Summerplace Game Reserve is a mountain biking haven. We know this because we’ve done numerous trips there over the past three-and-a-half years – primarily for the mountain biking. This particular visit, however, was to experience the new luxury tents, called The Hideout.
By Sean Badenhorst
My wife, Joanne and I are experienced travellers. Our work with TREAD Media takes us to many different places around the country, mostly at or near mountain biking trails. The Summerplace trip was very familiar to us, but the accommodation was going to be very different. Staying in luxury tents – also known as Glamping – we were intrigued…
Summerplace Game Reserve is located near the town of Vaalwater in the Waterberg region of Limpopo. It’s less than a three-hour drive from Johannesburg and all the roads are very good currently, including the gravel roads in the reserve. No problem for a basic sedan to manage.
The real attraction for us at Summerplace has always been the exceptional mountain bike trails and the wildlife encounters the singletrack network brings. On our rides there we have seen, from our saddles, all the regular mammals, including Giraffe, Zebra and a wide range of antelope and we have also had unusual encounters with Pangolin, Aardvark, a monster Python and Leopard.
Summerplace Game Reserve is located in the Waterberg, so it sits at a similar altitude to Pretoria (1400m asl), but also in the Bushveld. This combination delivers a vast range of trees and birds and gives you a feeling, no matter where you are on the reserve, that you’re very far from a city. It’s a true wilderness destination.
After offering predominantly self-catering accommodation since 2021, the Summerplace Game Reserve management decided to increase the couples’ accommodation capacity, with a twist. They built 10 luxury tents, named them The Hideout, and hired a full-time chef to ensure a dinner and breakfast offering. Would it be a winning offering? We were keen to find out.
Having always taken our own food when staying at Summerplace Game Reserve, it felt a bit strange not packing several cooler boxes and baskets for this trip. This was a big plus for Joanne, who said she didn’t have to think about meals for three days, which made the trip feel a bit less stressful before it even started. Most women with families will relate…
We were assigned The Hideout #9, which has a west-facing entrance and a covered car port on the opposite end. The car port is nice touch, but also noticeable and appreciated are the gravel-stone surface on which the car parks and concrete paths from the carport around the tent. Nobody really wants to negotiate sand (or mud) and thorns when camping, but they usually have to. Not at The Hideout – welcome to Glamping!
We wheeled/carried our Thule bags along the concrete path and discovered a lovely private KolKol wood-fired hot tub, a fire barrel, patio chairs and table, a couple of recliners and a patio couch, all under the shade of a few interesting trees and surrounded by the natural bush. This luxury tent doesn’t have a zipper flap front entrance; it has a glass sliding door, with an additional mesh door to keep the insects out – welcome to Glamping!
The inside of the luxury tent is very spacious – no stooping or fumbling footwork required. As you walk in there’s a king-sized bed in front of you with a headboard, side tables and lamps, to the left is a small desk and chair and to the right is a pair of comfortable reading chairs and a small table. Behind the bed, the headboard doubles as shelves on the other side. There’s also a cupboard and a kitchenette with basin, kettle, small fridge, cutlery, crockery and a range of glasses, all in pairs – welcome to Glamping!
There’s a toilet on the right and a shower on the left, with an internal and an external door. Between them is a twin basin and large wall-mounted mirror! There’s ample thoughtfully positioned electric lighting throughout the tent, electric plug-points, a ceiling fan above the bed and a carpet on the floor – welcome to Glamping!
The two sides of the tent have canvas walls and the ceiling is canvas. There are no gaps anywhere at the top or bottom of the walls and you can either zip up the solid wall flaps for darkness, shelter or privacy, or you can leave them open like we did and just have large mesh walls that allow you to see the bush, hear the sounds of the Bushveld, feel the breeze and enjoy the indigenous smells. The roof itself is also canvas, but part of a very sturdy wooden frame structure. Technically, it’s a tent, but it feels and looks like a luxury chalet – welcome to Glamping!
The only thing missing, if we’re being pedantic, is Wi-Fi. But then it wouldn’t be a real escape, would it? Look, there is Wi-Fi at the Summerplace Hub – which is where the Reception/Shop/Restaurant are located – if you really need it. We had reasonable cellular signal with MTN at our luxury tent; and Vodacom is stronger on the reserve. Although we tried to keep it limited, we did spend time working while there. What a wonderful place to be creative…
We visited in early December, during a heatwave. On arrival, we did a short sunset ride and then cooled off in the hot tub afterwards. We lit the fire in the hot tub once during our stay for an evening relax under the stars, but most of the time, we just enjoyed it being cool. It can get cold in the Waterberg in winter, so the hot tub is a fantastic year-round feature.
On the first morning when returning from our ride, we noticed, with smiles, to see that the tent had been tidied and the bed made. Servicing of the accommodation is usually an additional cost at Summerplace, but with The Hideout, it’s inclusive and a very nice touch.
THE FOOD
The brunches were hearty, while the dinners were pleasantly surprising. Sumptuous three-course meals carefully created by resident chef, Dylan Jonsson, brought a much-appreciated fine-dining element to our evenings. The menu is pre-set for each day of the week and includes a variety of interesting culinary creations.
Meals are served at the Summerplace Restaurant, fondly known to mountain bikers as The Bike Village. It’s the social centre of Summerplace with a coffee kiosk and drinks bar, lounge-style seating inside and on the veranda, a big-screen TV for important live sport, a communal swimming pool and boma, the Summerplace shop, bicycle workshop, bike-hire kiosk and always-on unlimited Wi-Fi.
We ate at the Summerplace Restaurant on the first two nights and tried the eat-in option at our tent on the final night. For an additional R50, the food was delivered to us by a friendly staff member. It came neatly packed in containers that were wrapped in an in insulated bag to ensure it stayed warm. There’s sufficient cutlery and crockery in the kitchenette and we sat at a table, under the trees, next to a fire, in front of our tent to enjoy our three-course meal – welcome to Glamping!
THE MOUNTAIN BIKING
Summerplace Game Reserve is as fine a mountain biking destination as you will find in South Africa. In the past year, trailbuilder, David Baber and his team have added more than 45km of new singletrack on the Orange and Yellow Routes for a total of more than 170km of mountain biking trails. The mostly singletrack trails now range from easy to moderate to difficult, both in terms of climbing and descending. Every level of mountain biker will find his/her fun there.
They also have a large range of rental mountain bikes and eBikes. The eBikes (both full-power and light) make it possible for a non-mountain biking partner to join a mountain biker to explore the reserve by saddle. To us, game-viewing with the occasional surprise wildlife encounter from the saddle is one of the most fulfilling experiences and something truly wonderful to be able to share with your spouse/partner.
If you aren’t a mountain biker, there are marked hiking routes as well as game drives (additional fee) that you can enjoy. Wildlife enthusiasts will appreciate that there are more than 100 bird species and over 130 species of trees, many of which have identification tags.
SUMMARY
It’s important to emphasize that the high quality of the meals makes for an excellent value The Hideout experience. At R3 850 per night for two with dinner and breakfast, this is a compelling offer. The tent is most comfortable and we considered it to be the epitome of luxury. If, like us, you ever wondered what Glamping would be like, treat yourself and your partner to an escape to The Hideout and find out why the concept is growing in popularity. We have made scores of visits to Summerplace Game Reserve since 2021, but this particular one will stand out as one of the most memorable. For a couples escape that’s good value for money and not far from the big Gauteng cities, a stay at The Hideout is highly recommended.
To find out more or, to book your stay at The Hideout, click here.
