About Walkers Plains Camp
The 8 spacious suites (all with private plunge pools!) look out over an active waterhole and grassy plain with great views of the Drakensberg beyond - as the name suggests, this is a family-owned and managed camp (run by twin brothers James and Steve Walker) that creates a real home-from-home experience!
The Walker family are true doyens of the South African travel industry – for example Walkersons, the gorgeous trout fishing mecca outside Dullstroom, was originally their baby. In 2006 they swapped trout rods for Landcruisers though, with the purchase of a prime piece of land in the far western reaches of the Timbavati reserve close to the border with Thornybush.
After originally developing the self-catering Walkers River Lodge, the family later decided to build a new camp based around their old family home in the reserve - this has been operating under the stewardship of sons James and Steve Walker as “Walkers Plains Camp” since mid-2023. As you may know, here at Bushscapes we are particularly keen on family owned and managed camps and this is a perfect example of the breed - their aim here is to very much deliver a “home from home” experience, where guests depart feeling very much part of the family - and from the dozens of rave reviews by guests, you can see that Walkers Plains Camp successfully delivers this in spades! (in fact, Walkers Plains very much reminds us of a Timbavati-based version of the much loved and quite similar Notten's Bush Camp in the Sabi Sand, another family-run lodge with a very similar ethos and feel)
The old homestead building which hosts the lounge/bar, dining and kitchen areas is certainly the sociable focus of the lodge, with an expansive shaded deck offering both comfy lounging areas as well as outdoor dining, not to mention an adjoining swimming pool all overlooking a very busy waterhole located just 50 metres away. So you can enjoy prime game viewing whilst relaxing in one of the comfy sofas on the deck or perhaps whilst tucking into a delicious brunch after your morning game drive. The stand-out feature though has to be the superb views on offer, which encompass the watering hole, an expansive grassy plain which attracts much grazing game, and then beyond to the stunning views of the Drakensberg escarpment over which the sun sets, creating beautiful vistas!
As we will explain later, all of the 8 suites at Walkers Plains boast private plunge pools, but for larger families or groups of friends travelling together, the fact that there is also a communal pool is great, as it provides a perfect place for the group to gather around to relax and socialize. The rest of the public areas are similarly quite simple but warm and welcoming. On the opposite side of the homestead to the pool deck lies a “firepit boma” which is the perfect spot for guests to gather around after the evening game drive to enjoy a chat over pre-dinner drinks, before heading through to the main “dinner boma” for another delicious meal (and please believe us when we say that the dining at Walkers Plains receives consistent rave reviews from guests!) Hand in hand with the excellent dining of course, goes the warm and friendly service that the entire Walkers Plains staff team takes great pride in delivering!
Moving on to the accommodation, Walkers Plains Camp boasts 8 rooms in total, 2 of which are Family Rooms which add a second bedroom which is perfect for the kids. Just like the public areas, the rooms at Walkers Plains are without any unnecessary pretension, blending modern comfort with simple yet high quality furnishings. They’re generously sized and the stack-back doors also add to the feeling of spaciousness. We really love the gorgeous stand-alone baths and the option of enjoying either an indoor shower or one out on the deck. Talking of the deck, the star of the show here is that all rooms boast private plunge pools – perhaps the lodge’s sole concession to really modern luxury trends and a hugely desirable feature for most guests, particularly in the heat of summer!
With all of the rooms arranged in an arc overlooking the expansive grassy plain that lends the lodge its name, great game viewing is possible whether you’re relaxing on your room’s deck or on the lodge’s main viewing deck, so much so that you may be tempted to just relax around the camp without venturing out on game drive. That would be a mistake though, as Walkers Plains offers top quality game viewing which is only enhanced by the exceptional guiding on offer from the lodge’s excellent ranger and tracker teams! This really is prime game country and you can rightfully be optimistic about the prospects of viewing the Big 5 and a lot more besides. Definitely a lodge to be added to your "must-visit" list!
