A bush walk through Kapama Private Game Reserve is a truly memorable and authentic encounter. Every day exploring Kapama will offer something interesting and different for those who are adventurous enough to take the time to explore it on foot.Apart from the morning and afternoon game drive that guest can enjoy as part of their Kapama stay, bush walks are also available for those guests who want to experience nature on foot. Bush walks can only be done by a ranger specifically qualified to do so, reassuring you of being in the best possible hands, while you set out with up to 7 other guests to explore the African wilderness.
The bush walks are included in the tariff and offer guests a deeper insight into the best-kept secrets of the African bushveld. A bush walk is about exploring certain parts of the reserve to observe, learn and interact with a variety of elements typically found in the bush. It is not a hike, trek or expedition! It is about you and nature and getting to appreciate its wonder and beauty, creating unforgettable bucket list memories while under the African sky. Anyone older than 16 years, with an appetite for adventure, can participate, no matter their fitness level, as long as they are happy to be walking through the bush for just over an hour.
Welcome to Kapama’s B U S H W A L K S A F A R I!
Here is what you can expect:
1. B – Bushcraft. This is demonstrated to guests by the rangers – learn to track animals the traditional way, using footprints and scat to identify the different species. Expert trackers can even tell the gender of the many animals just from their footprints.
2. U – Unique. This experience offers a unique and intimate encounter with nature – from the animals who live there, to the medicinal plants which grow abundantly in the area, ready to help us once we unlock their healing properties.
3. S – Secrets of the bush are revealed as you discover fascinating facts about insects, flowers and small mammals such as genet. With over 350 bird species on Kapama, a walking safari will allow you to discover a multitude of fascinating bird life never imagined as you stroll through the wilderness being one with nature. Don’t forget the tiny creepy-crawlies of all shapes and sizes like lizards, spiders, dung beetles and even the “shongololo” waiting to surprise you.
4. H – Highlight of your stay. It is different being in the bush on foot, to what you will experience if you are on a game drive vehicle. You get to see and feel the bush around you with every single step, awakening all your senses. It certainly gets the heart beating faster.
5. W – Walk on the wild side. A Bush Walk during your stay at Kapama Private Game Reserve is a truly memorable and authentic encounter offering different photographic opportunities for your family album. Open spaces and fresh air revive the body, mind and soul.
6. A – Adventure is just one close encounter away. Your tracker and your expertly trained ranger will guide you literally just a few metres away from zebra, nyala or impala without them even knowing you are there! Thrilling isn’t it!
7. L – Large and dangerous animals are avoided on walks, but you might get up close to the Big 5 tracks. Looking around at your environment enables you to see many other other species great and small, all viewed at ground level. Certainly giving you a larger than life feeling and experience!
8. K – Knowledge is power – your understanding of the wilderness around you will improve as you learn more about your surrounding area, fauna and flora.
Ranger Collen gives us a brief example:
“We took my guests out in the morning after their scrumptious breakfast, heading south for a bush walk. One of the guests spotted the bones of a giraffe, and one broken horn of a male kudu. We stopped to discuss what we found. It was interesting because the bones found were the front leg of a giraffe. Guests could feel the weight of the bones, even after a hyena had crushed a part of the bone – which is common in the wild as they need the calcium found in the bone.” You are never too old to learn something new!
A bush walk through Kapama Private Game Reserve is a truly memorable and authentic encounter. Every day exploring Kapama will offer something interesting and different for those who are adventurous enough to take the time to explore it on foot.
Written by: Nicole Walker
