Kruger walking safari
| country: | South Africa |
| location: | Kruger National Park |
| departures: | Departs every Sunday (7 days) and Thursday (6 days) throughout the year |
| price: | From R7050 (6-7 days) excluding flights. Price includes accommodation, transfers from Johannesburg to trail camp, all meals starting with lunch on 2nd day, ending with breakfast on last day of walking safari, coffee/tea and water. Minimum age 16 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
There is a world of difference between experiencing a safari in Africa on foot, "old style", than say, from the tinted windows of a luxury bus! To walk is to be out there with the African wildlife, sharing their paths and waterholes, the daily dramas of their lives, sharing their space. To walk is to follow their tracks, feel the tingle of your own senses and hear the beating of your heart as you edge closer to a herd of elephant resting in the shade. To sleep in a tent under the trees with only the canvas between you and the bush is an experience not easily forgotten.
A safari is a journey of the body and the soul, a venture into the unknown and an opportunity to face some of the mysteries of nature. With over 20 years of experience, we still believe in the magic of the bush and strive to offer that “once in a lifetime experience” to all our guests.
The camps:
The unfenced camps are private and secluded and not open to day visitors. Each camp can sleep up to 12 people in large walk-in twin-bedded tents (linen is provided, so sleeping bags are not needed) with sown-in mosquito screens. Ablutions are separate but close with hot showers and flush toilets.
Although there is no electricity, there is solar lighting, candles, lanterns and a campfire to guide you around the camp at night. Meals are prepared in the kitchen tent and served in the dining tent. Each safari is accompanied by one or two experienced and armed rangers and each camp is serviced by a chef.
The walks:
The safaris appeal to all with an adventurous mind, keen on a learning experience. Every walk is a book on its own, with the emphasis on information on all the wonders of nature, big and small. Because of the dangerous aspects of a walking safari, the minimum age is 16. Although there is no maximum age, the walks can last up to 4 hours and tracking might lead the trail through thick bush, riverbeds and gullies. Therefore an average fitness level is required, especially in the hotter summer months (Nov - Mar). A maximum of 8 people makes up a trail, no minimum.
The combination of walks and drives in the open 4x4 Landrover are dependent on weather and animal movements and are conducted from camp in the early mornings, late afternoons and at night.
Each safari is basic and designed to experience the bush the way one should; on foot. After the first walk you’ll realise you’ve gone back in time – one with your ancestors who roamed these African trails. Although in Big Five areas, there are no guarantees on sightings – what you see is what you get. We do however guarantee a real bush experience!
A safari is a journey of the body and the soul, a venture into the unknown and an opportunity to face some of the mysteries of nature. With over 20 years of experience, we still believe in the magic of the bush and strive to offer that “once in a lifetime experience” to all our guests.
The camps:
The unfenced camps are private and secluded and not open to day visitors. Each camp can sleep up to 12 people in large walk-in twin-bedded tents (linen is provided, so sleeping bags are not needed) with sown-in mosquito screens. Ablutions are separate but close with hot showers and flush toilets.
Although there is no electricity, there is solar lighting, candles, lanterns and a campfire to guide you around the camp at night. Meals are prepared in the kitchen tent and served in the dining tent. Each safari is accompanied by one or two experienced and armed rangers and each camp is serviced by a chef.
The walks:
The safaris appeal to all with an adventurous mind, keen on a learning experience. Every walk is a book on its own, with the emphasis on information on all the wonders of nature, big and small. Because of the dangerous aspects of a walking safari, the minimum age is 16. Although there is no maximum age, the walks can last up to 4 hours and tracking might lead the trail through thick bush, riverbeds and gullies. Therefore an average fitness level is required, especially in the hotter summer months (Nov - Mar). A maximum of 8 people makes up a trail, no minimum. The combination of walks and drives in the open 4x4 Landrover are dependent on weather and animal movements and are conducted from camp in the early mornings, late afternoons and at night.
Each safari is basic and designed to experience the bush the way one should; on foot. After the first walk you’ll realise you’ve gone back in time – one with your ancestors who roamed these African trails. Although in Big Five areas, there are no guarantees on sightings – what you see is what you get. We do however guarantee a real bush experience!
day-by-day itinerary
The 7 day walking safari will take you to two different camps in two different Reserves in the Greater Kruger National Park, changing camps midweek. This adds on to that true safari feeling and will give you a chance to explore two different areas.
The 6 day walking safari remains in one camp with an exciting optional sleep-out in a fly-camp in the same reserve. For people who really want to go back to basics for a night, this is a must-do!
The following itinerary applies both for the 7 and 6 day safaris:
On arrival at Johannesburg International Airport you will be transferred to your hotel, located close to the airport. The following morning, you will be collected from your hotel at first light and transferred to the reserve gate. The journey takes approximately 5 hours with stops along the way. You will meet your ranger at a lovely bush pub at the edge of the reserve, where you will sign indemnity forms and have lunch together. After lunch, we transfer you into open safari vehicles to one of our bush camps in Klaserie or Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, making sure that you spend the maximum time out in the bush!
In the mornings we set off at first light after a snack breakfast of rusks and coffee or tea. Enjoying the cool morning air we may walk directly from camp or else use a vehicle to get further out. Your ranger will decipher the tracks and signs left by the passing animals during the night. The thrill of walking, tracking and getting up close to one of the creatures of the bush is an unforgettable experience. On the walks there is a lot of emphasis on all the interesting things seen such as trees, plants, insects and birds. A big breakfast is prepared back in camp and then there is time to unwind and siesta during the heat of the day. After lunch it is time to head out again.
