safari experts, since 1991
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Trust us to find you the rarest animals, the most spectacular wildlife events, the remotest landscapes and deeply meaningful cultural encounters!
This immersive one-of-a-kind walking safari in the Big 5 Greater Kruger is for adventurous travellers.
It will envelop you in the profound stillness of this vast and iconic wilderness area, broken only by nature’s soundtrack – rekindling your connection with Mother Nature and recharging your batteries
Beyond five-star lodges and rim-flow pools - walking safari
Overview
Length: 4 days / 3 nights
Group Size: Up to 8 guests (4 tents)
Location: Balule Nature Reserve (Maseke), Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
Departure Dates: 1st April – 30th November, Monday – Thursday and Thursday – Sunday. The trail is closed from 1st December – 31st March
Prices and dates
2024 Rates | |
Per person | ZAR 14,890 |
Per person sharing with return transfers from Hoedspruit | ZAR 16,600 |
Solo traveller with return transfers from Hoedspruit | ZAR 18,360 |
Please enquire about our FAMILY-FRIENDLY AND GROUP SAFARIS: (Min age 12, Max group size 8).
No single supplement on accommodation, however, we reserve the right to limit the number of singles.
Over 12 years full rate applies.
Pick up and drop off is scheduled to tie in with the Airlink flights into and out of Hoedspruit from Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Pick up and End Point:
Hoedspruit/Eastgate Airport
Price Includes:
Three nights’ trail, all meals, bottled water, bush walks & game drives, teas & coffees, Maseke Conservation levy and bed levies, return airport transfers.
Price Excludes:
International or domestic flights, visas or tourism levies to enter South Africa, travel and medical insurance, all soft and alcoholic drinks
2025 Rates | |
Per person | ZAR 15,875 |
Per person sharing with return transfers from Hoedspruit | ZAR 18,290 |
Solo traveller with return transfers from Hoedspruit | ZAR 20,265 |
Please enquire about our FAMILY-FRIENDLY AND GROUP SAFARIS: (Min age 12, Max group size 8).
No single supplement on accommodation, however, we reserve the right to limit the number of singles.
Over 12 years full rate applies.
Pick up and drop off is scheduled to tie in with the Airlink flights into and out of Hoedspruit from Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Pick up and End Point:
Hoedspruit/Eastgate Airport
Price Includes:
Three nights’ trail, all meals, bottled water, bush walks & game drives, teas & coffees, Maseke Conservation levy and bed levies, return airport transfers.
Price Excludes:
International or domestic flights, visas or tourism levies to enter South Africa, travel and medical insurance, all soft and alcoholic drinks
The walking area is amongst the rocky hilltops and hidden valleys of the Maseke section of Balule Private Nature Reserve - a private 8,000-ha reserve that shares unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park, making this an exclusive mobile camping and walking experience that you will surely remember forever.
Activities centre around walking but evening game drives are offered as well. Children 12 years and older are welcome. A reasonable level of fitness is required to complete two daily walks. Morning walks are typically 3-4 hours, whilst afternoon walks are generally 2-3 hours. Distances vary based on the terrain covered and species tracked. The terrain is fairly flat and non-demanding. However, participants attending should be used to handle distances of 7-10 km daily.
Meals are basic but delicious - nutritious breakfasts at your campsite, a packed brunch in the bush, snacks and refreshments on arrival each afternoon at camp and hearty bushveld dinners by the fire.
Your dome tents have comfortable beds, fresh linen, blankets, pillows and solar-powered lanterns. Each tent has an en-suite safari (bucket) shower and chemical long-drop toilet facilities. There is a standing hand basin in front of each tent, with fresh hot water renewed twice a day or as required. The camp has a central mess tent for dining and an honesty bar with refreshing drinks on ice.
While you are out each day enjoying the magnificent Kruger wilderness with your experienced professional guides, the ground team is moving your camp to a new site – a new location for each of your three nights!
Watch this video of our Kruger walking safaris and read this travel diary by our CEO Simon Espley who enjoyed this safari with AG safari guru Christian Boix
Itinerary
Your vehicle transfer will drop you off at Chacma Camp in Maseke Game Reserve. Here you will have some time to refresh at the pool and enjoy a light meal before being transferred to your 1st base camp. If you require a transfer, a driver will pick you up at Hoedspruit Airport or Hoedspruit town and drive you to the same gate. You will enjoy evening sundowners and dinner at your first campsite.
Overnight at your first campsite
Wake up to coffee and a light breakfast of rusks, fruit and yoghurt before kitting up and departing the camp for a 3-4-hour walking trail through the bushveld.
Every safari walk is different and every step offers new experiences and encounters. Remain open to the element of surprise, as the beauty of this adventure lies in never knowing what will happen next. Perhaps you will follow the roar of lions that you heard the previous night, or stumble upon the tracks of a rhino seeking a resting place in the shade, or identify the telltale marks left behind by a leopard dragging its prey - this is all part of the Kruger experience.
Your guide will introduce you to all critters encountered along the way, from insects, birds and reptiles, to plants and majestic trees. Thanks to his encyclopaedic knowledge and passionate enthusiasm, it will soon become clear how everything – not just the Big 5 – plays a vital role in the bushveld.
Late morning you will enjoy a packed brunch and a siesta in the shade before continuing with the afternoon walk of another 2-3 hours. In the late afternoon, you will arrive at your next campsite for the night - perhaps alongside a sandy riverbed, the Olifants River or a huge dam - depending on the time of year and wildlife movements. Relax in camp and enjoy an afternoon snack before boarding the game viewer for a sunset game drive and sundowner drinks.
Your game vehicle will be equipped with a heavy-duty spotlight to search for some of Africa’s more elusive nocturnal mammals. Aardvarks, bush babies, African civets and, of course, lions, leopards and hyenas all become active at this time of day as they head out on territorial patrols.
On return to camp, you will relax into a fireside dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Overnight at your second campsite
Day 3 is a 'repeat' of Day 2, with a different route and new campsite. On return to camp, you will be able to relax and enjoy a fireside dinner, before succumbing to a well-deserved rest, lulled by a plethora of soothing bushveld sounds.
Overnight at your third campsite
Wake up to the sunrise on the Olifants River and enjoy a quick coffee before departing on a gentle walk, looking out for hippos and crocodiles along the river bank. Return to camp and enjoy a hearty cooked breakfast.
There will be ample time to pack, shower, and exchange contact details with your fellow walking companions and bid a fond farewell to your guide and the wonderful trackers and support staff that looked after you so well.
You will then be picked up by your scheduled transfer vehicle to Hoedspruit or Phalaborwa.
End of services
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Kruger wilderness walking safari
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Check out our other walking safaris
Why choose us to craft your safari?
Handcrafted experiential safaris since 1991.
Travel in Africa is about knowing when and where to go, and with whom. A few weeks too early/late or a few kilometres off course, and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. And wouldn’t that be a pity?
Trust & Safety
Client safari payments remain in a third-party TRUST ACCOUNT until they return from safari - protecting them in the unlikely event of a financial setback on our part.
Make a difference
We donate a portion of the revenue from every safari sold to carefully selected conservation projects that make a significant difference at ground level.
YOUR safari choice does make a difference - thank you!