January 2026

From wild camping to comfort at a luxury lodge

After two weeks of wild camping on the West Coast, it was time to get everything back into camping boxes, fold up the tents, and head home. It took us basically half a day to get all the stuff into the ‘bakkie’ and camping trailer. At around lunchtime we had taken one last look at the beautiful scenery before we started the return journey.

Empty campsites

While we were driving on the dirt road towards Garies, I said to Berto that we still had a long way now to drive to get home. He read me like a book and suggested that I make a reservation where we could spend the night.

Although there was nothing wrong with our wild camping setup, I must admit that a big comfortable bed with fresh linen, a long hot shower and air-conditioning sounded like a real treat. And let’s not forget about big green lawns! The beautiful Letsatsi Lifestyle Lodge at Vanrhynsdorp (303km/188 miles north of Cape Town) is the perfect overnight spot. It’s also conveniently located along the main road (N7), so we did not have to take a detour to get there.

Letsatsi Lifestyle Lodge

Although there are also campsites at Letsatsi (very luxurious I must add, because each one has its own bathroom, outdoor shower, and kitchen), we decided to book one of the luxury units.

Luxury campsites

The gardens are beautiful and the green grass soft under the feet. The gardens, by the way, reflect the flora that grow in the area, and when you walk around, you get the sweet scent of all the various plants. There is even a choice of four swimming pools where guests can cool off after a long day on the road.

Crystal clear swimming pools

There is also a church on the premises of Letsatsi which is often used for weddings.

According to Letsatsi’s website:

“A church and school building was built and completed during 1927. It was then decided to build a new church, as the churchgoers increased dramatically as a result of natives and families settling at the mission station. Father Lazarus and members of his congregation were building the facilities, and on 25 November 1951, the new church building was inaugurated. The church still has the original wooden benches seating around 180 people, as well as a restored organ dating from 1904.”

The historic church

The unit where we stayed has a queen-size and three-quarter bed and there is an en-suite bathroom. The outdoor shower is ideal for those long hot summer months.

Room in the luxury unit

En-suite bathroom and outdoor shower

Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly by the friendly staff and handed complimentary bottles of ice-cold water. We also received small bags filled with coffee, sugar, milk, rusks, and a chocolate.

Complimentary water and coffee packs

There is also a covered area if guests want to enjoy a ‘braai’. The fridge and microwave are welcome additions to the self-catering unit.

Covered ‘braai’ area and small kitchen

It’s probably hard to believe, but we had no plans to ‘braai’. The restaurant at Letsatsi Lodge is known for their delicious food and after spending quite a significant time under the shower, we walked down to the Red-Ox Restaurant where we enjoyed dinner.

Back entrance to the Red-Ox

Red-Ox Restaurant

We were once again welcomed by the staff – the sincere and friendly nature of the people living in this part of the country is widely known. Berto and I shared a starter (crumbed bacon-wrapped mushrooms) and ordered juicy fillets and vegetables for the main course. After a glass of red wine, we called it a night.

Starter and main course

After a wonderful night’s rest, we took another long shower (oh, the things we appreciate after our two-week wild camping adventure). With breakfast included in our accommodation, we could not miss the opportunity to visit the restaurant again.

Breakfast

Variety of dishes

Bread, eggs and pastries

Starting the day with a hearty breakfast

Breakfast was an absolute feast. For me even more so because they served my all-time favourite dish – ‘Melkkos’. This was one of our ‘Dish of the Week’ posts earlier on our blog (read here) and for me this is almost like pudding. Well, pudding for breakfast – it can’t be better!

‘Melkkos’ – pudding for breakfast

There is a painting on the restaurant wall depicting Letsatsi Lodge in earlier years. The church is clearly recognisable, and it is wonderful to see how old and new are woven together. Oh, and here’s a fun fact: Letsatsi is Southern Sotho for “place of the sun” – which is such a perfect description for this lodge where it can get very hot during the summer months.

Letsatsi Lodge many years ago

After two weeks of rugged wild camping, our overnight stay at Letsatsi Lodge felt like pure indulgence. The big comfortable bed, long showers, and exquisite meals were a welcome contrast to the simplicity of life outdoors – the perfect finale to our wild camping adventure.