Text: Kate Collins. Picture: Lourens Botha and Albert Froneman. Article from the Autumn 2012 issue of Wild Magazine.
There’s a new way to escape the Kruger crowds. Head out from Shimuwini Camp on the Lonely Bull Trail for a guided, four-day hike along the Letaba River, in the area between the Letaba low-water bridge and the Mingerhout Dam.
The riverine vegetation is great for birding, but what makes the Lonely Bull Trail even more exciting is that there’s no predetermined route. You’ll make your way through the spectacular terrain without the pressure of having to be at a certain campsite each night. Get back to basics with a tent, food, gas stove and sleeping bag. If lugging a backpack is not for you, then opt to overnight at the same campsite each night and head out with a daypack only.
Choose your trail time well. Rivers are full in summer, which makes collecting water an easy task. In winter, grasses are shorter and wildlife is easier to see.
This trail allows you to forget the outside world, to immerse yourself in the wilderness. The terrain around Mingerhout Dam is rather rocky, giving you a good chance of seeing leopards and klipspringers. Kudu are common too but, of course, wildlife sightings do not come guaranteed.
The trail leader will decide when and where to set up camp. Shutterbugs should keep their cameras ready – you never know what you will see. As the sun sets another side is revealed: the magic of the bush after dark.
Bookings The Lonely Bull Trail must be booked in advance. Minimum four people, maximum eight. Remember to take essential items only. Trail rangers will check your pack to make sure it is not too heavy.
Contact Bridget Bagley 012-426-5111 or email.
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