Camping in Wilderness, South Africa: Sites, Rates & Tents

There is one place to camp in Wilderness itself: the Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp, run by SANParks on the banks of the Touw River inside the Garden Route National Park. It has river-side sites with and without power, communal ablutions and a scullery, and it books out over the December holidays.

This guide covers what the camp actually offers, roughly what a site costs, when to book, and what to do if you want to sleep outdoors on the Garden Route without hauling a tent, poles and a cooler box across the country.

Where to camp in Wilderness

Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp is the camping option inside the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park. It is split into a North Camp and a South Camp, both hedged along the Touw River, a short drive from the village and the beach. Look for the N2 sign reading Wilderness National Park rather than Ebb-and-Flow.

The setting is the reason people come back. The Wilderness section of the park runs from the Touw River mouth east to the Swartvlei estuary, where it links with the Goukamma Nature Reserve, protecting five lakes and the Serpentine, the winding channel that joins Island Lake to the Touw River right at the rest camp. You are camping inside a national park rather than beside one, which is why the birdlife is what it is. Bird hides sit at Langvlei and Rondevlei, canoes can be hired at the camp itself, and the walk up to the waterfall above Ebb-and-Flow starts on the doorstep. Water-skiing is restricted to Island Lake and Swartvlei, which keeps the Touw quiet for paddling. For the wider picture of what fills the days here, see our guide to things to do in Wilderness.

The two camps

• North Camp. More of the sites back directly onto the river. Better if you want the water at your doorstep, less ideal if you are travelling with small children.
• South Camp. The larger of the two, with the biggest block of powered sites, and a little more distance from open water.
• Facilities in both. Communal ablutions and scullery, coin-operated washing machines and tumble dryers, and a freezer on site. Some sites have 220V power points, many do not, so check what you are booking.

What camping at Ebb-and-Flow costs

Expect roughly R170 to R365 for a site per night for two people, depending on season and whether the site has power and a river view. Additional adults are about R72 to R76 each and children roughly half that. A conservation fee and a one percent community levy are added on top.

SANParks prices sites rather than people up to a point: the base rate covers one or two guests, sites take up to six, and everyone beyond the second person is charged as an additional adult or child. Unpowered sites are the lower end of that range, powered river-view sites the upper end, and every category has a low, mid and high season rate, so the same site can differ by well over a hundred rand between June and December. Child rates apply from ages two to eleven, under-twos stay free, and anyone twelve or older pays the adult rate. If camping is not the plan for the whole trip, Ebb-and-Flow also has rondawels, forest cabins and family cottages on site, running from roughly R370 for a two-bed rondawel to about R1,220 for a family cottage.

Treat those as indicative and confirm current rates when you book. SANParks publishes its tariffs by season and revises them annually on 1 November, so a figure quoted anywhere online has a shelf life. Book through SANParks directly or on reservations@sanparks.org.

When to camp in Wilderness

Book December and the Easter weekend months ahead. Those are the two periods when Ebb-and-Flow fills completely and late arrivals get turned away. The rest of the year the camp has space, rates drop into the low season band, and you can usually book inside a fortnight.

Wilderness has a different rainfall pattern to the rest of the Western Cape. It is not a winter-rainfall region, so there is no reliably dry season in the way there is around Cape Town, and a wet week can land in any month. That cuts both ways for campers. It means a January washout is possible, but it also means the shoulder months are genuinely usable rather than a gamble, and that regular campers happily settle in at Ebb-and-Flow for a fortnight at a stretch outside peak season. Wilderness Beach House Backpackers sits about ten minutes from the camp on Western Road, and the pattern we see from guests is consistent: the people who enjoy Wilderness most are the ones who came outside the December crush and gave themselves enough days to wait out a wet one.

Camping without the gear: garden tents on the hillside

If you want to sleep outdoors without carrying camping equipment, Wilderness Beach House Backpackers has five garden tents at R700 per tent per night. Each has real wooden-frame beds rather than a mattress on the floor, sleeps one or two, and sits among indigenous plants in the garden with ocean and garden views.

This is the honest middle ground rather than luxury glamping. The tents share the same public bathrooms as the rest of the property, and guests have the run of the communal kitchen, the free Wi-Fi and the deck. What you get instead of an en-suite is the location: the property is on the hillside about 100 metres above the sand, so you fall asleep to the surf and walk to the beach in the morning without driving anywhere. For anyone travelling the Garden Route by bus or arriving on a flight into George, it removes the entire problem of needing a car, a tent and a cooler box to sleep outdoors. Rates step up over the December festive period, and with only five tents on the property they are the first thing to go.

See the tents for photographs and what is included, or check live availability.

What to pack for camping in Wilderness

Pack for damp rather than for cold. Wilderness rain arrives in any season and the forest holds moisture, so the difference between a good week and a miserable one is usually a groundsheet and a spare set of dry clothes rather than a warmer sleeping bag.

1. A proper groundsheet and a tent you trust. The lawns at Ebb-and-Flow are well kept but the ground holds water after heavy rain.
2. Insect repellent. You are camping beside a river and a lagoon system. Evenings are when you notice it.
3. A power adaptor, and a plan if you have no power. Only some sites have 220V points. Check the site code on your booking rather than assuming.
4. Coins for the laundry. The washing machines and tumble dryers at the rest camp are coin operated.
5. Cooking gear and supplies. There is a scullery, not a restaurant. The village shops are a short drive away, and our guide to restaurants in Wilderness covers the nights you would rather not cook.
6. Something to swim in and something to paddle in. Canoes are hired at the camp, and the Touw is calm enough for beginners.

Camping in Wilderness: frequently asked questions

Can you camp in Wilderness, South Africa?

Yes. Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp inside the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park is the camping option in the village itself, with North and South camps on the Touw River. Sites take up to six people, some have 220V power, and all share communal ablutions and a scullery. Book through SANParks, and book well ahead for December and Easter.

How much does it cost to camp at Ebb-and-Flow?

Roughly R170 to R365 for a site per night for two people, depending on season, power and whether the site has a river view. Additional adults are about R72 to R76 and children about half. A conservation fee and a one percent community levy are added. SANParks revises tariffs annually on 1 November, so confirm the current rate at the time of booking.

Is there glamping in Wilderness?

There are five garden tents at Wilderness Beach House Backpackers at R700 per tent per night, with real wooden-frame beds, ocean and garden views and shared bathrooms. It is a step up from pitching your own tent rather than luxury glamping, and it suits travellers who want to sleep outdoors without carrying equipment. The property is 100 metres from the beach and walkable to the village.

When is the best time to camp in Wilderness?

Outside the December school holidays and Easter. Wilderness gets rain in every season rather than a defined wet winter, so no month is reliably dry, but the shoulder months are quieter, sites are easier to get and rates fall into the lower season band. Give yourself enough days that one wet day does not spoil the trip.

Do I need a car to camp in Wilderness?

For Ebb-and-Flow, effectively yes, because you need to carry camping gear and reach the village shops. If you are travelling without a car, staying in the village is the practical alternative: the beach, the lagoon, the shops and the hiking trails are all within walking distance from the hillside above the sand.