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School camps in the Pilanesberg

Every camp is built around your school: one night to a month or longer, fully customisable - bush survival, team building, leadership, curriculum enrichment or a full holiday camp. We build the programme, you build it, or we build it together.

Request the info pack Book a call

1 night+One night to a month or longer

24/7Trained counsellors, day and night

On siteStocked infirmary, Level 3 first aiders

5 minPublic hospital, open 24 hours

Built to order

Tell us what
the camp is for

A Grade 7 orientation camp, a Grade 11 leadership weekend, a Grade 4 first night away from home - no two schools want the same trip, so we don't sell a fixed package.

Start with what you want the children to come home with. We take it from there, on your dates, for your group, at whatever length works - a single night, a week, a month or longer.

Bush survival

Shelter making, raft building and the Golden Hour Simba's View Hike, a walk through the reserve. The Pilanesberg bushveld is on the doorstep, and it does most of the teaching.

Team building

Contest of Champions, Forge a Nation, the obstacle course, the escape room. Cabin against cabin, team against team - the rivalry starts on the first morning and does not let up.

Leadership

For prefect bodies, student leaders or a senior grade. Tell us what you want them to practise and we build the activities around it.

Curriculum enrichment

Reptile Educational Show - snakes, reptiles and a white tiger about ten metres away. Forge a Nation, where teams build a country with a flag, anthem and laws. Tell us the grade and the subjects, and we tie the days to what you're teaching.

A full holiday camp

Or simply give them the whole Wildside experience: fifty-plus activities, the waterpark, the fire show and Carnival Night of Wonders. The camp your learners would choose for themselves.

We build the programme, you build it, or we build it together. Send us your goals and we come back with a draft.

See the activities →

An example day

What a camp day
looks like

This is a real Thursday from a three-night school camp - an example, not your programme. Every school gets its own hour-by-hour plan like this one before committing, built for your dates, your grade and your goals.

07:00
Wake UpCabins · Counsellors wake each cabin. Beds made, teeth brushed, everybody outside.
08:00
BreakfastDining Hall · Hot breakfast. Dietary requirements handled individually.
09:00
Contest of ChampionsCampgrounds · Cabin against cabin. The rivalry starts here and does not let up all week.
10:30
Reptile Educational ShowPredator Park · Wildside Geographic. Snakes, reptiles, and a white tiger about ten metres away.
11:00
Swim TestWaterpark · Every child, before anyone goes near a slide. A child who cannot swim well enough by our standards wears a life jacket we provide.
11:30
Slides & Fun GamesWaterpark · Lifeguarded. This is the bit they phone home about.
13:00
LunchDining Hall · Second hot meal of the day.
14:00
Forge a NationCampgrounds · Teams build a country - flag, anthem, laws. Quietly the most educational hour here.
15:00
Raft Building & Aqua GamesCampgrounds · Shelter making, raft building, then straight into the water to test it.
17:00
RevitalizerCabins · Showers, clean clothes, a breather. The one calm hour of the day.
18:00
DinnerDining Hall · Third hot meal. Cabins eat together.
19:00
Campfire Tales & BalladsCamp Boma · Around the boma fire. Songs, stories, and the beginning of the homesickness cure.
20:00
Fire ShowCampgrounds · Live fire performance. Every camp, every time.
20:30
Carnival Night of WondersLong House · The big themed evening. Costumes strongly encouraged.
22:00
Lights Out & GoodnightCabins · Counsellors on night duty, checking in through the night. Nobody is ever alone.

Three hot meals plus tuckshop, fifteen activity blocks, first bell at seven and lights out at ten. Your school's version will look different - that's the point - but one thing never moves: every camper takes the three-part swim test on arrival, before anyone goes near the water.

Accommodation and food

Where they
sleep and eat

Cabins sit under Pilanesberg's native trees, with covered verandas. Each has its own en-suite bathroom, and counsellors on duty close by through the night.

Camp Wildside cabin exterior under the trees — Cabin exterior

Bunk room inside a Camp Wildside cabin — Inside a cabin

Camper room with bunks and doors to the veranda — Room and veranda

Accommodation block at Camp Wildside — Accommodation block

Cabins are named, not numbered - each has its animal painted on the wall. Learners are placed by age and gender, and your room allocations arrive by cabin.

