SOUTHERN AFRICA’S LEGENDARY MOUNT CAMDEBOO LAUNCHES WILDERNESS PODS ADD-ON EXPERIENCE

PHOTOGRAPHS: SUPPLIED

Mount Camdeboo's eco-friendly, luxurious sleep-out pods offer an intimate, immersive experience of the spectacular Eastern Cape setting.

Nestled seamlessly into the landscape of Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape are two new eco-friendly, luxurious sleep-out pods – the Eagle’s Flight Pod and the Camdeboo Plains Pod – offering guests a truly immersive wilderness experience.

A visit to the Great Karoo’s malaria-free wildlife hub is the ideal escape from the city. Mount Camdeboo offers guests a personalised safari experience, rich with Karoo culture and South African history, including Anglo-Boer war battle grounds and memorials. The land offers guests spectacular views and varied terrain on which to enjoy exploring. The property is vast and includes a variety of accommodation, from spacious manor houses to a romantic private cottage and, now, the new luxury pods.

Unlike the large manor houses, the pods are compact, prefabricated eco-luxe cabins that offer a truly private and intimate escape. Designed with the landscape in mind, each pod is well insulated and secure, creating a warm, inviting refuge from the outside elements. They have been constructed from a solid steel frame cladded in a combination of wood panelling, corrugate and glass.

The contemporary interiors featuring opulent furnishings, soft lighting and 180-degree views from a deluxe double bed.

The cabins feature natural elements in a contemporary design, with interiors inspired by nature, featuring opulent furnishings and soft lighting.

The cabins are 26m² in size and feature a deluxe double bed with 180-degree views, an en-suite bathroom, a cleverly compact kitchenette, and lounging and relaxation spaces. Additional highlight features include a private boma and fire pit, as well as a woodburning hot tub. “The Scandinavian-inspired pods have been built to the highest level of quality and offer great comfort, no matter the season,” says Mount Camdeboo owner Iain Buchanan.

The pods have been designed with a light footprint, in line with Mount Camdeboo’s conservation and environmentally conscious ethos. As Buchanan explains, “Conservation is at the core of their design, as they are completely selfsufficient, movable and rest gently in the landscape, having minimal impact on their surroundings.”

The real drawcard of booking a night out in the pods is the privacy and connection with nature: relaxing on the soft, comfortable bed, gazing out through the side panel windows, designed specifically to let the landscape in; watching the sun rise with an undisturbed, exclusive view; listening to the lions roar as they wander down the plain.

While the aim is to disconnect, both pods do offer Wi-Fi internet access, so that if guests need to reach out, they can. They are the perfect, private escape for couples, honeymooners and wildlife lovers alike. “We could not be more excited about sharing these pods with our guests. They are truly unique and we have chosen the most spectacular sites for them, offering an unforgettable wilderness experience,” says Buchanan.

The pods are available for booking as an addon experience when booking your stay at Mount Camdeboo, at an additional R2 250 per pod per night, valid for stays until 30 November 2021. Make it a proper road trip and stop in at The Drostdy Hotel in Graaff-Reinet – the fourth oldest town in South Africa. Visit the spectacular Valley of Desolation in the Camdeboo National Park, the historical Reinet House museum, numerous art galleries and charming boutique shops. While in the area, why not take a short drive to the infamous Owl House and village of Nieu-Bethesda. Mount Camdeboo is just 60km from Graaff-Reinet and guests can take advantage of an amazing fournight special currently running for just R6 600pps. The special includes: two nights bed-and-breakfast at the five-star Drostdy Hotel, plus a R500 Africology Spa voucher and two nights at Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve, including all meals, two game drives a day, plus a bonus sundowner picnic experience for two.

For bookings and enquiries, contact: reservations@newmarkhotels.com or call +27 21 427 5900 and/or visit www.newmarkhotels.com.

Each pod features its own private boma and fire pit, plus s a woodburning hot tub.

The pods have been designed to be completely self-sufficient and movable, resting lightly on the landscape so that they have minimal impact on their surroundings.