Antbear Lodge offers stargazing in the Drakensberg, South Africa.

Mlindeni Sitole offers a star gazing hammock camp experience at Antbear Eco Lodge. It’s a traditional story telling activity that happens after dinner for our visitors and can also be booked for guests staying elsewhere. Antbear Eco Lodge as part of its tourism responsibility program supports an initiative to develop entrepreneurial skills in our local community. The most successful of these initiatives so far that we have started is “Mlindeni’s Star Gazing Hammock Camp” Mlindeni Sithole is a local villager who tells tourists traditional African folktales of the night skies and other village stories that he was told by his grandmother when he was growing up. The hammock camp is prepared beforehand with blankets and hot water bottles. Mlindeni fetches his guests after supper and guides them down to his hammock camp, gets everyone settled into the hammocks and with the backdrop of the night sounds of nature starts to tell his folktales.

Imagine lying in a hammock under the stars that has been prepared specially for you with a blanket and hot water bottle. Laying there you listen to the sounds of the night. The African evening chorus is a time for relaxation and reflection. It is a time to listen to the sounds of nature and to appreciate the beauty of our Midlands as destination. It is a time to let go of the stresses of the day and to simply be present in the moment. The night is alive with sound. From the call of a lone jackal to the hooting of an owl to the buzzing of insects, there is always something to listen to.

The air is cool and crisp, and the sky is ablaze with stars. Your guide, Mlindeni Sithole, a local villager, begins to tell you African folktales of the night sky. He tells you about the constellations, the planets, and the African myths and legends that have been told about them for centuries. You listen in wonder as he tells you how the sun and moon got into the sky, the Milky Way, and about the stars that guide the hunter’s home.

This is the experience you can have at Mlindeni’s Star Gazing Hammock Camp. It is a unique and unforgettable way to learn about the night sky and the traditional African folktales that have been told about it for generations.

Here are some of the things that make this tourism experience unique:
It is a traditional story telling activity that is rooted in African culture.
It is led by a local villager who shares his knowledge and stories about the night sky.
It takes place in a beautiful natural setting away from light polution, under the stars.
It is a relaxing and immersive experience that allows you to connect with nature and learn about African culture.
It is a sustainable tourism developent that Antbear Eco Lodge has used for the upliftment of its localcommunity

If you are looking for a unique and unforgettable way to experience the African night sky, then consider Mlindeni’s Star Gazing Hammock Camp experience at Antbear Eco Lodge.