Access & Location
The camp can be accessed via 30 minutes’ road transfer from Skukuza Airport. It’s situated within a private concession, in the south-eastern region of Kruger National Park.
Plains Camp
The comfortable base camp of Rhino Walking Safaris, within a private concession in the south-eastern part of Kruger National Park
Lounge/dining area with a fireplace, and a plunge pool
Just four explorer-style guest tents, each with en-suite facilities
Walking safaris, game drives, and weather-dependent sleep-outs
Our Yellow Zebra Opinion
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Comfort with character
If you are looking to focus on walking safaris then this is one of the best camps in South Africa to consider. It is an intimate camp located in the Kruger National Park and adjacent to the famous Mala Mala Private Game Reserve.
Activities
The main thing to do from camp is walking safaris, but Plains offers a couple of other activities too. Here’s our guide:
Expertly guided walking safaris
Afternoon game drives
Sleep-outs
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The camp’s private concession features sprawling grasslands, plenty of woodlands, and a few water sources. It’s home to all Big Five – lion, rhino, leopard, elephant, and buffalo – in addition to numerous smaller predators and herbivores, and hundreds of birds. Walks from camp involve encounters with the big game, but you’ll also have opportunities to look at lots of plants, insects, and other smaller life-forms during each excursion – and two armed guides will be on hand to answer your questions as they show you around. The activity is available every morning and afternoon, with the morning walk typically covering 5 to 12 kilometres in 3 to 5 hours, and the afternoon walk usually combined with a drive. The pace is leisurely, but guests aged over 65 years are required to have an above-average level of fitness. Please contact us for further details.
Vehicle safaris are also accompanied by knowledgeable guides, and they often involve a stop for a bit more walking before the sun goes down. Again, you’ll see lots of mammals and birds, but it’s worth bearing in mind that there aren’t many roads within the concession – Plains is better suited to walkers overall.
If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could consider an additional walk to a sleep-out camp! This comprises a tent set up on a platform 4 metres above the ground. You’ll spend a night here, drifting off to sleep beneath the stars and with the sounds of nature all around you, before returning to camp the following morning. Please note, access to the sleep-out camp becomes impossible during heavy rains as it’s located in a part of the concession where the soil is very sensitive. For this reason, we recommend visiting Plains during dry season if you’re especially keen on sleeping out.
Make an EnquiryMake an EnquiryFacilities
The communal lounge and dining area at Plains Camp are set up in a tent apiece, elevated on wooden decking.
In the lounge tent, well-cushioned wood-framed seating surrounds coffee and occasional tables, while the dining tent features one long table flanked by upright chairs where everyone eats together. Bush meals, picnics, and sundowners are offered too. Both tents flow out onto a spacious deck, the setting of the camp’s fireplace. Here, a semi-circle of safari chairs is positioned around a warming fire – it’s the perfect place to get to know your fellow guests and share stories of your day on safari! You might even spot elephants and other local wildlife, coming to drink at a nearby waterhole. Finally, there’s a small yet highly inviting plunge pool, also situated on the deck, with sunloungers alongside.
Make an EnquiryAmenities
Guest accommodation consists of just four explorers-style tents, amidst a grove of knobthorn trees.
Each is raised above ground level on wooden decking, to make the most of your views over the Timbitene Plain, after which the camp is named. A few steps lead up onto the deck, where a couple of chairs and a table are positioned under canvas for ample shade. Inside the tent, you’ll find twin beds, which can be pushed together to make a king, as well as bedside tables and lighting, a writing desk cum dressing table and chair, and storage space. In-room amenities include an overhead fan, and a tabletop fan too. There are no mosquito nets, but every tent has a gauze entrance to keep out unwanted visitors of the insect kind. At the back of the tent, there’s an en-suite washroom with flush toilet, washbasin, and shower.
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Talk to someone who’s been there
Real expertise doesn’t come from a few trips to Africa. All our specialists have either been guides, run the camps, or grown up and lived in Africa. That’s over 600 years of genuine safari experience.As Seen In
