Questions parents and teachers ask

Camp Wildside is a sleepaway camp for children aged 7 to 17, in the Pilanesberg bushveld in South Africa's North West province. We run holiday camps during school holidays and school camps during term time, with more than fifty activities on site.

We're at Sundown Country Estate on the R565 near Rustenburg - roughly two hours' drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria, and about 12 km from Sun City. The area is malaria-free, and the camp sits inside a private, access-controlled estate.

Children aged 7 to 17. Campers are grouped by age and gender, and cabins are named rather than numbered - Simba, Nala, Twiga, Tembo, Kiboko and more, each with its animal painted on the wall.

Trained counsellors supervise the children 24 hours a day. Our core safety rule is that no two people are ever alone together - not two children, and not a child and a counsellor. If a camper needs to return to their cabin, at least two others go with them. Every counsellor is Level 1 First Aid certified and completes an apprenticeship before qualifying.

We have a fully stocked infirmary on site, staffed by Level 3 First Aiders for the whole camp, and every counsellor is Level 1 First Aid certified. A public hospital is five minutes away and a private hospital about 25 minutes away - both open 24 hours. Counsellors leading off-property activities carry First Aid kits that are checked and restocked twice daily.

Every water activity is supervised by qualified lifeguards and EFR First Aid Responders, in the water and on the side. Every camper takes a three-part swim test on arrival. A child who cannot swim well enough by our standards wears a life jacket, provided by us, at every water activity. Nobody swims unpaired, and three whistles means everyone leaves the water and finds their buddy.

Three hot meals a day plus a daily tuckshop visit, prepared fresh on site - fresh salads and freshly baked bread included. We cater for all religious dietary requirements, as well as vegetarian, vegan and allergy-friendly diets. Tell us the details when you book and we handle each child individually.

Three ways:

• A chartered bus from Sandton, with our counsellors on board for the trip.
• Fly into Lanseria and we'll meet your child and bring them to camp.
• Drop them off yourself at Sundown Country Estate on the R565.

The bus and airport collection are charged separately from the camp fee.

A day bag is compulsory and gets checked by counsellors - sunscreen, a refillable water bottle and a hat live in it.

• Clothes for hot days and cold evenings, plus more than you think for water days
• Two swimming costumes, a towel and closed shoes that can get wet
• Closed walking shoes, a warm top and a raincoat
• Toiletries, any medication clearly labelled, and a torch
• Nothing valuable - phones and valuables are collected and locked on arrival, and returned at departure

Yes, and it's a large part of what we do. Camps run from a single night to a month or longer, and every programme is built to order - bush survival, leadership, team building, curriculum enrichment or a full holiday camp. We can build the programme, you can build it, or we build it together. We send the complete hour-by-hour itinerary, room allocations and staff roster before you commit. Ask us for a sample programme.

There are two December 2026 holiday camps: Sunday 6 to Saturday 12 December, and Saturday 12 to Friday 18 December. Each runs seven days and six nights and costs R6 000 per child. For school quotes or group rates, WhatsApp us on 083 654 2784 or 064 916 7877 or email info@campwildside.co.za.

Yes - every school camp is built to order. Tell us what you want the group to get out of it: bush survival, team building, leadership, curriculum enrichment, or simply a full holiday camp. We build the programme, you build it, or we build it together. Ask us for a sample programme and we'll send one.

From a single night to a month or longer - you set the length. There is no fixed package. Whatever your dates, we build the programme to fit them.

The info pack has a sample hour-by-hour itinerary, our safety documentation, staffing details, room allocations and an invoice-based quote for your group. Before you commit, you'll have the complete itinerary, room allocations and staff roster in hand. Pilanesberg Big 5 game drives, Sun City day trips and transport are optional add-ons at additional cost - tell us which you want and we'll quote them separately.

In named cabins - Simba, Twiga, Tembo, Kiboko and more - under the trees, each with a covered veranda and its own en-suite bathroom. Learners are placed by age and gender, and you get the room allocations before you commit. Counsellors are on night duty nearby and check in through the night, and our rule that no two people are ever alone together applies around the clock.

Yes. Three hot meals a day plus tuckshop, freshly prepared every day. We cater for all religious dietary requirements, as well as vegetarian, vegan and allergy-friendly diets, and each child is handled individually - send us the list with your booking and it's taken care of.