire one (R150 per day) and take on a route on the Wild Boar Trail. You’ll also find plenty of suggestions for day trips, tours, wine tastings and restaurants in the AfriCamps information folder in your tent.

Or you can be like me and take an amble to the wine tasting room, check out their labyrinth and say hello to the horses before returning to your tent to light the donkey boiler for the hot tub, pour a glass of Dark Lady and watch the baboons frolic in the vineyards across the river while you wait for your braai basket to arrive…

Published March 2019 | Hosted by AfriCamps