Kruger walking safari, South Africa

Kruger walking safari, South Africa

How this holiday makes a difference

This wildlife walking safari takes places in an area set aside to preserve the natural environment from encroachment by "civilisation". This is nature as it was before "man" came to the area. Preserving the natural habitat also means giving employment to local communities and these walking safaris employ local people and thereby create employment and a benefit from tourism.

Refuse is separated and dropped at a central depot outside the park for recycling. Wet waste is taken out of the reserve to a suitable disposal unit. The walking safari organisers also support a Children's Eco Training project, where they take children from local communities and host them for a week-end of environmental education.

Accommodation on this walking safari is in dome tents, pitched out in the "bush" in the natural environment. We only use local shops and suppliers for all our provisions and supplies.

We have a policy of re-using paper where possible, and all magazines etc which we cannot re-use are sent for recycling. Our staff also support the Responsible Tourism ideals. Air-conditioning is only used on very hot days (we use fans instead when this is possible), and staff bring second-hand clothing and toys on a regular basis which is donated to Zulufadder/Zulusponsor, which is the project we support on an active and ongoing basis.

Zulufadder/Zulusponsor:
Zulufadder is Norwegian, meaning "Zulu Godparent" or "Zulu Sponsor" and is an organization established by Mari Maurstad (Norwegian actress & author) and our Norwegian-born Director - Ragnhild (Rung) Button.

Our aim is to help as many children as possible in Eshowe, a district in Zululand, South Africa. Many of these children are orphans; in most cases, AIDS claimed the lives of their parents. It is not uncommon to find as many as 15 children living together with their grandmother or aunt in the same hut. They do not have enough money for food or school fees, which again means no education.

This project is unique in that each sponsor is connected to a specific child. This is an organisation without a large bureaucratic structure, but is instead a "hands-on" project where the sponsored amount is used for the benefit of the children who are in need. Therefore your donation will be used for the benefit of 'your' child. So far we have several hundred sponsors in Norway, each sponsor pays the equivalent of US $40 (GBP 20) per month. For this, each child receives school fees, a food parcel each month, as well as help with other needs such as a blanket, clothes, medicines if they are ill, etc. Each sponsor receives a profile of 'their' child with photo, brief history and also information of the child's hopes and dreams.

A key figure in this project is Aurelia Mhlongo - a "female Nelson Mandela". Aurelia is herself a 'granny', she is also a retired nurse and a pillar of strength for the local community. It is Aurelia who is told of children in need; children living alone and with pressing needs. Aurelia visits the children, interviews them, investigates their situation and make recommendations as to which children to include in the project. We currently look after close to 700 children, and due to your help perhaps more children could also be enrolled in this project.

Kruger walking safari, South Africa

Reviewed 28 Dec 2010 by Penny Daffarn

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Seeing the flora and fauna so close up on the vehicle drives, but more so on the walking expeditions. Also, living in a totally unenclosed campsite added a significant flavour to the wildlife nature of the holiday.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Excellent value for money, especially since we were the only 2 holidaymakers that week! So we had sole attention from the superb guides and catering staff.

Reviewed 30 Mar 2009 by Ian Winn

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

There were many memorable experiences during our Kruger walking safari-- which, overall, was the highlight of our three week trip to South Africa-- but for me the chance to watch an elephant browsing while I took a shower definitely rises to the top of my list.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Bring as long a zoom lens as you can comfortably carry. If you're at all fussy about your food, by all means bring some extra fruit, booze and snacks. A good pair of broken in hiking boots are a must, as is lightweight rain gear, especially at this time of year.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes, definitely. Felt that our camp employed and enriched the lives of locals as well as minimally impacting the riverbank we were perched upon. Guides were very conscientious and informative.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Overall, it was an excellent introduction to the bush, on the ground, and the guides-- especially Isaac, our tracker-- were phenomenal and made the experience a resounding success. Phil was very knowledgeable about birds and helped me find my inner twitcher and the new guy was great with local knowledge. The only problems we encountered on this safari were ones of supply-- i.e. the yogurt curdled and was never replaced, there wasn't enough fresh fruit after the first two days despite a supply trip being made to town, there wasn't enough bottled white wine, we ran out of milk, there was only one spare tire in camp for the land rover, linens didn't appear to have been changed from the last group, or for the next one, etc.

Felt that corners were being cut unnecessarily but that if these issues were resolved and if we could be guaranteed Isaac as our tracker that we would definitely take this exact same safari again, only in a different season. We learned more than we thought we would about the bush, however, and this greatly improved our enjoyment of other game-parks further on which we explored under our own steam.

Read the operator's response here:

Wow, we are so glad to hear that you had such a fantastic holiday in South Africa doing our Kruger walking safari. Thank you for your valuable feedback. We acknowledge the few minor mishaps, and have addressed them with the safari company. We hope that some of your friends and family, and other travellers will be able to come and experience this amazing tour in the future.