Foot safaris offer you unforgettable encounters with creatures both great and small. From stalking a herd of Giraffe to discovering the mysteries of a Termite mound, these experiences become far more meaningful when you feel Africa through the soles of your feet. There is something extremely humbling about sizing up a White Rhino who is glaring at you and wondering whether there is a tree close enough to scale out of danger …
A professional guide will brief you fully on the “do’s & don’ts” before you set off, to ensure safety and a rewarding walk. He will instruct you to tune all your senses, because each and every one of them will come into play during the next few hours. The ramble will focus on the patterns of nature, the intricacies of stalking, the inter-dependant relationships of organisms and, along the way, your trail leader with demonstrate his encyclopaedic knowledge of mammals, birds, plants plus any other item of interest that you may stumble upon … including Big Game!
The walk doesn’t focus on how far you can go but rather what you can absorb – the beauty of birdsong, the frenetic activity of Harvester Ants collecting seeds or the patience of a Green-backed Heron as it hunts for fish.
Brief rest periods become productive as you discuss issues that have come up – it’s amazing what putting one foot in front of the other along a game path does to clear the mind. The twinge of adrenaline also heightens the senses.
And there is always a need for adrenaline – the “fight or flee” response is bubbling at the surface. However, a good guide will put everyone at ease because he is so in tune with the bush and his surroundings that his confidence exudes calmness. The local Shangaan Ranger team has been living in this environment cheek by jowl with these animals their whole life, so the only unknown for them are the trailists that they are leading. Their collective stories would fill a journal and their observations come not from formal education but their own experiences and shared stories. When they discuss the medicinal properties of a tree, bush or shrub, you can rest assured that they have used it themselves. When they describe the uses of a piece of wood, be sure that they have put it to good use before.
So, therefore, time spent on foot in a Wilderness area is the very embodiment of a memorable safari experience.
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