indwe magazine – Dec 2005

I Have A Tent In Africa
Just an hour’s drive from Hoedspruit, after a short flight on SA Express from Johannesburg Inter-national, the staff of Hamiltons Tented Camp await the weary traveller with a refreshing drink. Welcoming cocktail in hand, the visitor is checked in with professional efficiency and thus begins an interlude in Africa’s Eden.
Raised wooden walkways, some high enough above the ground for elephants to pass underneath, join six luxury tents nestled in quiet privacy amongst ancient Jackalberry trees. Each exclusive tent is sumptuously decorated in the colonial style, complete with romantic slipper bath and outdoor shower. Each tent has a private veranda overlooking the Ngwenyeni Dam.
Hamiltons Tented Camp is situated near Hoedspruit in the Limpopo Province inside the Kruger National Park, forming part of a private concession held by the Three Cities Group. Up until recently, the only accommodation in the Kruger National Park was government-run rest camps and bush camps. Hamiltons Tented Camp is a prime example of the success of private concessions in the reserve. The land is leased from the government and luxury, five-star accommodation is provided to expand the offering to tourists.
Hamiltons Tented Camp is unfenced and wildlife moves freely throughout. A bushbuck and her fawn have, with exquisite taste, chosen a spot right in front of the lodge to make their home. Elephant do not shy away from slaking their thirst from the swimming pool or nibbling juicy greenery from the trees within the camp. This is Africa at her best, a gentle truce between man and animal.
The reception at Hamiltons Tented Camp is warm, hospitable and welcoming. Throughout one’s stay, a careful balance is maintained between taking care of the guest’s every need and a well-judged respect for privacy and space.
After early morning coffee and rusks, guests join a qualified game warden and a trained spotter for game viewing from open-topped vehicles. Through their quick eyes and expert knowledge the veld comes alive. All creatures, big and small, are discovered despite their nifty camouflage – from tiny night owls and tree snakes right through to the Big Five.
Game viewing is hungry work. Midway through the drive a table is set up alongside the track for pre-breakfast snacks and champagne in the long grass. The food at Hamiltons Tented Camp is scrumptious, indulgent and abundant. This is not the place to watch calorie intake. This is the place to watch wildlife and everything is geared towards integrating graceful living with the unaffected beauty of the bushveld. The open-tented lounge and dining room, decorated in antiques from the 1920’s, are perched on wooden decks like trays, right on the lap of Mother Nature, feeding stomach, soul and senses with sweet serenity and mouth-watering treats alike.
After a day of indulgent lazing about – reading a favourite book, eating delicacies from the groaning buffet, sleeping under the drape of a mosquito net, swimming in the sparkling pool – it is back on the game viewing vehicles for a sunset drive. As dusk falls, birds call each other to the nest for the night. A lioness watches guardedly from under a tree. There is an awareness of a natural order that reigns supreme, of the rhythm of time as one season follows another, of the flow and diversity of life on Earth. A quiet sense of gratitude pervades the air.
As the sun sets, the tablecloth is spread once more alongside the track for sundowners and snacks. Behind the trees the sky is awash with colour – yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue and red – before it all fades to black.
Back at the camp, dinner is a civilised affair. Muted conversation and laughter mingle with the sounds of the African night in a symphony of life. Course after course of delectable dishes keep the gastronomic juices flowing, each accompanied by a choice of great wine from the well-stocked cellar.
Hamiltons Tented Camp, once experienced, lingers in the visitor’s memory as a place personifying romance and beauty. It is an experience that revitalises body, mind and soul and one that reconnects us with our roots in Nature. The air is fresh and invigorating. The surroundings are wild and largely untouched. The mood is civilised and sophisticated. The experience, unforgettable.
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