The afternoon activity is a walk/drive combination, looking for tracks and activity in other areas. After the walk we drive to a beautiful spot in the Reserve, where we’ll have sundowners while waiting for a stunning African sunset. As the diurnal animals and birds anxiously get ready for sleep, the stage and sounds change and a whole new world awakens. This is when we connect the spotlight and night-drive back to camp, looking for the nocturnal creatures that are so rarely seen during the day. Back in camp a hearty supper and a warm campfire will be waiting for you. After a long day in the bush there is nothing more rewarding then to sneak off to bed and listen to the sounds of the night under a blanket of the unforgettable African stars!
On the last day of hiking you will still go out for one last walk. Sniffing the typical scents of the bush you’ll realise how much you’ve learned already! After breakfast it’s time to pack up and go back to the bush pub, where you will pay the Conservation Fee and the drinks you’ve consumed in our camps. Then we say our goodbyes and transfer you back to your Johannesburg hotel.
The following morning you will be transferred back to Johannesburg International Airport.
The 6 day walking safari remains in one camp with an exciting optional sleep-out in a fly-camp in the same reserve. For people who really want to go back to basics for a night, this is a must-do!
The following itinerary applies both for the 7 and 6 day safaris:
On arrival at Johannesburg International Airport you will be transferred to your hotel, located close to the airport. The following morning, you will be collected from your hotel at first light and transferred to the reserve gate. The journey takes approximately 5 hours with stops along the way. You will meet your ranger at a lovely bush pub at the edge of the reserve, where you will sign indemnity forms and have lunch together. After lunch, we transfer you into open safari vehicles to one of our bush camps in Klaserie or Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, making sure that you spend the maximum time out in the bush!
In the mornings we set off at first light after a snack breakfast of rusks and coffee or tea. Enjoying the cool morning air we may walk directly from camp or else use a vehicle to get further out. Your ranger will decipher the tracks and signs left by the passing animals during the night. The thrill of walking, tracking and getting up close to one of the creatures of the bush is an unforgettable experience. On the walks there is a lot of emphasis on all the interesting things seen such as trees, plants, insects and birds. A big breakfast is prepared back in camp and then there is time to unwind and siesta during the heat of the day. After lunch it is time to head out again.
The afternoon activity is a walk/drive combination, looking for tracks and activity in other areas. After the walk we drive to a beautiful spot in the Reserve, where we’ll have sundowners while waiting for a stunning African sunset. As the diurnal animals and birds anxiously get ready for sleep, the stage and sounds change and a whole new world awakens. This is when we connect the spotlight and night-drive back to camp, looking for the nocturnal creatures that are so rarely seen during the day. Back in camp a hearty supper and a warm campfire will be waiting for you. After a long day in the bush there is nothing more rewarding then to sneak off to bed and listen to the sounds of the night under a blanket of the unforgettable African stars!
On the last day of hiking you will still go out for one last walk. Sniffing the typical scents of the bush you’ll realise how much you’ve learned already! After breakfast it’s time to pack up and go back to the bush pub, where you will pay the Conservation Fee and the drinks you’ve consumed in our camps. Then we say our goodbyes and transfer you back to your Johannesburg hotel.
The following morning you will be transferred back to Johannesburg International Airport.
how this holiday makes a difference
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This wildlife walking safari takes places in an area set aside to preserve the natural environment from encroachment by "civilisation". This is nature as it was before "man" came to the area. Preserving the natural habitat also means giving employment to local communities and these walking safaris employ local people and thereby create employment and a benefit from tourism.
Refuse is separated and dropped at a central depot outside the park for recycling. Wet waste is taken out of the reserve to a suitable disposal unit. The walking safari organisers also support a Children's Eco Training project, where they take children from local communities and host them for a week-end of environmental education. Accommodation on this walking safari is in dome tents, pitched out in the "bush" in the natural environment. We only use local shops and suppliers for all our provisions and supplies. We have a policy of re-using paper where possible, and all magazines etc which we cannot re-use are sent for recycling. Our staff also support the Responsible Tourism ideals. Air-conditioning is only used on very hot days (we use fans instead when this is possible), and staff bring second-hand clothing and toys on a regular basis which is donated to Zulufadder/Zulusponsor, which is the project we support on an active and ongoing basis. Zulufadder/Zulusponsor: Zulufadder is Norwegian, meaning "Zulu Godparent" or "Zulu Sponsor" and is an organization established by Mari Maurstad (Norwegian actress & author) and our Norwegian-born Director - Ragnhild (Rung) Button. Our aim is to help as many children as possible in Eshowe, a district in Zululand, South Africa. Many of these children are orphans; in most cases, AIDS claimed the lives of their parents. It is not uncommon to find as many as 15 children living together with their grandmother or aunt in the same hut. They do not have enough money for food or school fees, which again means no education. This project is unique in that each sponsor is connected to a specific child. This is an organisation without a large bureaucratic structure, but is instead a "hands-on" project where the sponsored amount is used for the benefit of the children who are in need. Therefore your donation will be used for the benefit of 'your' child. So far we have several hundred sponsors in Norway, each sponsor pays the equivalent of US$ 40 (GBP 20) per month. For this, each child receives school fees, a food parcel each month, as well as help with other needs such as a blanket, clothes, medicines if they are ill, etc. Each sponsor receives a profile of 'their' child with photo, brief history and also information of the child's hopes and dreams. A key figure in this project is Aurelia Mhlongo - a "female Nelson Mandela". Aurelia is herself a 'granny', she is also a retired nurse and a pillar of strength for the local community. It is Aurelia who is told of children in need; children living alone and with pressing needs. Aurelia visits the children, interviews them, investigates their situation and make recommendations as to which children to include in the project. We currently look after close to 700 children, and due to your help perhaps more children could also be enrolled in this project. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |