Mahai River campsite Royal Natal — facilities, booking, and family suitability
Back from 3 nights in the bush — here is the full report from Stellenbosch.
The spot: First-come-first-served on weekends so we arrived Thursday to secure a site.
Facilities: Fully equipped with power points, hot water, and a communal kitchen area.
Wildlife: Spotted a leopard on the road in at dusk. Perfect way to arrive..
What worked: The National Luna fridge ran the full trip on 165Ah LiFePO4 topped up by 189W solar. Didn't need the generator once.
What to bring: Your own firewood (collecting prohibited in most reserves), minimum 20L water per person for 3 days, and a headlamp — the bush is seriously dark.
Would I go back: Immediately. This is exactly why we overland.
6 Replies
Good tip on the firewood — this catches so many people out. I now carry a 58kg bag of hardwood in the back of the bakkie on every trip. Enough for 5 nights of evening fires without relying on anything available on site.
Good tip on the firewood — this catches so many people out. I now carry a 58kg bag of hardwood in the back of the bakkie on every trip. Enough for 5 nights of evening fires without relying on anything available on site.
The facilities situation matches what we found when we went. The facilities have improved since the last reports I read.
The LiFePO4 and solar setup you describe is similar to mine. 150Ah battery with 196W solar keeps a National Luna 40L fridge running indefinitely in South African sun. Have not used a generator on any trip in the last 14 months.
— boetie_botha
The wildlife experience matches what we found when we went. The facilities have improved since the last reports I read.
The LiFePO4 and solar setup you describe is similar to mine. 150Ah battery with 196W solar keeps a National Luna 40L fridge running indefinitely in South African sun. Have not used a generator on any trip in the last 14 months.