Camping, South African Break Aways

CAMPING – Koningskop (Citrusdal)

October 2021

After our adventurous 5-day hike at Oorlogskloof, we were in serious need of some rest. We could have done this easily at home … but what is more relaxing than being out in nature … and this time not to hike, but to camp!

Camping weekend at Koningskop

Koningskop (loosely translated, it means King’s Head) is approximately 145km (90 miles) from our home town and close to the agricultural town of Citrusdal in the Olifants River Valley in the Western Cape province. Koningskop is nestled on a citrus and Rooibos Tea farm in the Olifants River mountains.

Friends joined us on our camping weekend … a weekend predicted with heavy rain! That can be fun … 😉.

Arriving at Koningskop – overcast with a chill in the air

Due to the weather prediction, we were only a few campers at Koningskop. In fact, we were the only campers on the one side of the camping ground. There were a few more tents and caravans on the other side of the dam, but we could not see (or hear) them from our camping spot … that was really nice and quiet!

Our closest neighbours were on the other side of the dam
Evening is setting in at our campsite

On the menu tonight was Espetada – an old favourite at the camp fire! Berto was preparing the steak with heaps of garlic, bay leaves and olive oil.

Steak cut in cubes and drenched in garlic, bay leaves and olive oil
Don’t you just love a camp fire!
Espetada on the fire

The next day turned out to be as predicted. It was cloudy and cool. Heavy rain was expected from the evening until the next morning. We therefor took the opportunity to explore the campsite a bit before the expected rain.

Our view over the farm and mountains
On this lovely stretch of green grass was only one camper
Beautiful view over the dam from the deck of the restaurant area of Koningskop

We just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon – that is what we came to do after all! We played Pictionary (while having a good laugh at each other’s drawing abilities)! Then, as the afternoon got colder, our friend made yummy pancakes – perfect for this kind of weather!

Playing Pictionary and eating pancakes – that’s how you camp when it’s cold and rain is on its way

For dinner, Berto had another favourite up his sleeve … chicken paella! This is such a delicious meal that can easily be prepared over the fire.

Chopping up some of the ingredients for the chicken paella
Chicken paella over the fire
After the rice was added, we sat back and enjoyed a few glasses of wine
Dinner is served

After we enjoyed the chicken paella, we added more wood to the fire … because our friends brought a real treat for dessert!

A big fire for more coals … time to enjoy melted marshmallows

What a rainstorm we had! Between the strong gusts of wind and rain, it almost sounded as if there was a river on its way towards us… we did not sleep much because we were constantly checking our tent for leaks (we have had it for a good 20 years now). But luckily only a tiny bit of water seeped through the seams and no damage was done!

Berto making a morning fire while soft rain is still falling

When the clouds moved away and the sun came out, it became a beautiful day! We walked through the campsite again to see if our fellow campers had survived the stormy night and luckily it turned out that there was little or no damage.

A beautiful morning after a night of heavy rain
All was well at the campsite after the rain
The dam looked like a mirror
It was almost as if nature was greener after the rain

We’ve spent the rest of the day enjoying the sun – sitting outside, reading and playing more games. Towards the evening we made another fire and putting some meat- and chicken kebabs on the coals.

A beautiful sunset
Time for another fire

Our last day at Koningskop was a real summer’s day! It was time to get our short sleeve shirts out and enjoy the sun (and organise our tents a bit 😊).

With our tents cleaned and organised, we enjoyed the rest of the day on the grass next to the fire

We had a delicious brunch of the leftover kebabs, onion, mushrooms and scrambled eggs. After toasting our bread on the fire, our meal was almost restaurant style 😉.

A hearty brunch

And once again we strolled through the campsite, while chatting to a few campers. It was time to start packing up, but no one was in a hurry. Why is it that the most beautiful and sunny days are always the last day on a camping weekend?

Campers were in no hurry to go back after the weekend

Berto made one last super delicious meal – a lamb knuckle potjie! It’s such simple ingredients: Onion, lamb knuckles, potatoes and carrots – cooked for quite some time until the meat is tender and the veggies soft. And as always, I forgot to take a photo of the finished dish … too hungry to even think about that!

The lamb knuckle potjie was the star dish to end a very enjoyable weekend
The potatoes and carrots are added last and then cooked on the fire until it’s soft … ready to indulge in one of the most delicious camping dishes

It was the perfect weekend to rest our bodies after our strenuous hike in Oorlogskloof a few weeks back… and it was quite fitting to do so back in nature! This weekend also proved that you do not always have to have perfect weather … the rain put no damper on how much we enjoyed it!

