To confirm a booking, weekends and short stays (two nights or less) are to be paid in full upfront.
For stays longer than two nights, a 50% deposit is required, with the balance being payable upon arrival.
Please use your initial and surname as reference and send proof of payment to fax or e-mail as above.
Need an extra tent, or forgot your matress pump. No problem, we have spares.
when making your booking, please just specify the items you need in the special requirements section.
Located in a picturesque Karoo valley near the farming hamlet of Vleiland – on the R323 linking Laingsburg on the N1 to Route 62 via Seweweekspoort – this is a perfect weekend getaway or overnight stop.
Ideal for groups of friends or adventure bikers who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Porcupine Rest Camp offers individual camp sites under shady trees, each with private showers, flush toilets and a large braai area with tap. The Overlander bar is now open and is a great place to unwind, enjoy a cold beer and take on your friends in a game of pool while Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and the like add a chilled but rocking vibe.
No more having to share dodgy ablutions with strangers or pitching your tent in amongst a mass of others. When you book a site, it is yours exclusively, whether there is only one of you or sixteen!
We also have a range of camping gear available to hire at a nominal fee – tents, chairs, tables, LED lanterns, camping stretchers and mattresses, as well as potjies, crockery and cutlery – and we will set it all up for you at no charge. Just imagine… all you have to do is get here, sit back and relax.
Porcupine Rest Camp is owned and run by Joy Clack. She spent many years travelling southern Africa's wilderness areas and fell in love with the African bush. After many years of talking about opening a camp, she finally decided that she'd had done enough talking and it was time to put 20 years of plans into action. She left the hustle and bustle of city life to follow her dream: to establish a spot for campers where you don't need to share overcrowded ablutions or a run-of-the mill patch of lawn; a place where people could enjoy nature and all that it offers.
At Porcupine Rest Camp, when you book a site, it is yours exclusively. No sharing with strangers. Instead, you'll have the peace and privacy that city life often denies you and you can spend quality time with your friends and family. Pop in for an ice-cold beer at The Overlander bar, and make sure to book your spot on Saturday night for the legendary wood-fired pizzas!
In keeping with her ideal of treading lightly through nature, the camp sites are designed to blend in with their natural setting and use mainly local materials and on-site resources. Deadwood and invasive flora is used to stoke the hot-water donkie boilers, and humble paraffin lanterns provide subtle lighting.
Joy also believes in putting something back, so most of the items available for purchase at The Overlander bar and camper's lounge – meat, chicken, eggs, bread, homemade goodies, curios, plants – are locally sourced and support local small businesses and the Vleiland community.
Currently there are three sites available – Karee, Sweet Thorn, River Camp – each in a unique setting and spaced well apart from the others. They offer privacy and a chance to really appreciate nature and the beauty of the Karoo landscape and Klein Swartberg mountains. And for those who want to enjoy an ice-cold beer in a really chilled setting, there's also The Overlander bar at the camp's reception area.
Each camp site has access to the seasonal river, and its own private beach or rock pool where you can enjoy a dip in the heat of summer (if the rains have been kind).
Please note: Braai wood is available to purchase at the camp site. No electricity available at the camp sites. Cellphone reception intermittent at the camp sites. Only Vodacom and limited Cell C coverage; no MTN available.
Named after the large Red Karee (Searsia lancea) trees within which the camp site is located, this site has recently been expanded and is now suitable for up to 12 people.
It is an idyllic, shady site for those who appreciate their privacy and being surrounded by nature. Wake up to the calls of the Cape Spurfowl and Hadeda Ibis, enjoy sundowners by the camp's private spot on the river, and marvel at the immense Karoo night sky from the Stargazer shower.
This is the largest site and can accommodate a group of up to 16 people. It includes two showers and two flush toilets, all of which have their own unique view of the surrounding Acacia woodland.
The focal point of this lovely site is a huge Sweet Thorn (Acacia karroo) or Soetdoring tree – sitting underneath the wide branches in the dappled shade or around the fireplace at night is the perfect place to end off the day's adventures. On hot days, take a stroll down to the camp's private beach and swimming hole at the river.
A cosy setting in a woodland glade, this camp site caters for up to six people. A great spot for birders and nature enthusiasts, you will be awoken each morning by the dawn chorus from the area's birdlife.
The seasonal river is the highlight of this camp and when the river is flowing (usually most of the year) you will fall asleep to the sound of gently bubbling water.
Porcupine Rest Camp is located near the tiny farming settlement of Vleiland in a picturesque valley on the boundary of the Central and Little Karoo. Access to the camp site is directly off Route 323, making this an ideal location for a weekend away or a stopover on any road trip encompassing the Seweweekspoort or Route 62. <br/ > <br/ > There are walks on the farm, mountain-biking to be enjoyed on the scenic gravel roads in the area, birding and picking of figs and olives (when in season). Ice-cold beers can be enjoyed at The Overlander bar, with its chilled yet rocking vibe, or take on your friends for a game of pool. The Overlander is the place to be on a Saturday night when we make our legendary pizzas in our wood-fired oven (booking essential).
Travel on the N1 as far as the town of Laingsburg. At our sign in Laingsburg, turn into Van Riebeek Street (Right if coming from Cape Town, or Left if coming from Johannesburg). Follow this road past the OK grocery store and out of town. Continue for 47 km until you reach Porcupine Rest Camp (30 km on tar, the last 17 km on gravel).
The turn-off to Seweweekspoort is 20 km outside of Ladismith, opposite Amalienstein (between Calitzdorp and Ladismith). Travel through the poort and take the left fork at the Gamkapoort Dam turn-off. Continue for 25 km until you reach Porcupine Rest Camp.
At Riversdale, take the R323 turn-off to Ladismith. At the junction of the R323 and Route 62, turn right. Continue through Ladismith on Route 62 and travel for 20 km until you reach the Seweweekspoort turn-off on the left. Travel through the poort and take the left fork at the Gamkapoort Dam turn-off. Continue for 25 km until you reach Porcupine Rest Camp.