Hand-painted lion cub mural with the name Simba on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Simba**Lion cub

Hand-painted lioness mural with the name Nala on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Nala**Lioness

Hand-painted lion mural with the name Mufasa on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Mufasa**Lion

Hand-painted hippo mural with the name Kiboko on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Kiboko**Hippo

Hand-painted elephant mural with the name Tembo on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Tembo**Elephant

Hand-painted giraffe mural with the name Twiga on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Twiga**Giraffe

Hand-painted meerkat mural with the name Timon on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Timon**Meerkat

Hand-painted gazelle mural with the name Swara on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Swara**Gazelle

Hand-painted leopard mural with the name Ingwe on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Ingwe**Leopard

Hand-painted cheetah mural with the name Duma on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Duma**Cheetah

Hand-painted baboon mural with the name Rafiki on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Rafiki**Baboon

Hand-painted hornbill mural with the name Zazu on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Zazu**Hornbill

Hand-painted kudu mural with the name Lazima on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Lazima**Kudu

Hand-painted eagle mural with the name Tai on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Tai**Eagle

Hand-painted hyena mural with the name Shenzi on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Shenzi**Hyena

Hand-painted snake mural with the name Nyoka on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Nyoka**Snake

Hand-painted crocodile mural with the name Mamba on a Camp Wildside cabin wall — **Mamba**Crocodile

Swipe, drag or use the arrows to see every cabin

Food: three hot meals a day plus tuckshop, freshly prepared every day - fresh salads, freshly baked bread, and food actually aimed at young palates. We cater for all religious dietary requirements, as well as vegetarian, vegan and allergy-friendly diets. Send each learner's needs with your class list and we handle every child individually.

The venue: Sundown Country Estate on the R565 near Rustenburg, North West - a private, gated estate in the Pilanesberg, roughly two hours from Johannesburg or Pretoria and 12 km from Sun City. Malaria-free.

Getting a school group here →

For the risk assessment

Safety,
in writing

The short version is below. The full safety policy is in the info pack.

The rule we never bend

No two people are ever alone together. Not two children, not a child and a counsellor. If a camper needs to go back to their cabin, at least two others go with them, one of whom is their cabin counsellor.

Trained counsellors supervise the children 24 hours a day.
Every counsellor is Level 1 First Aid certified, and trained in child psychology and safety protocol - then must complete an apprenticeship before qualifying.
Private, gated estate in the Pilanesberg. Controlled access, malaria-free.
Valuables collected and locked on arrival, returned at departure.

If something goes wrong

A fully stocked infirmary on site, staffed by Level 3 First Aiders for the whole camp.
A public hospital five minutes away and a private hospital about 25 minutes away - both open 24 hours.
Qualified lifeguards and EFR First Aid Responders on every water activity. 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.
Every counsellor leading an off-property activity carries a First Aid kit, checked and restocked twice a day.

Camp Wildside has never had a serious incident. Ask us for the full safety policy - we will send it before you book, not after.

Read the full safety page →

Paperwork first

What you get
before you commit

Everything a head of department or governing body needs to sign off, in one email - sent before you book, not after.

The info pack

Ask for it and it arrives as a set of documents you can forward straight on.

A sample hour-by-hour itinerary, then your own once we've built it together
Safety documentation - the full safety policy, in writing
Staffing - the staff roster, so you know who is with your learners day and night
Room allocations by cabin
An invoice-based quote

Request the info pack

How booking works

Four steps, and you are not committed to anything until the last one.

Enquire. WhatsApp, call or email us with your grade, group size, possible dates and what you want the camp to achieve.
We build the programme together. We draft it, you draft it, or we do it side by side.
You get the itinerary and the quote. Hour by hour, with the safety documentation, staffing and room allocations.
Confirm. Happy with it? Confirm the dates and they're yours.

WhatsApp 083 654 2784 Call 072 600 2996

Optional extras

Add-ons,
priced separately

None of these are in the camp fee. Tell us which you want and they go on the quote as their own line.

