A New Adventure Begins with Motswari Walking Safaris

I’d been eagerly awaiting this day for some time, and now, with the launch of Motswari’s African Retreat Walking Safari Camp, the dawn of a new adventure was upon us. I had been away from the wild for a few weeks, and my spirit was yearning for a connection to the earth that is only felt with a walk in nature, where the crunch of sand under shoes is dirt music, and there is absolute presence with every breath and step.

This is where we go to meet our true selves, where we feel most alive.

We drive deep into new territory as the sun is rising, with head guide Jeremy behind the wheel. I chat to Marius, respectfully peppering him with questions, a giant baobab of a man after spending 21 years as a Kruger ranger and trails guide. The things he has seen and done could fill many books, from natural history to action thrillers

A half-hour later, we climb a small kopje and take in the sweeping views—a blend of savannah and woodland, and not another vehicle in sight. Jeremy and Marius discuss what direction to head in, and then we’re off…

A few minutes into the walk, we come across an impressive large spider with a yellow and black abdomen and glints of sunshine reflecting off its web.

“That’s a Garden Orb spider, harmless to humans,” says Marius. “The zig-zag pattern of the web is a defining characteristic.”

We keep going, stopping for tracks. What species, what foot, is it walking, or is it running? If it’s running, the back foot goes way beyond the front foot. Is it running towards prey or away from a predator?

Our eyes veer away from the elephant tracks on the ground and towards the thick bush ahead, our ears tuning in to the crack of a branch.

Hear before you’re heard.

“We don’t want to walk onto elephants in thick bush, so let’s go this way,” says Jeremy as we change course with the sun on our backs. A few more steps and we are met with a whiff of a male elephant in musth. It is during this time that they experience a heightened desire to mate and can become unpredictable.

Smell before you’re smelt.

The first animal we come eye to eye with is a sentinel mongoose. In a mongoose group, one individual takes on the role of “lookout” to warn the others of potential threats. When you get out of the safari vehicle and choose to go on foot, you are no longer an observer; you are a participant. Soon, other mongooses begin popping up around us, decidedly aware that we are no threat to them.

A walk in the wild is about appreciating the little things. Still, when a fresh white rhino track suddenly appears on our final stretch back to the vehicle, we all huddle around it, excited by the prospect of a rhino in this particular area.

See before you’re seen.

This land, which Motswari calls home, is one of the last strongholds for rhinos in Africa and perhaps the best place in the world to see them. And sometimes, it’s not even about seeing the rhino, not when you’re on foot. Sometimes, just finding fresh tracks and knowing this modern-day dinosaur is nearby is a passage of energy passed on from wild animal to human in search of our own wildness.

And if we seek, we will find.