Koningskop Campsite – such a beautiful place and just the medicine we needed for our tired bodies
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38 thoughts on “CAMPING – Koningskop (Citrusdal)”

    1. We love visiting this area – Citrusdal/Clanwilliam with the beautiful Cederberg mountains always in the background! Yes, it’s good to have Berto on these camping trips … he makes sure we’re never go hungry 😉.

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  3. You eat better camping than most people do at home, fabulous food! If Berto needs a change of scenery come this way! What a beautiful campsite! Our campsites are nothing like that even at our state parks. You made a good decision resting there.

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    1. Haha Diane, I think between you and Berto we will have 5 star meals every day … whether at home or camping 😁! This is definitely one of the most beautiful and greenest campsites we have ever visited. The farmers these days are adding camping grounds to their farms to generate an extra income and I have to say, they are doing a great job of creating these sites!

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    1. Maybe you should look for a camping spot near you (or maybe not … it’s winter now, isn’t it?) Fortunately it rained more during the night, which was fine … but you’re right, the food was great on this camping trip!

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  5. What an idyllic place to camp with the backdrop of the mountains with your friends. Such a shame about the rainstorm but it didn’t seem to affect your enjoyment too much. Berth’s restaurant style cooking looked so appetising and the views from the dam bridge very attractive. Enjoy your Sunday, Marion

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    1. Yes, this is such a beautiful place – those mountains are so majestic – you tend to forget what’s going on in the rest of the world! I always enjoys Berto’s food … and you know, in nature everything just taste so much better! Thanks for stopping by, hope your Sunday is a good one as well. Corna 🌸

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  6. Ek was darem al 2 keer by Citrusdal maar het nog nooit daar oorgebly nie. My man is nie ‘n kamper nie, maar sal in ‘n chalet bly. Die kos lyk na restuarant kwaliteit! Maak my skoon honger. Bly julle het ‘n wonderlike rustydjie daar gehad!

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    1. Daardie area is so mooi vir my (dalk omdat ek in Clanwilliam in die skool was en soveel goeie herinneringe het)! Soms is dit heerlik om in ‘n chalet te bly … wanneer ons dit doen, is dit altyd groot bederf! En Berto se kos is altyd lekker – maar jy weet mos as mens in die buitelug is, is daardie kos ekstra lekker – dan kan ‘n restaurant nie sommer kers vashou nie 😉.

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  10. What a beautiful place to camp! Due to the rain, we didn’t get to go camping much this past summer, and I very much miss the cosiness of my sleeping bag. Hopefully, we’ll get a drier summer next year, but then again, we live in Ireland 🙂 Thanks for sharing, and have a nice day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Thanks for reading about our camping weekend Aiva! It is such a lovely place – so peaceful and green.
      Yes, I can believe that it’s not always camping weather in Ireland ☺️ … really hope you get an opportunity in the summer. Hope you have a great day (and week) as well. Greetings, Corna.

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  11. I’m amazed at the great meals (feasts?) you make while camping! I also applaud your efforts to still go camping regardless of the weather forecast. The one benefit of the rain is that it tends to keep the crowds away! It’s funny that even though you’ve had your tent for so long, that you still check for leaks. I do the same with my tent even though we’ve never had any issues with it before.

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    1. That food my husband makes while camping always makes it a 5-star event! In the 20 years we have had this tent, we have probably only camped 4 or 5 times in rainy conditions – which is why we are always a little apprehensive when it rains … but so far so good. It might just be time to put some beeswax on the seams to reinforce it again. Hopefully it will last another 20 years … 😄.

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      1. I didn’t know that beeswax was good to use to reinforce the seams. I’ve been meaning to reseal the seams of my tent as we’ve gone camping A LOT during the pandemic. I’m going to look into this (and into doing a better job of making meals while camping).

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      2. Here in South Africa, when buying a tent, there’s normally a small piece of beeswax included. We can also buy it seperately at outdoor shops. Remember to share your camping recipes 😉 … we’re always looking for new ideas!

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    1. Yes Hannah, it’s truly a beautiful campsite … so green and that lovely dam, not to mention the mountains! Oh, the food – always one of the highlights on our camping trips (every time we go camping, I tell Berto “let’s just do simple camping food” … but then … 😅).

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  15. I’m glad you had a wonderful camping experience, you deserve it after your adventurous hike. Plus you have your personal chef camping with you, what more can a girl asked for. A note to myself… don’t read Corna’s post when you running late for lunch ☺️ The food looks amazing and from your description I believe it taste as good as it looks, yum❤️

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    1. This is such a lovely campground – the quietness and amazing mountains add to the feeling of total relaxation! Oh, I’m just getting hungry all over again seeing the photo’s of the food … I sometimes think we eat better while camping than at home 😄! Hope you made it in time for lunch …

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  16. Pingback: CAMPING AT KONINGSKOP – Sanders Story Photography

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