The genesis of South African guided Wilderness Trails occurred on 19 March 1959 when Game Ranger Ian Player and Magqubu Ntombela led their first trail in Umfolozi Game Reserve. Today, walkers continue to experience the joy of this genuine immersion in the natural world in what is now Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, especially those who choose to go on a Primitive Trail, the most authentic way to explore the wilderness zone: carrying everything needed, sourcing water from nature and finding safe locations to sleep-out, sharing the night watch.
Ian Player had a second favoured destination for trails in Kwa-Zulu Natal, St Lucia Game Reserve, and this is also still an option for Primitive Trails today. The reserve is now part of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, one of the most remarkable protected areas in Africa, a place where elephants and whales find sanctuary in close proximity. The park spans 330,000 ha along the coastline of KwaZulu-Natal from the lovely resort town of St Lucia 80km northwards to Kosi Bay and the Mozambique border, and protects a rich variety of habitats from wooded grasslands and thickets in the interior to freshwater wetlands and enormous dune systems along the coast, and a vital marine conservation zone in the Indian Ocean. The wetlands are fed by the Hluhluwe, Mkuze and other rivers that flow from the Lebombo range. The variation in habitats results in fascinating walking and an extraordinary richness of nature, with over 500 birds and 48 species of amphibians recorded. Alongside the elephants, both black and white rhino, buffalo and well over 100 other mammal species can be spotted.
The wilderness walking tradition is kept alive by Untravelled Trails, a company operated by guides Nunu Jobe and Shaun Maitre. The company’s logo is the buffalo thorn, and Shaun says “we picked it for its importance in Zulu culture, as the means of transporting the spirits of deceased family members back to the ancestral homestead. In the same way, Untravelled Trails is a means of transporting humans back to their primitive roots in the Wilderness allowing a unique connection with nature and thereby with our own spirit.”
Nunu is well-known to walkers from his years of guiding in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, firstly on Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife trails in iMfolozi and more recently guiding guests from Rhino Ridge Lodge in the Hluhluwe sector, gaining a reputation for his calm encounters with white rhino, and his fondness for walking barefoot. He continues to lead walks from Rhino Ridge, but also keen to devote time to his favourite activity – Primitive Trails. Untravelled Trails runs these in the Tewati Wilderness area of iSimangaliso Wetland Park which has long been set aside for foot-only access.
The trails cater for groups of up to eight and are guided by a lead and back-up rifle. Guests can use their own kit or borrow what’s needed from the company. Food and utensils are distributed so make sure there’s some free space in your pack and tents are not needed, as the trails run in sleep-out style using just mosquito nets (there are no lions). Trails meet at the park’s Bhangazi gate close to St Lucia by 12:00 on the day of departure. Using their own vehicles, the group drives to the trailhead, where there is shaded parking. The trails can run for two or three nights, and in keeping with the wilderness ethos, guests are encouraged to leave watches and other gadgets behind and just enjoy the total immersion in nature.
Untravelled Trails offers walks year-round with winter months giving the best walking conditions, and the chance to spot whales from the coast, while summertime is preferred for birding. Between November and March, the park is a vital venue for breeding leatherback and loggerhead turtles, one of the key factors in iSimangaliso’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Untravelled Trails also run day walks from St Lucia and Rhino Ridge Lodge. For further information and bookings see untravelled.co.za.
Images courtesy Untravelled Trails.
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