The world’s astronomers chose the Karoo for the same reason you should: almost nothing comes between you and the sky. From off-grid suites near Sutherland’s great telescope to a Kalahari star bed and a community-owned dune lodge, here are the best places in South Africa to sleep under truly dark skies.
Plunge pools on the deck, a night in a treehouse and dinner by lantern light in a dry riverbed: these are South Africa’s most romantic glamping stays, from Hamiltons in Kruger to Loapi in the Kalahari, with rates and the extras worth asking for.
Nobody has ever come home from safari saying the antimalarial tablets were the highlight. Here are South Africa’s best malaria-free tented camps in Madikwe, the Waterberg and the Eastern Cape, plus a Karoo option most people overlook, with rates, drive times and who each one suits.