Wild

Pilanesberg Big 5 game drive

Open vehicle, in the Pilanesberg. For many learners it is their first time seeing the Big 5 outside a textbook.

Day out

Sun City day trip

Sun City is about 12 km from camp. A day trip can be built into the programme.

Logistics

Transport

A chartered coach from Sandton with our counsellors on board, or collection at Lanseria airport for learners flying in. Both charged separately from the camp fee.

Not a school?

Company
team building

The same bush and the same programmes, built for adult teams.

Contest of Champions, Forge a Nation, the escape room and the obstacle course work just as well on a sales team as on a Grade 7 class - and the rivalry starts just as fast. Tell us how many people are coming, how long you have and what you want the team to come away with, and we'll build the programme around it.

Ask about team building Call 072 600 2996

Teachers ask

The questions
schools ask first

If yours isn't here, WhatsApp us on 083 654 2784 or 064 916 7877 or email info@campwildside.co.za. A person answers.

Who supervises the children at night?

Trained counsellors supervise the children 24 hours a day. After lights out, counsellors on night duty stay nearby and check in through the night. Our core rule never bends: no two people are ever alone together - not two children, and not a child and a counsellor.

Can we change the programme, or is it a fixed package?

There is no fixed package. Every school camp is built to order around your goals - bush survival, team building, leadership, curriculum enrichment or a full holiday camp. We build the programme, you build it, or we build it together, and you see the full hour-by-hour itinerary before you commit.

How long can a school camp be?

Anything from a single night to a month or longer - you set the length. Tell us the dates you have and what you want the camp to achieve, and we build the programme to fit.

Can you cater for religious diets, allergies and vegetarian learners?

Yes. Three hot meals a day plus tuckshop, prepared fresh on site. We cater for all religious dietary requirements, as well as vegetarian, vegan and allergy-friendly diets. Send each learner's requirements with your class list and we handle every child individually.

How does the quote work?

Tell us your group size, dates and what the camp is for. We build the programme with you, then send an invoice-based quote alongside the hour-by-hour itinerary, safety documentation, staffing and room allocations. Optional add-ons - the Big 5 game drive, Sun City day trip and transport - are priced separately.

What do our own teachers do at camp?

That's up to you. Our counsellors run the programme and supervise 24 hours a day; your teachers are welcome to join in as much or as little as they like, and we agree responsibilities with you when we build the programme.

Questions parents ask →

Next step

Get the info pack

Fill in the short form or WhatsApp us, and you'll have a sample itinerary, the safety documentation and a quote to take to your principal.

For a school group

We'll send the full info pack - a sample hour-by-hour itinerary, safety documentation, staffing, room allocations and an invoice-based quote.

One night to a month or longer - you set the length
Fully customisable: bush survival, team building, leadership, or a full holiday camp
We build the programme, you build it, or we build it together
Add-ons at additional cost: Pilanesberg Big 5 game drives, Sun City day trips, transport

Rather talk? Book a call

WhatsApp 083 654 2784 or 064 916 7877

Teacher testimonials

What the schools
say afterwards

In the words of teachers who have brought their schools to Wildside.

Teacher accommodations are excellent! 5/5 for results, facilities are excellent!
Tiger Kloof

Facilities are great for a camp! Counsellors were fun, professional and bonded well with our girls.
St Dominic's

All staff were outstanding! We were very pleased! All the food was great with large portions. Favourite activities were the Waterpark, Fire Show & Escape Room!
Marist Brothers Linmeyer

The counsellors were great and the kids loved them! The food was delicious & enjoyable.
Greenside Primary School

We love it! We loved it last year and we hope to love it again!
Eden Prep

The staff members and counsellors are all excellent & professional. The staff chalets were excellent, top quality.
Crawford International Pretoria

Facilities are clean, spacious & well looked after. Counsellors are fun & energetic!
Crawford Sandton

We've been coming back regularly and we know there are more collaborations to come. We know our students will be enriched in so many ways, that they are safe and that they will have a great time!
Reddam House Helderfontein

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