Walking the Kruger is one way to start the day. At Africa on Foot it is the only way to start the day. These are some of the most fulfilling few hours one can spend in the bush: Big game encounters in dead silence with nothing to ‘hide behind’ but your guide’s expertise in the field; a little bit of exercise; some fascinating discoveries about trees, leaves, tracks, and spoor; and a tick off that old bucket list. Africa on Foot walking safaris are some of the best the Kruger has to offer.
This morning our guests set off into the veld led by their guides donning khaki uniforms, gators, veldskoene (‘bush shoes’), and armed with rifles in case of an an unexpected emergency. Guests follow their rangers in single file after being briefed on the basic hand signals and code of conduct for a bush walk. ‘Stop’, ‘go back’, ‘come forward’, and ‘go down’, are some of the essentials used when approaching game. The guides assess everything from the weather, wind direction, guest behaviour, animal behaviour, tracks, sounds, smells, and gut instinct before approaching animals, which is what makes these experiences on foot the most authentic discoveries in the bush.
Elephant, giraffe, buffalo, lion, impala, and zebra are some of the most frequently seen species on an on-foot safari in Kruger’s Klaserie. Trails guides are adept at tracking animals and reading the signs around them to establish just what the bush is telling them. Approaching dangerous game like elephant, lion, and buffalo is a highlight of any walking safari, and guests always return to the lodge with shining eyes, flushed faces, and excited smiles. There is something exhilarating and breath-taking about watching those 2 Ross Breakaway lionesses stroll in front of you, to look up at elephants from the very vulnerable position on the ground, or to have a staring competition with a towering giraffe chewing cud.
Sometimes the excitement lies in the identification of hippo tracks heading back to water after a night of grazing on land; or spotting the outline of a rhino in the dirt where it slept the night before; or seeing Tamboti seeds ‘jump’ in the palm of your hand. Now is the flowering season for many of the bright and beautiful bush plants, offering pops of red, pink, orange, and purple between the greens and browns of the changing veld. The ‘mess’ left behind by a breeding herd of buffalo can lead you straight to the location of the herd (that’s if the oxpeckers don’t give it away first!), and if timing allows, you can arrive at the waterhole before they do, sit quietly and watch, unseen, as a herd of Africa’s most dangerous animals wanders in to drink.
Come to Africa on Foot and experience the bush like never before with invigorating walking safaris that bring the bush alive!
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