Where the Wild Ones Walk
An up-close and personal safari experience
Perhaps the most natural way to experience the bush is by hopping down from that game drive vehicle onto your very own feet. Heading out into the wild on foot offers you the opportunity to enjoy the experience from a different perspective. Learn to listen to the sounds of the bush and trust your instincts as you step into the wilderness and prepare for the most intimate sightings of your life.
Walking in the footsteps of our ancestors is a transcendent thing. Stepping where they once stepped is a feeling that not many are fortunate enough to experience – a moment where time freezes and it is just you and the wilderness, with only the sunshine to shine a light on the landscape, seemingly unchanged in a time-warp.
Klaserie Sands, located in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, has been delighting nature-lovers with the stunning River
Camp since 2014. Nestled on the banks of a seasonal river, the River Camp provides guests with a calm respite from their normal lives. Enjoy a delicious, homemade ice-tea (with a splash or two of gin if you wish) as you unwind on the pool deck, watching as a herd of elephants frolic in the watering hole located just 50 metres from the lodge.
Their newest camp, opened earlier this year, invites lovers of the Klaserie
Sands brand to experience something exhilaratingly new. Safari Trails allows guests to enjoy the sights and sounds of the bush from a new vantage point: the ground.
Led by an experienced guide, guests will be taken through the bush in search of the majestic animals that roam the reserve.
Arriving at the camp, guests are welcomed with a smile and a refreshing drink. Ushered into the tented recreational area, the Klaserie Sands Safari Trails experience begins with a heartfelt welcome from the team and a short introduction to the safety rules of the camp.
Safari Trails consists of four permanent, luxuriously-kitted tents. They are ensuite tents and host guests in bush-side comfort, boasting both an indoor and outdoor shower. The bedding in the tents has a 200 thread count, and the beds themselves are soft and can be heard calling your name after a long day of exploring on foot. It can get exceedingly hot here during the summer and, as such, each tent is fitted with a ceiling fan and a pool at the camp for your enjoyment. With
With views of the seasonal river bed, the tents provide the perfect spot for an afternoon nap and a restful night’s sleep.
views of the river bed, the tents provide the perfect spot for an afternoon nap and a restful night’s sleep.
At pre-dawn, guests are gently woken for their morning walk. Half an hour later, guests will be happily sipping on hot coffee and nibbling on one of Chef Stephen’s homemade rusks. This will give you the energy that you need to start tracking and get your morning of walking off to a great start.
The guide team from Safari Trails are expertly trained in the art of walking safaris and take every precaution to get you close – but not too close – to the action. One of the pillars of the Klaserie Sands brand is respect – for the animals and for the environment that they have the privilege of existing within. Getting close to an animal on foot is a treat, but keeping a level of respect in the way the party approaches is paramount to guests’ safety. The team are well-versed in the tracks and sounds of the bush. Sound is the information highway of the bush – if there is a predator nearby, the trackers will know long before they have spotted the animal.
After a morning of safari walking, guests return to Safari Trails for a scrumptious breakfast and a refreshing drink before spending the late morning lounging by the pool or reading a book from the camp library. Relaxing can be tiring, so an afternoon nap is always advisable. Sprawl out on your comfy bed and drift off to the sounds of the bush in the background.
Once rested, guests are taken out for their afternoon walk. The bush comes alive when the temperature drops in the late afternoon, transforming it from barren to bustling. The predators wake up from their afternoon naps, stretch, and set out in search of their next meal. If luck is on your side, you might even catch a glimpse - from a safe distance - and head back to the camp buzzing from an amazing sighting.
Evenings are spent feasting on a celebration of South African cuisine and drinking wine while the hyenas start to call. If you are lucky, you will even hear a lion contact calling. It is an amazing sound – one that you will never forget.
To get a taste of the bush is to find yourself addicted to the beauty of the wilderness. Being able to get back to nature and tapping into your primal instincts is a refreshing thing. To walk where the wild ones walk, please visit www.klaseriesands-safaritrails.com.