New Beginnings offers camping on a small lifestyle farm about 20 km outside Montagu, in the quiet and friendly community of Pietersfontein. The campsite is exclusively booked - so it’s just you, your group, and the rolling hills - which makes it one of the most private, peaceful getaways we’ve reviewed. It turned out to be one of our favourite stays, full stop.

Getting there

From Cape Town we drove through the Huguenot Tunnel, past Worcester, Robertson and Ashton, then through the impressive Cogmanskloof tunnel as we passed through Montagu. From there it’s a short hop to the farm in Pietersfontein. Any car makes the trip comfortably.

The farm

When you arrive, the first thing you notice is the lush green grass - a real treat in the Karoo-edge landscape. There’s a dedicated braai and potjie area with a wood-fired hot tub right next to it, and a separate campfire area with a wind barrier, so you can sit out and take in the starry skies in comfort. It served as the perfect base for a few rounds of Mafia after dark.

What we loved

  • Exclusive use - total privacy for your group.
  • Wood-fired hot tub right by the braai and potjie area.
  • A bass dam with a SUP and kayak to use - excellent fishing.
  • Sheltered campfire spot under genuinely dark, starry skies.
  • Rusty, the owner’s dog, who adopts every guest.

Worth knowing

  • No cell reception in Pietersfontein - but Wi-Fi calling works.
  • The farmhouse pool is for swimming; its sitting area isn’t for guest use.
  • Fishing is catch-and-release.
  • Roughly 12 guests max on the site.

The dam & the hot tub

On the campsite is a little farm dam stocked with bass (catch and release), with a SUP and kayak available to use. The fishing is excellent - Jarred caught so many bass he lost count. Closer to the farmhouse there’s a swimming pool with great views over the dam and the rolling hills, and back at camp the wood-fired hot tub was the perfect way to end each day.

Jarred caught so many bass he lost count. The dam, the kayak, the hot tub - we barely left the campsite.

Meeting Rusty

One of the highlights of our stay was meeting the owner’s dog, Rusty, who essentially became our dog for the weekend. He stayed by our side the entire time and even slept outside our tent, cosily wrapped up in one of our picnic blankets. He’s an avid fisherdog too - if you’re out in the kayak, he’ll go to great lengths to join you, even doggy-paddling across the dam to get there.

Facilities & what to know

An ablution block provides showers and wash basins, with a separate block housing two flush toilets. There’s an electrical point at the site and the wood-fired hot tub for campers’ use. While there’s no cell reception in Pietersfontein, you can make Wi-Fi calls. Beyond the farm, the area is great for mountain walks, trail runs and mountain biking, and there’s an additional cottage on the property.

Why we loved it

To sum it up: the privacy, the dam, the hot tub, the dark skies and Rusty made this one of our favourite camping stays to date. It’s a campsite we highly recommend - and one we’ll be back to.

Bass at the dam, Mafia by the fire, and a farm dog asleep on our picnic blanket. One of our favourite stays, no contest.

Further along Route 62 we stayed at Absolutely Wild - read that review too if you’re planning the route.