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There’s nothing quite like it: Camp Karoo completes the African farmhouse romance – in utter comfort, we might add – with the best of bed linens, blissful air conditioning and a broad verandah for lazy siestas and languid sundowners on its outsize-floral sofas.

Time spent here is close to nature and nature close to you… especially when you leap out of bed to watch a dramatic sunrise turning stately aloes an intense pistachio-green in an early shaft of sunlight, and suddenly realize you’re not alone. For a brief moment, a fresh dawn breeze picks up and then a sound that’s distinctively giraffe becomes bolder, beginning with leaf-pulling and gentle chomping a little closer behind you. Quietly observing, an encounter with this elegant creature is a magical way to start the day. And if you sit long enough on the stoep, kudu or nyala often drift through the garden and sip a little pool water on their way. But the realization that it’s all yours (700 hectares of pristine Karoo bushveld) and surrounded by mountains in a valley all of its own, is what makes this off-the-beaten track experience so special. No traffic, and no lights for miles and miles means that life here offers a chance to enjoy bright starry skies for hours around the fire at night.

It can get hot here: really hot. But early morning game drives with coffee and rusks up at a 360-degree viewpoint right around to the distinctive Cockscomb peak are a highlight. By mid morning, glasses of iced tea and endless swims are the order of the day. For families, the generous verandah becomes holiday central – games and books are brought outside and precious time spent together. Indoors, the farmhouse is filled with much-loved and beautifully curated collectables by its owners who are passionate about conservation in the Eastern Cape. Winter evenings are cosy here, with a wood fire blazing in the central fireplace and the comforting scent of paraffin lamps filling the farmhouse.

One game drive is included per day with your own game ranger at Camp Karoo but others may easily be booked. This is the ideal introduction to the African bush for families and Addo Elephant National Park is just over an hours’ drive away, a great day trip from Camp Karoo or the perfect detour on the way back to the airport.