Walk wild in leopard country

Want to sleep in the veld and listen to the calls of wild animals, far from the safety of the rest camps? Bring your backpack and hike the four-day Mphongolo Trail in the Kruger Park.

- By Willem Van Der Berg

It’s springtime but here in the Kruger Park, west of Shingwedzi, the veld is faded, dry and dusty. The summer rain hasn’t yet arrived.

We were full of banter in the Land Cruiser as we drove off into the wilderness, further and further away from the well known game-viewing routes. But now we’ve grown silent under the blazing September sun. We’re all nervous to pick up our heavy backpacks and head into the bush. I’m not the only one to wonder whether I have enough water…

“We have no idea where we’ll find water again. Sometimes you have to walk a little further, dig a little deeper. We’ll see how it goes,” says Donovan Terblanche. He and Patrick Mkhabela will be our guides for the next four days as we follow the dry bed of the Shingwedzi River. Knowing we’ll have to dig for water, Donovan and Patrick carry a small spade, as well as an emergency kit and a small hand drill.

“You’ll need the drill when you relieve yourself,” says Donovan. “Drill a deep hole – we don’t want to leave any signs of humans in the veld.”

There's plenty of time to relax and watch birds on this trial. Willem saw more than 60 bird species.