The newly launched Samara Cheetah Trail, a walking safari through a Big 5 game reserve in the Karoo, was a thrilling experience for wildlife enthusiast FIONA McINTOSH.
Christiaan Swanepoel, our guide, holds up his hand; three white rhinos are ahead. We’ve only been on the Samara Cheetah Trail for a couple of hours, but already we have an appreciation of the diversity of this 27 000ha wilderness area.
The drive from the reserve gate had taken us through wooded and riverine areas where we encountered giraffes, elephants and forest birds, then into expansive grasslands alive with antelope.
On our arrival at Plains Camp, the base for the four-day trail, we’d been warned that although this is open country, we still needed to be alert. And not just for big animals; we would be hiking off path for much of the time, over rocky terrain studded with acacia trees. Giving the rhinos a wide berth, we now continue on our way, watching large herds of zebra, red hartebeest and springbok and stopping regularly to get down on our haunches to inspect delicate little flowers, insects and the tracks that provide clues to the animals that inhabit this wild place.
The geology is interesting too. Big black boulders of dolerite are warm and smooth to the touch, and in the distance typical sandstone koppies fringe the plains, the harder bands of rock forming steep cliffs.
We take a break at the top of an escarpment and admire the stunning view down to the plains below. Beyond the reserve boundary we can see fence lines and cultivated fields – a landscape that’s very different from the one we’ve been walking through.
In a stunning, remote location, Plains Camp has everything that hikers could need. Barefoot luxury at its best.
We’re hiking in Samara Karoo Reserve. Located in a global biodiversity hotspot, it comprises an astonishingly varied landscape, across five of South Africa’s nine biomes. Founded in 1997 by Mark and Sarah Tompkins, Samara has pioneered the rewilding of this semi-arid environment that once witnessed one of the world’s largest migrations, when millions of springbok, along with wildebeest, eland and other antelope, trekked across these plains in search of new pasture. Alongside the vast herds trotted predators: Cape lions, cheetahs, leopards and African wild dogs.
The long-term vision for Samara is to return this ‘Serengeti of the south’ to its former glory, restocked with those species that occurred here so long ago. The wilderness area is expanding all the time as neighbouring farms turn to conservation, explains Christiaan. But restoring the natural balance by tearing down the fences, eradicating alien plants, allowing the land to rest and rejuvenate and reintroducing indigenous animals – it’s all a mammoth task.
Nevertheless, the results so far are phenomenal; there’s an astonishing amount of game on these seemingly grey and drab plains. With the guides’ help, we begin to understand how this has come about, as they identify for us the tiny, hardy succulents and other vibrant wildflowers that light up the veld and the little critters, including dung beetles and termites, that play critical roles in this fragile ecosystem.
Back at Plains Camp, we find the accommodation is remote and rustic, yet we want for nothing. The tents are spacious, with en-suite bathrooms, quality linen on the comfortable beds and all the ‘safari-style’ luxuries, including a big deck and a pool, which is apparently visited by big game from time to time, surprising guests as they sip their sundowners on the deck!
Dinner is a feast, then we’re escorted back to our tents. The staff members are so relaxed that it’s easy to forget that we’re in an unfenced camp in a Big 5 reserve.
A few hours later my tent mate wakes me; something is scratching against the ropes outside. We stare at each other, silently debating whether we should investigate.
My bed is nearer the door, so I quietly unzip the mesh and slip out onto the veranda. A full moon lights up the surrounds, but there’s no sign of our nocturnal visitor.
On the second day we’re up bright and early for a morning walk, enjoying the birdsong and encountering ostriches and comical secretarybirds sporting their distinctive black shorts and grey blazers.
As we approach a thicket, Christiaan reminds us that if we encounter dangerous game we must stand still – never run! Our hearts pound as we progress in single file, staying close together as we duck under thorn trees. Both guide and tracker are on guard; the thick vegetation could be hiding a black rhino or an elephant, or even a lion. This is a high-adrenalin adventure.
Emerging back onto the open plain, we encounter an anti-poaching patroller on a motorbike. His big smile says it all. These guys love the Karoo and their jobs.
Continuing on the interpretive journey, we come across skulls and empty tortoise shells, the evidence of jackal kills. Our tracking skills are improving; we can now identify the spoor of giraffes, white and black rhinos and most buck.
Though the most interesting lesson of the day is how to detect the pace of a cheetah from the position of its hind prints relative to its forefeet.
The birding is incredible. There are kori bustards (the heaviest flying bird in the world), soaring eagles and graceful blue cranes, South Africa’s national bird.
Red-crested korhaans entertain us with their courtship rituals, flying high into the air before plunging towards earth. “We call them suicide birds,” laughs Elroy Pietersen, the tracker. “The female chooses the male who pulls out of the dive closest to the ground.” It’s a high-stakes game!
After brunch and some downtime, we head out towards the mountains and the mobile camp that will be home for the night. Lying among the foothills of conical peaks, the simple bush camp comes as a surprise.
With mosquito nets dangling like ghosts over our camp beds, it has a simple, romantic elegance. There’s even an open-air shower and an eco-loo.
Snacks, drinks and salads are laid out on the table and a kettle is on the fire. As the guides prepare the braai, we sit around the campfire listening to their tales of the Karoo.
A vibrant sunset is followed by a star- spangled sky. We’re offered the opportunity to take hour-long watches while the rest of the group sleeps, but the evening is so magical that most of us are up until midnight, enthralled as Christiaan points out the constellations overhead. I’m up at 4am for my watch, revelling in the changing hues of the pre-dawn light. As the sun rises, the calm gives way to a white-out, then a gusting wind.
After a hearty breakfast we complete the circle back to Plains Camp, walking past meerkat burrows and great stands of colourful, spiky cat’s tails as the storm clouds build. Later, undeterred by the weather, we head out on an afternoon game drive.
The guides have located a pair of cheetahs, but they’re not within walking distance. The wind has picked up and huge herds of springbok are hunkered down together, but they sprint away as we approach, pronking to demonstrate their strength.
Elroy sits in the tracker’s seat with an antenna that should lead us to one of the collared cats. We’re in luck. After 20 minutes he spots the two cheetahs devouring a young gemsbok. The ‘Kalahari boys’ are unfazed at our approach. Bloody-faced and with huge bellies, the siblings eat from opposite sides, snarling if one crosses the line. Replete, the cats take a break – and so do we, moving on to sundowners in a dry pan. It’s the quintessential safari experience.
By the time we get back to Plains Camp the sky is dark and moody and the hatches have been battened down. But no storm will spoil our final dinner, a happy celebration of spontaneous singing and laughter. The trail has been carefully choreographed, building up to the grand finale of the Kalahari Boys.
In the morning the animals are skittish, as if energised by the storm, but we could not have had better sightings. We’ve seen pretty much everything there is to see, except buffalo: rhino, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, zebra, eland, kudu, elephant and giraffe.
It’s difficult to leave this inspiring reserve with its distant horizons, abundant wildlife and warm, friendly characters. We’ve been enlightened, surprised and spoilt every step of the way. It’s easy to understand why people are so drawn to the Karoo; the enormous, empty plains and rugged mountains have a desolate beauty. But the harsh landscape is tough to explore on foot, so we appreciate the privileges that Samara offers. This is more than a stunning hike; it’s an opportunity to reconnect with nature, to go deep into the wild.