“Beautiful South Africa”: Mzansi Wowed by Hidden Gem on the West Coast Where You Sleep Inside a Cave
- A West Coast game reserve near Lamberts Bay lets guests sleep inside real rock caves carved into the side of a mountain
- Thousands of years of untouched Khoisan rock art sit just steps away from where guests eat, sleep, and explore the reserve
- A hiking trail that was used to move goods on foot after the Anglo-Boer War still winds through the mountains at Donkieskraal
South Africa has a real talent for keeping its best secrets hidden. Donkieskraal is a private game reserve tucked into the Sandveld near Lamberts Bay. It sits on the West Coast, and very few people know it exists.
Source: Facebook
A local content creator put the destination on the radar after sharing a clip on 25 March 2026. The clip showed a side of South Africa that most people have never seen before.
Adam Spires, known as Wannabe Vlogger on Facebook, visited the reserve with his family. The reserve sits roughly 220 km from Cape Town and about 25 km outside Lamberts Bay. It is built deep into the Grootberg mountain on the edge of the Sandveld. Spires and his family stayed in cave chalets that are carved right into the rockface. It is a rare and raw experience that left people across the country completely stunned.
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A place that has been here longer than most countries
Donkieskraal is not some trendy new concept that popped up recently. The Laubscher family established the reserve in 1996 after converting a working potato farm. Over the years, game was brought back to roam the land freely again. The animals now include eland, kudu, zebra, blue wildebeest, and gemsbok across the reserve.
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In 2024, two of the original cave accommodations were renovated with Carbo III Donkey hot tubs. The raw mountain feel of the caves was kept completely intact.
The Lamberts Bay area holds some of the oldest Khoisan rock art on the West Coast. Nearby Steenbokfontein farm has paintings that researchers believe are around 6 000 years old. These are not copies, and they are not restored versions of the original work. The San people created them using natural pigments like ochre, charcoal, and white clay.
Watch the Facebook clip here:
Mzansi reacts to the clip
Briefly News compiled some comments from the post below.
M Beryl Pillay commented:
“Looks a bit like Kaggakamma in Cedarberg.”
StudentRes asked:
“How come this property is not protected by heritage?”
Johanna Elizabeth Nieuwenhuis noted:
“I live in Beautiful South Africa, and I am so proud.
Matt Activism Capetown commented:
“Awesome, lots of nice places in SA. You just have to know where to look.”
Eugene Alberts said:
“I can’t wait for the descendants of the creators of that rock art to regain their identity, identity stripped away by government and greed. By law, Bushmen who painted that art were classified as ‘coloured’”
Source: Facebook
More Mzansi hidden gems
- A Cape Town woman revealed a breathtaking waterfall hidden inside Jonkershoek Nature Reserve and left many people on social media stunned.
- A woman in Mzansi discovered a unique family attraction in South Africa, which she showed off on TikTok.
- A beautiful village seemingly hidden along South Africa's coast has sparked conversations around exclusivity online, with people thinking it may not be accessible to everyone.
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Source: Briefly News
