nyalaland wilderness trail

A HUGE thank you to Christopher, David and Winston for a fantastic experience yet again. The setting of the temporary camp is awesome and the best in the Park. We had wonderful walks and the information provided was brilliant. The food was pretty good and Winston should be proud of the meals that he has prepared. It was our 17th trail and by far the best - thanks to our dear friends and the guys at the camp.

Nyala trail base camp overlooks the Levubu river with a spectacular view of nature. There are no fences but our safety never felt compromised in an area where the big five walks freely. Our guides David and Christopher were very good and the camp cook did a great job. The area is not renowned for masses of wildlife but we saw a fair number of animals including elephant, buffalo, hippo's and many antelope while walking. .

We are a group of regular trialists, all with over 10 walks behind us. Nyalaland has been a favourite of the group in the past, but after having our trip cancelled last year due to the floods, we were trepidatious to what lay in stall for us this year. Not tot worry - Christopher and David made a plan together with the trials manager - and a good plan to boot. They borrowed the pitched tent camp of the 4x4 adventurers next to the beautiful Levhuvu river. We were treated to some of the most beautiful and serene scenery available in the world. They enthusiastically took us on a trip each day, sharing their profound knowledge of the veld and the animals with us as they went along. We were bowled over by the sheer majestic greenery, the cliffs, the river and the companionship.We again felt privileged to be there, and loved every moment. One cannot imagine the transition from boardroom stress to total relaxation in 24 hours unless you have experienced it first hand.This was or 3rd Nyalaland and our best to date.Barry and the Pediatric Book Club

Our guides were David and Christopher and our cook was Winston. We had a fantastic 3 days in the most spectacular setting on a bend in the River. Magical and so special! What a privilege to be able to do these bush walks with excellent and knowledgeable guides who really tried hard to give us what we wanted - unfortunately no Pel's fishing owl but we did some magnificent birding! We saw elephant, nyala and buffalo and other animals on foot. David and Christopher gave us very interesting talks on all manner of fauna and flora. A fabulous trail.

Wilderness trails are three nights and you walk for two. Wake early, walk all morning with a bush breakfast of crackers etc, back for brunch , eggs and bacon. Then rest or siesta and walk early evening and sundowner back for evening meal, braai or stew. Our guides were both very experienced, extremely knowledgable and enthusiastic about the bush. We learnt all about tracking, plants, animal behaviour and all sorts of stories old and new. Didn't see many large animals, though their tracks were all around and we slept to lions and leopard roaring. Baobab trees amazing. Simple, but clean huts. Cook was great. Watch out for the wheelbarrow!Can't recommend highly enough.

For the first time visitor to Kruger or for those of you who have never done a walking trail, then Nyalaland is FANTASTIC! However there is an infinitely better walking trail done on the Makuleke side. Accommodation: Simple A-frame huts that sleep two. Two single beds with about a 0.5 meter space between. Communal ablution. Clean and well serviced.Location: In the Punda Maria section of the park. Large baobab in camp has resident spine tails.Walks: If you want to walk the Levhuvhu (Lanner Gorge) - it takes about 2 hours by vehicle to get to the walking area - recommended. Do not walk the Levhuvhu near camp as there are human settlements on the other side and these detract from the wilderness feeling.Guides: I guess this is the luck of the draw. Our guides were not that great. They spoke in their native tongue to each other constantly and interacted with us only if we asked a question. They did not enjoy sharing their knowledge of the bush. Perhaps their knowledge was limited.Camp Staff: Not happy. A young guy had taken over from his father and he did not seem impressed with his lot in life.Overall recommended however if you can afford a couple of thousand rand more then do the Pafuri walking Safari with Wilderness (I did it first and will do it again and again and again). Nyalaland will not see me again. The two experiences are like chalk and cheese.

All I can say is that I am truly blessed to have been able to go on this trail in the Kruger National Park, and recommend this activity to anyone who loves the bush. It was undeniably one of the most personally profound trips for me.The camp is based in the north of the KNP, and you enter through the Punda Maria Gate, and then collected from the Punda Maria base camp. We were picked up by our guides, Christopher and David with big smiles and a good welcome. We were safely driven through to the Nyalaland Base Camp – even though we just had to stop to see the elephants and other fauna that allowed us to see them along the way!Base camp is very basic – there is no electricity or even solar power (heaven on earth is you want to get away from any technological device) – there are toilets and showers however and very comfy little huts with single beds, a hanger for your clothes and plenty or warm bedding for cold winter nights. Each morning you are woken by a guide, and a steaming bowl of water is placed outside your door to refresh yourself, before grabbing coffee and rusks and then setting off as the sun comes up to the starting point of your walk each day.Food is homely and cooked by your own “chef”, and we were treated to Winston, whose father was also a “chef” in camp. He cooks on fires and gas and delivers all sorts of yummy dishes – his barbeque chicken was just the best ever (I had 2 pieces!) Each day your day pack had been packed with trail food from fresh fruit to cheese and biscuits. Coffee/Tea was always available with a kettle constantly on the boil. At this point I must mention the converted wheelbarrow that is brought to the lapa for each meal (look at the pics!)Each day you are taken to a starting point and from there you walk for miles learning about the bush at ground level. As a South African, I have had many opportunities to be in the bush – but nothing can ever live up to the excitement of being at ground level. Firstly, there is the “danger” of being in the same vicinity of large wild animals, and secondly you get to see the small things and REALLY learn about the bush and how it all ties in together in the most wonderful ecosystem. Christopher and David were exceptional trackers as well as avid bird lovers. They would call back to birds, and could identify them in flight or in distant trees. They tracked a lion with us the one day, showing us how the animal had gone this way and that, taken a break here, paused there and eventually got to the river and must have traversed to the other side. We learnt about the Small 5, about baobabs (and how they get sunburnt!) to the nesting habits of birds, and differentiating dung/scat. Note: your guides carry guns and are experienced shooters and trackers, and if you keep to their rules, you will have no problem at all in the bush if faced with something a little larger than yourself!!We climbed mountains and were treated to spectacular views of the Luvuvhu Gorge and surrounding Limpopo. We saw an “elephant graveyard”, fossils and archaeological sites. Every step of the way gave up some interesting fact about the bush, beautiful flora, peace and tranquillity.After sun-downers somewhere in the 54000H of land, by a river, on a log, on a rock, we were engaged in lively discussions around the fire, continually learning more about the bush and the people who live in it, before eventually our eyes would droop, and it was time for bed (if you weren’t pleasantly kept awake by roaring lions or barking leopards, or perhaps the fighting buffalo on the other side of the fence).I could write forever about this trip. All I can say further is that you MUST experience this for yourself. It will be an experience of a lifetime.Some notes: this is not for physically disabled people. You will need to be fit and able. Bring all your own extra drinks, as you cannot drink the water here. You will have no access to the outside world for 3 nights and 2 days. The bush requires respect, and it is vital that you obey all the rules and follow your guides as stated and requested. Take few clothes (there is no need for dressing up!) and very comfortable walking shoes, and LOTS of suntan lotion (the African sun can be harsh). Lastly, enjoy every minute, learn as much as you can and ask every question that passes through your head!http://www.sanparks.org/