Club Amigos Caravan Park

You stay at Club Amigos Caravan Park on the banks of Rietspruit Dam, thirteen kilometers from Ventersdorp. The park has six chalets — two sleepers and five sleepers — with kitchens and built-in braais, and over a hundred and fifty grass and paved camping sites for caravans and tents. The dam is the center of things: you can water-ski, windsurf, or fish from the bank, and there is a boat landing for those who bring their own.

The park has an eight-meter-high waterslide, an indoor heated pool, and a cold outdoor pool. A general store sells meat, bait, and braai supplies. The lawns are shaded by trees, and sixty-two bird species move through the area. A large hall with five built-in spit braais and a big screen hosts rallies and rugby matches.

No motorbikes or four-wheelers are allowed, but bicycles are welcome. The park is seventy kilometers from Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp, close enough for a weekend from Johannesburg or Pretoria.