More glamorous than camping. More exciting than a hotel room. It’s glamping. And through her company, Glamping Adventures, Gugu Sithole has been making it mainstream.
There’s nothing Gugu loves more than being outdoors. She’s like a sunflower … under a blue sky, she blossoms. And if there’s something that can get her pulse racing at the same time, so much the better.
She’s been that way ever since she finished school. Not sure what she wanted to study, she signed up as a counsellor at a summer camp in the United States. It was a big step for a one-time village girl who, until that point, had never left Soweto, let alone been on a plane.
Far from being daunted by the big wide world (and the Big Apple, her first stop), Gugu was enthralled. From that moment on, she knew that she wanted to extract every ounce of wonder from the world.
She returned to South Africa, found a job as a receptionist at a company that went on to pay for her studies in marketing, and eventually found her niche in corporate eventing.
It was a great gig, Gugu says, not only allowing her to make the most of her superpower as an organiser, but also giving her plenty of opportunities to indulge her love of travel. Eventually, though, the love affair waned. “I felt that I had achieved all that I was going to, and now I wanted to have freedom to manage my own time and show up more for my daughter,” she says.
She turned her attention to growing the side hustle she’d established a few years ago, going solo once she secured a retainer client – and then, four years later, she was struck once more by a need for change.
This time, she did a complete one-eighty, opting to venture into a completely new industry. Tourism. “I’d read an article reporting that only 3.5 million people out of South Africa’s then 68 million-strong population could afford to travel,” she recalls. “I remember thinking, that can’t be right. I wanted to be part of the revolution that changed that figure.”
The problem was, she wasn’t quite sure how. Camping was an obvious answer because of its affordability, except for one vital detail. The audience she was targeting was largely Black, and the young professionals her market comprised understandably found little allure in a basic holiday, given that they had worked hard to achieve a comfortable lifestyle. “Hence glamping. You’re still outdoors, but it’s all about comfort,” Gugu says. She worked hard to make sure that her retreats took that comfort to the next level … Guests were greeted by staff waiting with sparkling wine and canapés on arrival, tents were fitted with carpets, hot water bottles were ready and waiting, electricity was standard. “All you had to do was arrive with your suitcase.”
The response to Gugu’s first retreat exceeded her expectations, and almost double responded to her next event. She believes that there were two factors driving the camps’ popularity (apart from the fabulous accommodation and activities on offer, of course). First was her insistence on involving the local community in each retreat, so that they benefited directly from the influx of visitors to their area. This made Glamping Adventures an attractive prospect when Gugu applied for government assistance, such as access to market funding to appear at Tourism Indaba and other expos. It also helped her win a number of accolades. For instance, she was a pitch winner in a competition hosted by the German government to revitalise the tourism industry after the Covid pandemic.
The pandemic itself was another engine for the business’s boom, because people relished the opportunity to get outside, splash in natural pools, ride horses and connect with nature. The flipside, though, was that when socialising was allowed once more, guest numbers dropped – with clients lured away by the clubs and shisa nyamas that had once more opened their doors.
That forced Gugu to recalibrate. “It was time to introduce permanent destinations,” she says. And, really, that was easy. So long as you’re not in a hotel room or guesthouse, almost anything qualifies as glamping, from secluded cabins to glass domes in the Tsitsikamma. “It just had to be unique.” Gugu upped the luxury factor, with premium destinations and touches like en-suite bathrooms, electric blankets and crisp white linen.
She also broadened her focus to include international markets, taking part in global exhibitions to introduce her brand to travellers from Dubai and India, among others. At the same time, the roving retreats were given a tweak; groups (like corporates and teambuilding) are now able to tailor their itinerary and destination.
Gugu also moved to own the glamping space by registering the Glamping Expo, bringing together all players in the glamping value chain. The first expo was hosted in June 2025, and she’s gearing to have the next gathering next year.
Gugu’s knack for adapting and innovating has seen her gain acclaim and attention from prestigious quarters, including Veuve Clicquot, which honoured her with a Bold Woman Award in 2022, making her the first South African winner of this accolade.
It’s a true honour to be associated with a brand of this calibre, and Gugu says that she will forever be grateful for the opportunities that opened up to her as a result. “It was incredible to be given a platform for all my ideas, and it remains a great conversation starter – people are always asking if I got to drink lots of Veuve!” But, as much as the idea of the high life has undeniable appeal, Gugu is still happiest when she’s outdoors with the sun on her shoulders. “That’s when I feel at peace,” she says. Details: glamping-adventures.co.za
Gugu’s favourite destinations
• The Drakensberg, for the sheer drama of the mountainous backdrop – plus, nothing beats jumping into a natural pool.
• Coffee Bay, because it reminds her of her roots in rural KZN, but with the added bonus of warm, welcoming Xhosa culture.
Article by Lisa Witepski.
