whisperedourguide.Belowus,on the riverbank,
loomeda largebullelephant.He raised his head and
tooka fewstepstowardsus.Wewere now eye to eye.
Onfootyourealisejusthowenormous these beasts
are.Theelephantgavea quickshake of his giant head,
flappedhisearstoshowusheknew we were there,
andthenwentbacktomooching in the mud.
Withadrenalinecoursingthrough our bodies, we let
outa hissofreliefandstartedgiggling. It was one of my
mostthrillingexperiencesever.
I wasontheBushmansWilderness Trail, one of the
lesser-knownwaystoseetheKruger Park. Of the two-
millionhectaresthatmakeupKruger, just under half is
zonedforwildernessandit’sinthese remote, roadless,
people-lesstractsofbushthatwalking trails are con-
ducted.Therearesevenintotal,departing from Berg-en-
Dal(two),Satara(two),Pretoriuskop, Punda Maria and
Letabarestcamps.Beforemyfirst trail, I was focused on
thisbeinga hikingexperience– but, actually, its name
saysit all:it’saboutbeingnomore than eight people, in
yourownpocketofKrugerwilderness, for three nights.
Accompaniedbytwoarmedguides, we set off at dawn
eachmorningfora four-tofive-hour walk, ambling
slowlythroughthebush,enjoying the scenery,
examiningplantsandanimalspoor and listening to the
birds.Therewereplentyofstops along the way, and a
breakforsnacksanddrinks.It was such a privilege to be
onourown,awayfromthetourist roads, and with a
guideenlighteningusabouttheflora and fauna. During
theheatofthedaywereturnedto camp for a rest, before
settingoutfora shorterwalkinthe late afternoon.
Thetrailcampsaresimpleand rustic, with four twin-
bedhuts,sharedablutionsandno electricity. Each camp
hasa waterholeandit wasa treat, sitting on the benches
duringtheday,watchingthegame come and go.
I haveexperiencedthreeofthese trails and the other
fouraredefinitelyinmysights.Although each follows
thesameformat,theyputona different show every
time.Youcan’texpecttogetasclose to game as you
mightina vehicle,andpredators are extremely wary
andusuallyrunawaylongbefore you see them, but it’s
fantastictotrackgameonfoot.You never know what you
mightfind.
OntheBushmansTrailoutofBerg-en-Dal recently,
wewerethrilledtowatcha leopard hunting, oblivious
tousforthefirstcoupleofminutes. Our guide, Nicol
Coetzee,whohas 15 yearsoftrail experience, said it was
onlythesecondtimehe’deverseen this on foot.
Morechallengingfroma hiking point of view are
Kruger’sthreebackpackingtrails: the Olifants (from
OlifantsCamp),Mphongolo(from Shingwedzi) andthe Lonely Bull (from Mopani). Led by an armed ranger,
and another armed guide, these are four-day, three-night
adventures and much tougher than the wilderness trails.
You need to be fit and strong enough to hike 10 to 15
kilometres a day while carrying your food, water, cooking
stove and camping gear. At night you pitch your own tent
and sleep out under the stars, with no fences between you
and the wild things.
You can go really big and hike the entire 600-kilometre
length of Kruger from top to tail. As part of a SANParks
Honorary Rangers’ fundraising initiative, one party of
eight hikers can now bid at an annual auction for the
opportunity to walk Kruger in six legs over three years.
For real immersion in the wilderness without the
physical exertion, how about spending a night in a hide
at a waterhole? There are two to choose from: Sable Hide
close to Phalaborwa Gate and Shipandani Hide near
Mopani. When day visitors leave in the late afternoon,
you can lower your bed and get ready for the magical
experience of sleeping out in Kruger.
At Sable Hide we had elephants sploshing in the water‘STAND STILL.
DO NOT RUN,’
78 MAY 2019
TRAVEL KRUGER