5 Night Walking Safari Trail (IA04)

The walking safari detailed in this itinerary includes 2 nights at Rhino Post Safari Lodge and 3 nights at our luxury tented camp, Plains Camp of which one night is a Sleepout. Sleepouts are weather dependant and the actual date will be finalised on the night of arrival. The order of accommodation may change from that described below as it is dependant upon availability. The itinerary may therefore start at Rhino Post Safari Lodge instead of Plains Camp. Please consult with our Reservations office!

Travelling

All guests coming to Rhino Walking Safaris are to meet at Rhino Post Safari Lodge. The trail starts at Plains Camp and you are required to arrive at Rhino Post Safari Lodge by 14h00 in order to be transferred to Plains Camp in our open 4x4 game vehicle. If coming from Johannesburg, to arrive in good time, you should leave Johannesburg by 07h00 at the latest.

Plains Camp is situated in the heart of the wilderness concession overlooking the spectacular Timbitene Plain & waterhole. Built in authentic pioneer tradition, it has the serenity of a 19th century naturalists rest, nestled in an Acacia Knobthorn thicket. Plains Camp offers 4 comfortably furnished African explorer style tents, with en suite & hot running water and the African Wilderness right on your doorstep. A generator and a back-up battery system power overhead fans and 24 hour lighting. The generator system can be used to re-charge camera batteries.

After settling into your tent and exploring the camp, high tea is served followed by a brief on the 'do's & don't's' of bush walking safaris by your guide. (Rhino Walking Safari guides meet the stringent requirements of the South African National Parks and senior guides hold the highest guiding qualification possible in South Africa). After the brief, you will depart with your 2 armed rangers for an introductory walk, returning to the vehicle in time for sundowners and again enjoying a short night drive before returning to camp. 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 area.

After an early morning wake-up, fresh coffee, tea and rusks (a South Africa tradition!), everybody departs with the guides for the next safari walk. Nothing is predictable in the bush, therefore each safari offers a potentially new experience. Our guides will share their wealth of "bush culture'' - the identification of animals, trees, grasses, insects, birds, the medicinal uses of plants, local folk lore and basic tracking & survival skills.

All walking trails are enjoyed in the early morning and late afternoon to avoid the midday heat, with the average duration of the morning walk being between 3 and 4 hours. The Guide will structure the trail taking into account the fitness level of the group and any special requests. After a light snack on the walk, you will be served a well deserved brunch on your return to the camp. Relax during the heat of the day, enjoying our small Africana book collection or the plunge pool overlooking the plain, which is often host to zebra, buffalo, giraffe, elephant, rhino and lion.

The afternoon safari activity is a short drive in the game vehicle to a specific location, after which you will depart on foot again for your trail. Upon returning to the vehicle, you will enjoy sundowners before returning to camp. Back at camp you will enjoy a sumptuous dinner, all the while accompanied by the night sounds of the African bush.

The morning activities are the same as the previous day, however after high tea guests depart for an unrivalled wilderness experience.

This is the only place in the Kruger National Park offering this unusual accommodation. These are elevated wooden platforms between 4-5metres above the ground. Guests leave Plains Camp in the late afternoon for a 1.5 hour walk led by our guides and arrive at the platforms in the early evening, carrying only a lightweight rucksack containing a change of clothes and refreshments. After hanging up mosquito nets, fly sheets (only if necessary) and preparing beds (yes! we do encourage our guests to be included in every aspect of this unique interactive experience of the bush), sundowners can be enjoyed on the platforms that also overlook a waterhole. The sleep outs even have hot showers and flush toilets. While dinner is being prepared on an open fire, enjoy the sounds and senses of the wild at night, while being safely guarded by our observant guides. The rumble of the elephant passing by, or the roar of the lion at the nearby waterhole, are some of the noises that might disturb guests in this peaceful wilderness.

The following morning, enjoy a light snack after which you will depart back to Plains Camp for a hearty brunch & shower before packing up and being transferred back to the relative luxury of Rhino Post Safari Lodge.

Rhino Walking Safaris

Rhino Walking Safaris is situated on a 12000-hectare private concession in the Kruger National Park. It is approximately 10km northeast of Skukuza Rest Camp. The concession shares a 15km boundary with Mala Mala in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, with game moving freely between the two reserves and comprises of environmentally sensitive areas previously unexplored, with huge diversity of both fauna and flora.

Rhino Post Safari Lodge is built on the banks of the dry Mutlumuvi riverbed using natural materials of stone, wood, thatch & canvas. Stilts raise the 8 spaciously appointed suites along the riverbank, allowing views of the Mutlumuvi riverbed from your bedroom, bathroom and private deck. The suites are set out in an open plan style with wooden floors, thatched roofs, canvas walls and glass doors and windows. Each en suite bathroom includes a deep, freestanding bath, 'his & hers' basins, a separate toilet and an outdoor shower surrounded by thick reed poles.

The raised walkways linking the spacious rooms to the main area, allows wildlife to walk through underneath, undisturbed by mankind.

On arrival at Rhino Post Safari Lodge, after a refreshing drink and a brief introduction to the lodge, you will be escorted to your room. After settling into your suite, guests are invited down to the lounge, overlooking the water hole to enjoy a scrumptious high tea before departing for an afternoon / evening game drive.

Game-drive safaris at Rhino Post Safari Lodge are conducted in specially adapted open 4x4 Landcruisers, with professional guides. In addition to our private wilderness concession, we make use of the Kruger Public Roads and also have exclusive use of some of the Kruger Park public roads at night. The Kruger Park has strict gate closing times (before sunset) for their rest camps & access gates. Rhino Walking Safaris are allowed to utilise certain public roads for night / evening drives well after gate closing times. At sunset the game drive will stop for sundowner drinks while watching an African sunset before continuing into the night, spotting nocturnal animals. Returning to the lodge in time to freshen up, enjoy a drink before a sumptuous dinner on the deck or in the riverbed, as you recount the day's events, all the while accompanied by the night sounds of the bush.

Nothing is predictable in the bush therefore each safari offers a potentially new experience and after an early morning wake-up and an invigorating cup of fresh coffee in the lounge, guests depart on a morning drive, just after sun rise.

Upon return to Rhino Post Safari Lodge, enjoy a well-earned brunch before spending the heat of the day within camp, enjoying the pool and relaxing in our chalets. After high tea, depart on your afternoon / evening game drive. On drive you will enjoy sundowners and watch the African sunset as the day winds down.

Back at the lodge once again enjoy a sumptuous dinner on the deck as you recount the day's events all the while accompanied by the night sounds of the bush.

After an early morning wake-up and an invigorating cup of fresh coffee or tea and muffins in the lounge, you will set off again for an early morning game drive. Mid way through the morning you will stop in the bush for coffee or tea before continuing looking for Africa's finest wildlife. Upon returning to the lodge enjoy a leisurely brunch, shower before packing up and check out from Rhino Post. We hope you enjoy your stay!