By Sandra Mallinson

Hurry up and wait

I woke up on Saturday to my flatmate’s heart-stopping words “Sandy, it’s 5.50am. Didn’t you say you needed to be at the airport by 6.15?”

The rest of my morning consisted of frantic rushing around, desperate pleading with the ground staff and a late arrival at O R Tambo Airport. I hunted down the Budget car rental office then spent the next three
hours waiting for one of my travelling companions whose flight had been cancelled.

Crossing the country

So began my first educational trip for Go2Africa. A pretty rocky start, but nothing could dampen my mood. I was on my way to Pafuri Camp. I’d seen the pictures and I couldn’t wait to get there.

We still had a way to go, however. Pafuri is in the Makuleke Concession, the most remote sector of The Kruger National Park. The camp does have its own airstrip, but we were going to drive. From Johannesburg it’s still around 6.5 hours by car, which seems a ridiculously long time until you realise you’re traveling to the northernmost sector of a park the size of a small European country.

As it turned out I enjoyed the journey. The roads were good, as was the company, and time flew by. After the spectacular Soutpansberg Pass the scenery started changing. Excitement mounted as we passed the first dumpy baobab, spotted a comical hornbill and began noticing tall Candellabra trees dotting the landscape.

Breathe deep

We made it to Pafuri Gate just after sunset. Tumbling out the air-conditioned van and into the warm night, I stretched, breathed deeply and smiled a Cheshire cat smile. I’m sure anyone who has been on safari will agree; there is something really special about the rich smelling bushveld air.

Enos, our guide, escorted us to camp and, after a welcoming drink, I was shown along raised wooden walkways to my thatched tent on the banks of the Luvuvhu River.

Forget all preconceptions

Throughout my childhood, camps and tents went hand in hand with sleeping bags, tinned tuna, cold showers, and all the other trade offs necessary for a holiday in the wild. Things had certainly changed. All I wanted to do was flop down on the fluffy, white duvet, but a three-course dinner awaited. So, after a quick decision about whether to freshen up in my indoor or outdoor shower, I headed back to the main deck.

Later that evening, lying in bed, I tried to stay awake a while to enjoy the warm breeze blowing through my tent. Soon, however, the whisper of Jackalberry leaves and bark of baboons twisted and melted into dreams. It had been a long day. I had traveled from the south-western to the north-eastern corner of South Africa.

Enchanted forest

Setting off at dawn, we drove into the forest. So this is why Scarlett got so excited about Pafuri’s Yellow Fever Trees. The early morning light filtered through the leaves of slender, green-barked branches. Everything seemed to radiate with a golden green glow.

My senses were overdosing on new smells, sights and sounds. I kept grabbing my companions’ arms and pointing in various directions, “Have you seen that?”, “Wow, look over there!”.

After a while the Fever Trees gave way to riverine forest. The vegetation changed so often during our drives; cool forests; the floodplains of the Limpopo; open savannah grassland. I guess that’s how 75% of the Kruger’s plant and animal species can be found in the Makuleke Concession, which is remarkable considering it’s only around 1% of the total park area.

All things great and small

The forest air was alive with song. I closed my eyes and focused on the sounds. There were so many layers; the more I listened, the more calls I heard. Enos pointed out birds of all shapes and sizes from colourful Lilac-breasted Rollers to a pair of Black Eagles

Although I consider myself to be well travelled, I haven’t spent nearly enough time in the bush. My limited safari experience has always been geared around big game, so initially whenever the vehicle stopped I would peer around expectantly. Lion? Rhino? What? Where?

Don’t get me wrong, we saw plenty of wildlife; buffalo, elephant, nyala, waterbuck, hippo, zebra, warthog, eland, monkeys, impala … . But Pafuri Camp is not the right choice for those wanting to see the ‘Big Five’. The roads are few and far between, and you happen across animals rather than tracking them down.

A deeper understanding

Between the Latin names, interesting facts about the behaviour of old ‘dagga boy’ buffalos, and humurous mimicking of the Lourie’s distinctive “go away” call; Enos would tell us fascinating stories. We learned how the Fever Tree got its name, the many uses of Leadwood, and how the branch of a Buffalo Thorn is used to transport the soul of a loved one from a distant grave back to their home.

Having grown up in the area Enos would also shared tales of his childhood while showing us how to plait rope from the bark of a Mopane Tree, pointing out fruit his grandmother used to cook and revealing the foundations of the old Portuguese supply store he used to visit by Crook’s Corner.

‘Look forward but don’t forget’

In 1969 he and his family were forcibly removed from the area by the apartheid government in order to extend the Kruger National Park to the border of Zimbabwe. Nearly 30 years later, in 1998, the land was returned to the Makuleke community who decided to develop the area for ecotourism.

The result of this decision is a highly successful partnership between the Makuleke people and Pafuri. Aside from their share of revenues earned from the camp, the Makuleke benefit from job creation, training and community development projects.

Enos’s family still lives in the Makuleke Village in Nthlhaveni, some 100km south-west of their original property. It was obvious how much he loved the area, his knowledge and passion were incredible, and having him as my guide enriched my safari experience many times over.

Dodging the law

We stopped for a mid-morning cup of coffee at Crook’s Corner. Standing on the dry riverbed of the ancient Limpopo we were at the intersection of three countries, and could look across into both Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

The only other creatures in this remote area were a hippo wallowing in the Luvuvhu River, and a couple of crocs. Legend has it, however, that this used to be a safe-haven for fugitives on the run. These outlaws would avoid being caught by crossing the crocodile-infested rivers into the country of their choice, or - so the story goes - simply moving the border beacon a few metres either way.

Bird songs and guitar

It had been a long and interesting morning, but it was now nearly 11am, so we headed back to camp. On an average Saturday this would have been around the time I would have contemplated leaving my flat after a leisurely breakfast. It’s amazing how much you can see and experience in a single morning.

Part of my afternoon was spent in a comfy chair on my private balcony jotting down notes, with the cry of a Fish Eagle and tap of a woodpecker echoing through the trees. I looked across my section of river and realised I was smiling to myself. All those clichéd phrases; ‘relax and unwind’, ‘let your worries drift away’, well they’re clichés for a reason. I felt completely at peace.

Wandering back to the swimming pool on the main deck I found my friend Roddy being entertained by Chauke and his electric guitar. Chauke’s laugh was infectious, and he soon had me singing along to his jazzed-up rendition of “If you love Pafuri clap your hands”.

Creature of the night

Our afternoon game drive took us through Mopane woodland and past huge, ancient baobabs. We had sundowners at a magnificent vantage point overlooking Lanner Gorge. On all three of our drives we explored different sections of the concession, and never saw another vehicle.

Driving back after a spectacular sunset washed down with an ice-cold gin and tonic, we were happily chatting about how life doesn’t get much better than this. Suddenly my heart caught in my throat. Enos held up his hand, but there was no need. The chatter in the Land Rover had abruptly ceased. There, caught in the headlights, was a leopard sauntering along a few metres ahead of us.

We followed him for a while. Then rounding a bend we found him lying next to the track, a metre or two from my leg. I’ve never been so close to one of the big cats. I think leopards are possibly the most beautiful animals, and he was magnificent. It was the perfect end to my day.
The whole package

So I never did see a giraffe; not that really mattered. Pafuri has a high concentration of wildlife, incredible vegetation, spectacular scenery and species of bird found nowhere else in South Africa. But what really added the extra edge to my safari was that insight into a place, a history, and a culture I had previously known very little about.

To visit the Kruger National Park and its surrounds visit us now at http://www.go2africa.com/kruger-national-park/