The term “glamping” has been so thoroughly debased by canvas-and-fairy-lights weekend events in English fields that it barely functions as a useful descriptor anymore. What Woodbury Tented Camp offers at Amakhala Game Reserve is worth a more precise definition: a fully serviced luxury tented experience inside a malaria-free Big Five reserve, with the sensory authenticity of canvas walls, the acoustic reality of the African night, and the comfort of a four-star lodge. This is a safari camp in the classic sense — and for guests who want their Eastern Cape experience to feel genuinely immersive, it is one of the reserve’s most honest options.
The Setting
Woodbury Tented Camp occupies a position on the Amakhala reserve in close proximity to the Woodbury Lodge property and its two swimming pools — guests at the tented camp have access to the pool facilities, which matters during the Eastern Cape’s hot summer months. The camp itself is set within bush that provides the seclusion and natural sound environment that a tented camp requires. At night, without the acoustic insulation of solid walls, the bush is present in a way that no brick-and-mortar lodge can replicate.
The Tents
Luxury safari tents with proper en-suite facilities — not the shared ablutions of a budget camp. Each tent is furnished to a comfort standard that justifies the four-star classification: real beds with quality linen, indoor plumbing, hot water, and enough interior space to store luggage and move freely. The canvas construction is the point, not a compromise: it creates an acoustic connection to the reserve’s night sounds — hyena distant, lion closer, the reed frogs of the nearby waterway — that fundamentally changes how the safari feels.
Wildlife and Game Drives
Woodbury Tented Camp guests access the full Amakhala reserve on open vehicle game drives. The reserve’s Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant, white and black rhino, buffalo — are resident across 7,300 hectares of Eastern Cape savannah, grassland, and riverine habitat. Two drives daily: dawn departures for the most active wildlife period, late afternoon for the long evening light and the chance to track what has moved during the heat of the day.
The reserve is malaria-free. No prophylactics required, no age restrictions, no medical planning before departure. This is an advantage that applies to every lodge at Amakhala and is one of the reserve’s most significant selling points for families and cautious travellers.
Pool and Social Facilities
Access to Woodbury Lodge’s two swimming pools gives Woodbury Tented Camp guests a midday retreat during summer that most pure bush camps cannot offer. The combination of tented accommodation — immersive and intimate — with lodge-standard pool facilities is a practical advantage that makes Woodbury Tented Camp a better midday proposition than a camp without facilities.
The restaurant operates for guests of both Woodbury Lodge and the tented camp, offering mealtimes a degree of social breadth that solo or couple guests at an isolated bush camp sometimes find lacking.
Rates and Inclusions
Woodbury Tented Camp rates start from approximately R5,040 (or USD $304) per person sharing per night, inclusive of twice-daily game drives, accommodation, most meals, and reserve fees. This makes it one of the most accessible entry points on the Amakhala reserve — offering full Big Five game drives at a price point that opens the reserve to a wider range of travellers.
Who Should Stay at Woodbury Tented Camp?
Travellers who want a genuine tented safari experience without the price premium of the reserve’s five-star properties. Guests for whom the acoustic and sensory reality of canvas walls in a Big Five reserve is the point. Budget-conscious visitors who want full game drive access without compromising on the quality of the wildlife experience. The tented camp does not offer plunge pools or private waterholes — for those features, Bukela or Bush Lodge are the right choice. What Woodbury Tented Camp offers instead is the closest thing Amakhala has to a classic expedition-style camp at a four-star price.
Book Woodbury Tented Camp
African Safari Group books across all Amakhala lodges and can advise on whether Woodbury Tented Camp or another property best fits your group size, dates, and experience priorities. We can also build your Eastern Cape itinerary to include Addo Elephant National Park and the Garden Route.
