Walking Safaris

Walking Safaris - getting in touch with the real Africa

"Clear, defined and exact. The tracks of a white rhino bull stood in clear view in front of us, shattered dewdrops bearing mute testimony to his passage. At first the trail was obvious, the soil still damp after the rain the day before, the solid footprints of the rhino leaving relatively apparent indentations in the ground.

Grazing nonchalantly across the slope, he had meandered his way between termite mounds where the sweet, nutritious grasses were closely cropped by his huge lips, leaf blades showing fresh signs of bruising. Reaching a well-worn rhino path though, his mind appeared to have changed and he followed it directly to the closest pan. Here, the smudged footprints at the pan's edge showed where he had slipped on his approach to the muddied water. The trampling of the surroundings by a herd of buffalo the night before had sullied the water though, and the rhino tracks returned to the path, soon leaving it again in search of grazing.

The now random wanderings of the animal in search of palatable grass meant the trail was no longer as clear, but a writhing millipede attracted attention; it had been half squashed under the oblivious front foot of the rhino and its movements pointed us forward until at last we found him, fast asleep on his belly and chest and blissfully unaware of us as we crouched downwind of him and the ever-attendant oxpeckers."

I think it's inevitable! I'm not sure of the reasons exactly but I do know how powerful I find the effect on myself. As more and more people experience game drives and Africa's amazing wildlife there are going to be more and more who ‘graduate' to exploring this on foot. Some of course will not change - game drives are better for comfort, convenience, proximity, photography and so on - but there is a lot to be said for hearing and feeling every aspect of the bush: bird and insect calls, temperature gradients, leaves, grass, river sand, flies, fresh Rhino dung or the smell of a musth Elephant bull. The visceral and tangible have unlimited appeal. You don't have to be an adrenalin junkie, rather not in fact. What you need is just a sense of being and more importantly of being just a small cog in the greater scheme of the natural world.

At present CC Africa offers walks at all of their lodges, either during or after game drive, and has implemented a rigorous walking training and evaluation program to ensure safety and a superior interpretative experience. At Ngala and Phinda however there are dedicated Walking Safari camps where the emphasis is on becoming more intimately connected with nature. At Ngala the camp nestles on the edge of the Tshwatsemotso River - just upstream from its confluence with the Timbavati - and boasts an impressive experience in big game country with rhino, buffalo, elephant and even lion encounters not uncommon. At Phinda the camp is dwarfed by the Sand Forest canopy of Tolkienesque Lebombo Wattles laden with orchids and aside from White Rhino and other big game, guests at the camp have the opportunity of an exceptional birding experience (Maputaland specials include Neergaard's Sunbird, Rudd's Apalis and Pink-throated Twinspot) and the chance of seeing Tonga Red Squirrels, Suni and Red Duiker. Both camps work on a three-night stay with long walks or trails in the morning and shorter walks and occasional drives in the afternoon and evening. Both the Phinda and Ngala walking safaris camps are removed from core game drive and accommodation areas enhancing the wilderness experience, which after all is what it's all about.

-Chris Roche-

Posted: Other by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006