Wolhuter Wilderness Trail

About Wolhuter Wilderness Trail

Start: Berg-en-Dal, Kruger National Park (the camp is a further 1 to 2 hours drive)
Finish: Berg-en-Dal
Duration: 3 days, 2 nights
Fitness: you need to be fit enough to manage 2 hikes a day (the evening one is gentler), but most of it is on the flat at a leisurely pace, and you don't need to be super fit
Our tip: the waterhole at camp, and the strong possibility of spotting rhino, are the highlight of this wilderness trail

Wilderness trails are one of the only ways to experience the essence of Africa's bushveld. Daring, in the sense that you are breaking the sacrosanct rule of getting out of your car, the wilderness trails are safe, provided you behave appropriately (be prepared to stand still with a rhino standing only 50 feet away).

One thing you can be sure of is that once you have done a wilderness trail, there is only one way to be in the bush, and that is to walk it. Sightseeing from the air-conditioned safety of your vehicle will pale by comparison.

But don't go on a wilderness trail expecting to spot the Big Five. Big game is the exception, rather than the rule. Instead the stillness of the bush and the unusual experience of walking it give new perspective to the smaller creatures of the park.

The Wolhuter Wilderness Trail is the oldest, established in 1978 and named after two legendary father and son rangers, Harry and Henry Wolhuter. It is renowned as white rhino country, and you will more than likely 'bump' into more than a couple.

Days begin with a very early morning walk (you will walk 15-20 km a day), a return to the camp for lunch and a siesta, followed by a late afternoon drive or walk, usually accompanied by sundowners. The group decides on the ratio of walking to relaxing in the camp.

The camp takes eight people in four small A-frame huts, with two beds in each. The campsite has no electricity, no cellphone reception, pole-enclosed loos and hot showers. All your food is supplied.

If you haven't time for a three-day wilderness trail, consider the daily two-to-four hour ranger-led walks from the park's rest camps.