Let's go camping – the best campsites on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast

Lets go camping!

It's vir­tu­ally that time of the year again, when a beach hol­i­day for the fam­ily looms on the hori­zon and vis­ions of just how one is going to wiggle one's way into one's swim attire with a fair amount of grace occu­pies one's thoughts, if only for a moment. The rest of the time is taken up with try­ing to find the right camp­site whilst dither­ing about how best to fit the entire house and the kit­chen sink into the boot of the car!

The KwaZulu-Natal coast­line is the most obvi­ous choice when it comes to end­less sum­mer and warm waters. Along this strip of coast­line between Port Edward and Durban is an unin­ter­rup­ted play­ground of golden beaches, rocky coves, lagoon mouths, grassy slopes and, of course, the warm Indian Ocean that invites hours of water play ...

The KwaZulu Natal South Coast con­jures up a humid, per­petu­ally warm land­scape of rolling green hills swept with sug­ar­cane, hibis­cus, bou­gain­villea and the songs of birds. There is the inev­it­able highrise devel­op­ment to con­tend with too, but if you select your camp­site care­fully there is no reason why a com­plete escape can­not be secured and a break spent idly swim­ming, braa­ing, diving and rock pool rum­ma­ging can­not be yours for the taking.

Don't for­get the fish­ing rods, mini golf sticks (the por­tion of the coast between Illovo and Port Edward is wall-to-wall golf courses), snorkels, boogy boards and goggles.

The fol­low­ing list attempts to veer away from the 'sardine tin' exper­i­ence, although this is dif­fi­cult to do with any assur­ance dur­ing peak hol­i­day season:

Villa Spa, Illovo
This is one of few camp­sites that offers an intim­ate exper­i­ence with a little bit of lux­ury thrown in (there's a heated pool in winter with a sauna and spa bath). The camp­site is set in 10 acres of beau­ti­ful, shady garden just two minutes across the rail­way line from Illovo Beach. Large, lawned and shady sites are avail­able for cara­vans, camper­vans, motorhomes and tents. They also have log chalets set in amongst the trees for those who don't want to do the camp­ing thing. Daily camp­ing rates between R80 — R160 for adults, and chil­dren R50 — R120.
Contact: Gail & Anthony on tele­phone +27 (0)31 916‑4939

Ellingham Resorts

Ellingham Resorts – Rocky Bay, Park Rynie
The resort, just down the coast from the very pop­u­lar Scottburgh, is a com­bin­a­tion of rus­tic log cab­ins, a cara­van park and con­fer­ence centre in one of the most gor­geous loc­a­tions along the coast. Here you are privy to some of the best sea views pos­sible, all without any sign of devel­op­ment – things here are still vir­tu­ally 'wild'. The park has over 160 bush enshrouded or beach facing sites to choose from, the ablu­tions are first rate and there are children's areas that include a play­park, splash pool and fresh water swim­ming pool. Booking is essen­tial in high sea­son. Daily camp­ing rates between R85 – R127, chil­dren R42 – R70.
Contact: Ellingham Resorts on tele­phone +27 (0)39 976‑0336

MacNicol's Bazley Beach Resort
MacNicol's won coun­try­wide win­ner in the camp­ing and cara­van resort cat­egory of the AA hos­pit­al­ity Awards 2008, and you can under­stand why. As you arrive you are met with a cup of tea, and you get help pitch­ing the tent! Set right on the Ifafa lagoon, this sprawl­ing camp­site has a host of large, shady sites and feels almost like a nature reserve – there are over 140 bird spe­cies that you can spot here, includ­ing the fish eagle, and you're only 100 metres from the coast­line where Bazley beach offers miles of unspoilt beach. You also have access to the private beach of Ndesingaan where the con­di­tions are safe for swim­ming. The lagoon too provides hours of water fun, includ­ing canoe­ing, pad­dling and wind surf­ing. Daily camp­ing rates between R90 – R180 and chil­dren R45 – R95.
Contact: June McNicol on tele­phone +27 039 977 8863

Marlon Holiday Resort

Marlon Holiday Resort, Sunwich Port
This is a great, shady camp­site set in amongst the trees with good pro­tec­tion from the wind, between Hibberdene and Port Shepstone. Marlon Holiday Resort, which also offers cot­tages, log cab­ins and Plettenburg homes, lies in a sheltered val­ley on the banks of the Damba River, which flows into the sea on an excep­tion­ally pretty beach, just 700 metres from the resort. Swimming in the tidal pool is safe, whilst there are also other recre­ational facil­it­ies that include a children's play­ground, swim­ming pool, tram­po­line etc. You're assured of peace, quiet and relax­a­tion. Daily camp­ing rates R250 – R450 per site per night for up to 4 people shar­ing.
Contact: Charmaine Duffield on tele­phone +27 (0)39 681‑3596
http://www.sa-venues.com/visit/marlonholidayresort/

Umtentweni Caravan Resort
If you're into small and intim­ate, then this is the resort in Umtentweni for you, par­tic­u­larly if you have younger chil­dren (the big­ger resorts are great for teens). This quiet and pretty camp­site has been chosen by a reader sur­vey as one of the top resorts in the coun­try for the past ten years and it's easy to see why. Rolling lawns wend their way right down to the Mtentweni lagoon, with mod­ern ablu­tion facil­it­ies and the usual jungle gym, trm­poline, swim­ming pool and boat­ing on the river, it's fun for all.  Daily camp­ing rates between R70 – R115 for adults, R40 – R75 for chil­dren.
Contact: Tobie and Anita Mayer on tele­phone +27 (0)39 695‑0531

Port o'Call

Port o' Call Caravan Park
A little piece of para­dise. Port o' Call lies adja­cent to the Trafalgar Marine Reserve spill­ing out onto five kilo­metres of gore­geous 'wild' beach. Lying mid­way between Margate and Port Edward, not only is the beach a safe swim­ming beach but there is excel­lent snor­kelling on a reef that boast 90-million-year-old fossil beds. Spend your days under milk­wood, umdoni, wild fig, coral trees and ilala palms whilst listen­ing to the crash­ing waves. Kids get a swim­ming and pad­dling pool, and there are spot­less ablu­tions. If you're into secluded sea­side hol­i­days away from it all, this is it.  Daily camp­ing rates between R100 – R180 for adults, RR50 – R90 for chil­dren.
Contact: Port o'Call Caravan Park on tele­phone +27 (0)39 313‑0511

Old Pont Holiday Resort
Another awe­some set­ting on the banks of the Mtamvuna River, hence an ideal spot if you're into water­s­ports. Not your spot if you're not into a bit of noise and a lot of fun, for it can get kind of vibey when it gets busy. 100 grassed, shady camp­sites are avail­able, and whilst the beaches are only access­ible by river, you can drive a short dis­tance to the Port Edward main beach for safe swim­ming, super tube rides and a little more bustle. Take a boat and head upstream, you won't be sorry.  Daily camp­ing rates R240 – R340 for 4 people.
Contact: Old Pont Holiday Resort on tele­phone +27 (0)39 311‑2211

Note about Rates:
Please note that rates were cor­rect at time of pub­lish­ing.
Please con­tact the resorts dir­ectly for up-to-date rates before booking.

Useful Links:
KwaZulu Natal Camping
KwaZulu Natal Accommodation
KwaZulu Natal Attractions
Things to Do in KwaZulu Natal