getaway.co.za 53ABOVE LEFT Fig Tree House’s cosy braai
area was perfect for a family reunion.
ABOVE RIGHT A highlight of Pafuri Walking
Trails Camp is a sunrise stroll through the
region’s stunning fever-tree forest.
OPPOSITE Elephants aglow in the afternoon
light on the banks of the Luvuvhu River.Skukuza’s rondavels also seemed
barely to have changed, although the
shop has had a revamp and the riverfront
area too. Despite the new touches, there
was that old, familiar feel; there’s something
about Kruger’s rondavels that I hope
never changes. They connect the present
camps with my memories of the past, and
although they’re now a bit frayed around
the edges, I’d be happy if they stayed a
feature for many years to come.
We crossed the Sabie River just after
dawn the next morning, and two beautiful
wild dogs joined us for a spell. They jogged
along ahead of the car, then caught a scent
and soon vanished between the trees.
Later, at Orpen Dam viewpoint we
watched a large matriarchal herd usher two
tiny elephant calves down to the water to
drink. A couple of
cranky buffalo needed
to be cleared out of
the way first and there
was a brief, noisy
stand-off before
mama elephant won
the day. We stopped
often that afternoon- though no longer
forimpalas– andgradually worked our way
north. After two relaxing nights at Letaba
and one more at Shingwedzi, the Luvuvhu
River was calling. We’d soon be on foot.
In the far north of Kruger lies a region
once called Pafuri – now this slice of land
falls into the Makuleke
Contractual Park. Back in the
late 1980s Pafuri was part of
Kruger, but although SANParks
still plays a major role in
conservation, tourism is now
managed by the community.
Working with them, Return
Africa operates a walking safari
camp, and as far as I could tell it
was just a few hundred metres
from where we’d once camped
wild as a family. Our trails
camp for the weekend would
be much more plush this time
around, but what better way
to rekindle old memories than
fenceless camping on the river?
Our guides, Jonathan ‘Jono’
Turner and Eben Vermeulen,
greeted us warmly, and we
were soon unpacked. Later, as the
afternoon sun filtered through the towering
Natal mahogany trees, we set out on our
first walk along the Luvuvhu’s sandy banks.
‘I think that old wild campsite was called
Bobomene,’ whispered Jono as we gathered
in the riverbed to watch herds of elephant
come to drink. Hundreds were pouring
down the banks to the water, and the
evening light glowed yellow and gold
through the dust.
‘Unfortunately, Bobomene was
completely washed away when the river
flooded in 2000, and again in 2013. All I can
say,’ Jono pointed vaguely down the river,
‘is that it was somewhere over there, but
the bank is completely changed.’
I squinted downriver and scanned
the eroded banks, but nothing stood out
under the violet, darkening sky. The
elephants splashed and trumpeted and
I found it didn’t really matter exactly where
the old camp had been. Somewhere over
there, my mom had taught me maths
tables and I’d played with my brother,
catching ant lions in the dust.
Walking single file quietly back to
camp, I glanced around and again saw
my mother smiling. Behind her, my aunt
was beaming widely too, and the grins
continued on back down the line. These
trips down memory lane, I thought,
definitely don’t just happen, but if at all
possible they’ll definitely be happening
again very soon.‘There’s someThing
abouT Kruger’s
rondavels ThaT
i hope never changes’
Chris Davies