The Kruger National Park in South Africa, offers various walking safaris, and I was lucky to take part in one in August 2024. As I was preparing for it I found very limited info online, so this is my attempt to fill in the gaps from a hiker’s perspective.
The basics
I walked the Napi Trail. It’s not really a trail per se, as the route (and distance) walked varies, and nothing is set in stone. There are six other trails, located throughout the park. You can book the trail on the Sanpark website. Trails are very popular, and you probably need to book about a year in advance. Choose your dates carefully, as Kruger Park gets very cold in winter, very hot in summer and can be very wet too.
You arrive on a Wednesday and leave on a Saturday, or arrive on a Sunday and leave on Wednesday. You can also book two trails back to back, in which case you will spend Sunday to Saturday at the camp, and walk Mon-Fri (5 days). If you book a single trail, you will walk on the two days after your day of arrival.
You share a tent with one other person, and it really doesn’t matter if you know them or not, or if they are of opposite gender. You are only in the tent to sleep, and you will be very tired. I say tent, but at the Napi Trail camp the accommodation was an A frame, covered with canvas. There was a bathroom attached, although I believe that the Napi trail is the only trail with en-suite tents. There are 8 hikers per group. Only bring your children (12yrs+) if they are able to walk the distance and can stay quiet for 4-5 hours.
The walk
The day starts with a 5:30 am wake up call, coffee and rusk. By about 6am you will either start your walk from camp, or you will be driven out to a further-away site and hike from there. There are two armed guides/trackers/rangers who are extremely knowledgeable and will keep you safe. They walk in front, and everyone else follows in a single line. There is no talking during the walk, unless it’s the rangers explaining something.
The distance walked will vary, but if you compare the bush walk to a regular back-at-home walk, you will find this one much slower. We covered 9.5km in just over 3.5 hrs, although that includes a break midway to have a mini breakfast (that is carried by all hikers in their backpacks). You might walk a bit faster or longer, especially if everyone in your group is fit and eager to do so. All in, my group walked about 27km, but we only did three out of the four walks (we drove to a sundowner location on the one day, instead of walking.)
You will return to camp in time for a very generous brunch, after which you have about 4-5 hours of down time. You might think this is a long break, but time travels differently in the bush, and you will either sleep or interact with your fellow hikers. Remember, you don’t get to talk during the walks themselves.
At about 5 pm you will start your second walk, which will be shorter (ours was about 5km) and will probably include sundowners with a view. The rangers are flexible on this, and adapt to circumstances. Sometimes they might just drive you to a sundowner spot, with no hike. After this second walk you return to camp for a fabulous dinner. All food is prepared by a camp chef.
The animals
There are of course no guarantees as to what animals you will see, and how close to them you will be able to approach, but you will soon realise the walks are not about that at all. They are more about the privilege of walking in unspoilt African veldt, with a group of new friends, and allowing your soul to reset.
We saw elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, lion, plenty of buck, countless bird species, hyenas, wild dogs, mongoose, and more. You might not check off everything on your wish-list, but you will walk away with unmatched memories and emotions. The rangers will of course not deliberately lead you into any potentially dangerous situation, and the priority is always the welfare of all parties concerned, animals and people alike.
Fitness levels
The fitness isn’t so much about distance as it is about length of time. You will be walking at a moderate pace for about 4-5 hours, twice a day for two days. So you need to be able to do that, sometimes in the hot sun. The walks happen at dusk and dawn, but the African sun can already be unforgiving by 9 or 10 am. If you are concerned as to whether you are fit enough, I think that if you can walk 10km in about 3 hrs, on two consecutive days, you will be more than fine.
What to take
The usual hike gear: comfortable shoes, a water bladder, hat, sun block, insect repellant. You might need malaria pills (I went in August and didn’t take them, and also didn’t see any mosquitos). Camera (I suggest your smartphone, as it’s less fiddly and totally silent) and a pair of binoculars.You also need to take any drinks, including sundowners and other alcohol. Water was provided at the camp, but we still took 1.5l of bottled water per person per day, and that worked out well. Limited ice is provided. You can take snacks (like chips) but this is not essential. You won’t be hungry, only possibly peckish. Bring a book if you wish, but no music, speakers or generators are allowed. You will also not be listening to anything (eg podcasts) while you walk, other than the crunch of the veldt, animal sounds and instructions from the guides.
Highly recommended!
This trail was a highlight event for me, and if you have any craving to experience the African wilderness, I cannot imagine a better experience. Highly recommended!
If you have any questions, ask me via email (hello@eved.co.za) or in the comments. I will be happy to answer if I can.
