Kruger National Park Walking Safari Trail – Five Days

Overview

Countries visited: South Africa

Get up close and personal with nature on this 5 day walking safari. You will get to truly experience the pristine wilderness of the Kruger while walking through it with specially trained rangers. There is an abundance of game to be seen, including big cats and variety of bird species.  Guests will also get to enjoy a bush sleep-out, falling asleep to the magical sounds of the park around them.  A morning and afternoon game drive heightens the chance of spotting the Big Five.

This tour is perfect for those with an adventurous nature.

Itinerary

Day 1

• Rhino Post Safari Lodge serves as the meeting point for day one, and guests are requested to arrive no later than 2PM in order to make a speedy transfer to Plains Camp in the open 4 x 4. Guests travelling from Johannesburg are advised to have departed by 7AM at the latest in order to make good time

• After arriving, guests are afforded a short window in which to explore the camp itself. High tea is served, followed by a brief on bush walking safari ‘do’s & don’t’s’, conducted by the lodge’s expert guides

• Following this, a pair of armed rangers escort guests on their introductory walk, later returning to sundowners and a short night drive

Day 2

• The early morning wake up call is softened with coffee, tea and rusks, before the group departs again for the next walk. Guides take to sharing their extensive understanding of the area and its culture, identifying animals, trees, grasses, insects, birds, the medicinal uses of plants, local folk lore and basic tracking and survival skills. In order to avoid the midday heat, the three to four hour walks are conducted almost exclusively in the early mornings and late afternoons

• After a light snack on the walk, guests settle into brunch back at camp. Spend the hot hours in between walks enjoying the camp’s Africana book collection, or cool off in the plunge pool while watching the regular passage of zebra, buffalo, giraffe, elephant, rhino and lion. The afternoon safari ends with the group setting up camp on a set of raised platforms, and sleeping underneath the stars for the evening. Dinner is prepared on an open fire while guests watch as wildlife congregate around the watering hole

Day 3

• Light snacks are served before the group heads back to Plains Camp

• Brunch is followed by the chance to grab a shower, before packing up and transferring back to Rhino Post Safari Lodge

• Refreshments are served upon arrival, followed by brief introductions to the lodge. Guests are then escorted to their rooms

• After settling in, guests are invited to high tea, and then an afternoon / evening game drive

• Sundowner drinks are enjoyed under a reddening African sky before setting back off into the night to spot some of the nocturnal residents

• Dinner and conversation are enjoyed on the deck back at the lodge before guests retire for the evening

Day 4

• Following another early morning wake up call (with its much needed coffee and snacks) the group departs for a sunrise game drive

• Brunch follows, with the opportunity for a midday siesta before high tea is served. The group then departs on a late afternoon drive, keeping clear of the midday heat

• The evening sees guests enjoying another delicious dinner and each other’s conversation, before heading off to bed once more

Day 5

• Early wake-up calls are made before fresh coffee or tea and muffins are served in the lounge

• The group sets off again for another early morning game drive, with a stop being made midway for coffee or tea in the bush and one last opportunity to spot some of Africa’s finest wildlife

• Brunch is served upon return to the lodge

Accommodation

• Rhino Post Safari Lodge :
Located on the banks of the dry Mutlumuvi riverbed, Rhino Post Safari Lodge’s eight suites loom above the riverbank, raised up on stilts that afford them views of the surrounding vegetation and wildlife. Open plan, thatch roofed suites are completed with en suite bathrooms (bath, basins, separate toilet and an outdoor shower), bedroom, living room and kitchen

• Plains Camp accommodation :
Located in a wilderness concession overlooking the spectacular Timbitene Plain & waterhole, Plains Camp is immersed in an Acacia Knobthorn thicket, and offers four comfortably furnished African explorer style tents, with en suite bathrooms and hot running water. Generators and a back-up battery system supply power to overhead fans and lighting, and can be used to re-charge camera batteries.

The concession is an environmentally sensitive area previously unexplored, with a huge diversity of both fauna and flora – an ideal setting for wilderness walking safaris in an internationally renowned Big Five viewing area