Tranquility in the bush

Our stay at Calao Tented Camp for 6 nights was absolutely fantastic. The unique peace and tranquility was just what we needed and with our excellent and friendly host our every request was met with a friendly smile. We stayed in a self-catering luxury tent which meant camping in style. The bird life is exceptional and during the night calls of lions, hyenas and other predators were clearly heard. We would recommend Calao tented camp to anybody who loves nature and want to enjoy it in a different manner as the normal run of the mill lodges or hotels.

Pieter Goosen, South Africa
2010/08/16

From the moment we were collected from Hoedspruit Airport we were made to feel relaxed and we enjoyed every minute of our stay. Jean Marc took care of us and arrange a bush walk around a nearby reserve which was a fantastic way to get the UK flight out of our legs and get a taste of South Africa. We also visited Blyde Canyon during our stay.

The tents are very well spaced out and extremely comfortable, the fact the you can walk around the small reserve is a real plus.

The camp is perfect get in tune with the sights and sounds of Africa, take time to walk the many tracks and explore the river at the bottom of the camp. Look out for the Bushbucks and big Monitor Lizards.

All food was included and was very good, sitting out eating in front of our luxury tent the stresses and strains of European life melted away and you knew you were in a special place.

A perfect place to start a trip in the Kruger area, not for those who are only interested in the big five though, but for those who find beauty in simplicity and sounds of nature. The Bird life in this area is fantastic and right on your doorstep.

We will be back to unwind in the future.

Lee and Dawn Croucher. October 2010.

Excellent accommodation - a real in-the-bush experience

Calao Tented Camp provided us with a very comfortable introduction to life 'in the bush'. The tents were clean and secure. The kitchen was well-equipped and the bathroom provided a unique experience of showering in the open air. Everything was clean and to a high standard and was overall very relaxing. The lack of electricity was not a problem at all. Jean-Marc and Martina were excellent and welcoming hosts. They even 'provided' us with little Sahara, the dog who would accompany me out to the car at night. This accommodation is perfect if you are looking for rustic self-catering accommodation that is comfortable and affordable. We had a great time and would recommend this place to anyone who loves doing outdoorsy things. It was a very convenient base for us for 5 days - scenic and not too long drives to Blyde River Canyon and Orpen gate, to name just two.

Monique Chawla, United Kingdom
2011/02/26


 

'CALAO', QUEZACO ??

    Les calaos (hornbills en anglais) forment une famille d'oiseaux très répandue en Afrique australe.

Le plus courant est le calao à bec jaune, surnommé 'banane volante" en raison de son gros bec jaune. On le trouve partout et en gand nombre, dans la region du Kruger.

Ils nichent dans le tronc de gros arbres (comme le marula). La male scelle le trou et vient tous les jours alimenter la femelle par une fente très étroite. Garantie pour ne pas avoir ses petits mangés par des prédateurs ?.

En general,oui! Ce qui explique leur grand nombre. Mais hélas, parfois, les serpents comme le mamba noir, sont patients et profitent de l'ouverture du trou par la mere pour tuer la portée...

Vous pouvez découvrir l'intégralité de la famille calao dans la 'galerie photos'.

CALAO is the french name for the HORNBILL family; common birds found all over southern Africa.

The yellow-billed one is called 'flying banana', guess why ?

You can discover the whole hornbill family in the 'photo gallery'.