So much to offer – Kruger Safaris
The nice thing about travelling in South Africa is the variety of holidays available, specifically Kruger safaris. I wanted a short getaway trip where I was out in nature breathing some fresh bushveld air, so I asked my friend Eddie to join me on a four night foot safari in the Kruger National Park.
Before the hike begins…
On our way to the Kruger National Park, we made a few stops along the way. Mpumalanga is one of South Africa’s most beautiful provinces and one of my favourites. The landscape of Mpumalanga is rolling lush green hills with sights like God’s Window. It does seem like God favoured this area, with other tourist attractions including Bourke’s Luck Potholes, Pilgrims Rest, Blyde River Canyon and of course the Kruger National Park.
We booked in at the Plains Camp for our four day Rhino walking safari. The area, which is an official wilderness concession, is environmentally sensitive and in my opinion, experiencing the Big Five while on foot is something unique indeed. Now although you might think that it could be quite daunting, Eddie and I both agreed that this was the way to really experience a safari. Since, by foot, the pace at which you travel is much slower than what you would normally be travelling by car, it allows you the time to really take in the diversity of the fauna and flora around, not to mention the wildlife.
First things first
It’s comforting to know that on your walking safari, which only allows eight people per trip, that you are guided by armed senior guides, the best in their field with the highest qualifications in South Africa. We had a brief introduction where the guides informed us of all the do’s and don’ts while walking, followed by a fitness level assessment. It didn’t come much of a surprise that my fitness level left much for the imagination, since I haven’t had an exercise program for the last couple of months, but Eddie seemed quite fit, and he assured me (with a smile) that I won’t be left behind.
After a hearty breakfast, we set off on our first walk. While walking on at a comfortable pace, our guide shared with us his extraordinary knowledge of the bushveld culture, identifying everything from the names of the grasses, to the local folk lore and medicinal uses of some of the plants. I was fascinated by the skills they taught us for tracking animals, even though I knew that I would probably never in my life used this knowledge in the concrete jungle. Eddie rather favoured the survival skills that our guide Samuel taught us.
Heading back
Just in time for brunch, we headed back towards camp, following what seemed like the same elephant path we followed in the early morning. The rest of the day Eddie and I spent reading while overlooking the waterhole for any potential elephants or other animals that might come to quench their thirst. Deep in thought I was distracted by the sound of an oncoming herd of elephants. It was probably a herd of about 20 or so, but the cutest thing of all was the little one they had with them. By the time they reached the waterhole almost everybody at the camp where standing there waiting with their cameras in-hand. From what I’ve learned about elephants, they have quite an intricate social structure, unlike any other animals. The females are the leaders in a herd, not the males as one would expect. The fact is that the males only join the herd during mating season, after which they lead the life of a bachelor.
After the excitement of the elephants at the waterhole, we enjoyed a cup of tea before our late afternoon walk. During this walk we saw quite a bit of wildlife, including a variety of antelopes. We headed back to the camp again for an African sunset, followed by a nice camp fire and sipping on some sherry to cure the early winter’s chill.
Our next three days was spent in the same way, a light breakfast before our morning walk, followed by brunch and lazily lying next to the pool, after which we had a teatime before going on an afternoon walk. Even though I loved the fact that we were doing a walking safari, I was grateful that we didn’t spend the whole day on foot because I could feel that my legs were not used to so much walking. Eddie mocked because of this, making me feel quite ashamed at my laziness, but it didn’t stop me from going on a walk in the morning and afternoon.
By day five we were on our way back after our well enjoyed Kruger safari and I was sad that the trip was so short, but I got what I came for. I was in the open field, breathing the fresh African air, seeing some of Africa’s greatest wildlife and even enjoying a few laughs with a good old friend. The way one should enjoy a brief holiday before getting back into the swing of things.