Jörgen Linder
Africa on Foot
This is an organization specializing on guided walking safaris in the Klaserie private nature reserv in the greater Kruger. We joined them for two days and spent approximately five hours a day walking, stayed in tented camps and went for game drives in the evenings. It might appear hazardous at first given the warnings as you enter the reserve. Our guides assured us on several occasions though, that the animals are more afraid of us than we of them. I guess it all depends on who you are and which animals we are talking about...
We were joined by a Norwegian couple, a Belgian couple and a South African wildlife blogger and photographer.
We met up at their starting lodge before going straight to the first tented camp for an early start the next day.
The weather was dismal with heavy thunderstorms throughout the evening and the night, but just before sunrise, the storms had abated and we could get on our way.
The walking in general did not take us that close to the larger mammals, apart from elephants that do not mind coming a bit too close for comfort. However we got to learn a lot about plants, insects, animal habits, tracks and the African bush altogether. We learned for instance that you will find lots of millipedes here. The big ones are pretty harmless. The smaller centipedes are poisonous though, not deadly, but it feels similar to a sting by a bee or a wasp to be bitten by them.
Baboon Spider
These are large Tarantulas and get up to about 15 cm including the legs. The females live in surprisingly large burrows in the ground and eat insects, rodents, reptiles and almost anything they can overpower. The fangs are large and bites are painful but not deadly or even particularly dangerous for humans.
The Baboon spiders are generally docile but will lift their front legs into the air when disturbed or threatened and will not hesitate to bite at this stage.
During the first day we came across lots of mammals, birds and insects before reaching the end point, a cliff called the Lion King, which is commonly used for lunch stops or evening sundowners for various lodges in the area.
From there we continued to an old quarry where our second tented camp was located and endured another evening and night with heavy thunderstorms.
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The second day started off very interestingly as we immediately found ourselves wedged in between three different herds of elephants.
Allegedly they are more afraid of us than we of them. They are very good at their intimidation game nonetheless. David, who had been walking with us the first day and were on his way to another lodge managed to get some nice pictures of our encounter with a boisterous young bull elephant.
The rest of the day was calmer. There were lots of animals. Very big, very small, and everything in between.
