CAMPING – Kleine Paradys, Piketberg (South Africa)

February 2021

MORE CAMPING (but this time, a bit more luxurious)

While it is still summer here in South Africa, camping is always a good option for a weekend activity.

Kleine Paradys – never heard of it – where is it?

Kleine Paradys (which means “Little Paradise”) is just around the corner from where we live – about an hour’s drive from Langebaan. We took the R27 and at Velddrif, turned east on the R399. Turn right at Moravia and follow the road to Broodkraal. Then drive through the farm community’s houses until the sign for Kleine Paradys indicates a right turn.

Friends, who had their last (disastrous) camp about 13 years ago, asked if we could take them on a camping trip. We decided that “wild camping” (which we usually do) would not be the best option for them and therefore chose a campsite that has all the amenities one could hope for while away from your home.

And this is exactly what Kleine Paradys is. It’s a beautiful camp site with soft green grass, paving with shade cloth overhead for your tent, an electrical outlet for lights (or kettle, camping fridge, etc.) and a ‘braai’ (barbecue). And to top it off, your very own ablution block! For us, this is like 5-star camping and hopefully it will wipe out the last terrible camping experience our friends had!

Probably the best part of this camping site, was the view over the mountains. In the evenings, with sunset, we were sitting on our camping chairs and enjoy the spectacle that nature gave us.

As previously mentioned, the Berg River flows past Kleine Paradys. Although there is a fence between our campsite and the river (we chose the kid-friendly campsite as our friends have a toddler), there is a gate that led to the river.

As the sun was setting on our first evening, we made a fire to ‘braai’ (barbecue) steak on the coals.

The next day we made use of all the facilities that Kleine Paradys has to offer. There is no way you will get bored while visiting here.

The day was a real scorcher – temperatures were close to 40º Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), so there was really only one place we wanted to be – the pool!

There is even a small indoor pool and jacuzzi under roof that can be used by the adults. I suspect this is a popular spot during winter months. We enjoyed most of the day at the pool though – our friends little boy had a real ball of a time at the slide and at the shallow end of the pool.

Near the pool is a large play area for the little ones covered under shade cloth to protect them from the fierce sun in the summer.

There is even a paved area with a road mapped out where children can get on their bikes to play – safe and out of the way of cars.

Oh, and you don’t have to bring your own canoe or kayak to explore the river. It is provided by Kleine Paradys. Our friend, took his fishing rod and jumped into one of the canoes and floated on the river for a while.

And in case you forgot something at home, don’t worry. There is a small farm shop at Kleine Paradys. Here you can buy wood, ice, soft drinks, sweets and even camping equipment that you may need. Just check the times as they are not open all day (and closed on Sundays).

After a long day in the water, everyone was hungry. We decided to make a chicken ‘potjie’ (a stew in a 3-legged pot) on the fire.

As the sun set, we noticed thunderclouds beginning to form in the east. There was talk that we might expect rain tomorrow. We hoped for the best.

Sunday morning it was the turn of our friends to prepare brunch (that meal between breakfast and lunch). They prepared a delicious frittata on the fire that left us full for most of the day!

And then, as predicted, the clouds started to gather and we had a few hours of gentle rain.

So what does one do when there is a rainy day on a camping weekend? You obviously make it fun! We opened a bottle of wine and got out board games!

We were having so much fun that we didn’t even notice that it had stopped raining.

While our friends were taking their little boy to the playground, Berto decided it was a good time for a nap. I was happy to get out my book (and a big packet of chips) to enjoy the afternoon.

After our friends returned, we decided to stretch our legs a bit. We strolled through the farm and showed all the different animals to our little camper.

When we got back to our camp site, we made a fire again. It was time to prepare our last dinner for our camping weekend.

On the menu tonight was lamb rib and beef kebabs in a red wine sauce. We could not have asked for a better evening to conclude our weekend.

We talked by the fire until late that night. It is hard to understand how just 3 days of camping in nature can have such a relaxing effect on a person. That’s why we are already planning the next camping trip.

Thank you to the staff of Kleine Paradys that give so much of themselves to make this such an enjoyable experience for us campers. We will definitely come back again.

Last note: Our friends enjoyed this camping experience so much, they are also planning their next one!