7 Day Walking Safari in the Selati Game Reserve

Day 1

Guests typically arrive in Hoedspruit in the morning and will be met and collected by us at the Rock Fig Center. Followed by an hour vehicle transfer to our camp in the Selati Game Reserve. Or we meet the people directly at the gate of the Reserve.

Guests will have time to settle and freshen-up in their tents prior to a light lunch followed by a safety briefing and a talk about the program for the upcoming days – setting expectations and prepping guests for what will be an epic wildlife and safari experience.

Then we will depart for a relaxed walk outside of camp, slowly introducing everyone to the environment and stretching our legs after a long day of travel.

Day 2

Our days will start early, typically before sunrise, for a quick cup of coffee and some cereals prior to meet for our Game Walk. This walk will focus on the introduction of Selati, the Savanna Biome and the vegetation in this area. We will explain to you the walking technique and the way of finding and approaching animals.
We also hike to the highest mountain in the reserve, La Bela France.

Potential target mammal species in the Selati Game Reserve include: leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena, zebra, giraffe, warthog, waterbuck, chacma baboon, vervet monkey and nyala.

Eventually, we will slow down from chasing down the larger, rarer iconic mammals as we start to focus more on the birdlife and other creatures that call this reserve home.

Target bird species are far too numerous to mention them all, but a few specials include: Greyhooded Kingfisher, Western Osprey, Lappet-faced Vulture, Thick-billed Cuckoo and many more species.

The morning game walks are typically 4-5 hours in duration and consist of a mid-way breakfast break in a nice spot.

Arriving back in camp you will have a chance to return to your rooms and freshen up briefly before a well-deserved lunch around 1pm.

There is then a break during mid-day and the use of this break will either be for a siesta or will be discussed to you during the safari if otherwise.

Afternoon tea prior to heading out for the afternoon activity which typically leaves around 3:30 or 4pm. We will focus on tracks and tracking animals. During the walk we will teach you different tracks and how to track an animal. If we find fresh tracks we will start following the animal and try to find it.

Upon arrival at camp there will be ample time to freshen up prior to dinner and discussions on the next day’s program.

Day 3

In the morning we will take a long walk to the Ga-Selati River and be surprised which Big 5 we encounter on the way. During this walk we will study birds and bird songs. In the afternoon we will hike to the top of a small hill and enjoy the view from there.

Possible changes or additions to the daily program will be discussed together on a daily basis.

Day 4

The camp area is a popular spot for black and white rhinos. We will go out to look for tracks and signs to find them. In the afternoon we will be dropped off about 3 km from camp and have a slow walk back to camp. During the walk we will focus on trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers and explain to you the ecological roles of them.

After dinner we will have an astronomy talk, where we introduce you to the stars of the southern hemisphere.

Any changes or additions to the daily routine will be discussed on a day to day bases.

Day 5

We will leave early morning with the vehicle towards the area of an archaeological site. The last stretch we will walk on foot to explore the hill and its surroundings. Our breakfast break we have on top of the hill. This place is normally a good area to spot elephants, rhinos and lions.

There will be no afternoon activity. After dinner we will depart for a night game drive. We drive with a spotlight searching for some nocturnal creatures. These can include: leopard, lion, genet, civit, various mongoose species, bush babies and much more.

Any changes or additions to the daily routine will be discussed on a day to day bases.

Day 6

In the morning we will drive out to a specific location and then walk back to camp. This location will depend on our understanding of the animal’s movements to better our chances of animal encounters. On this walk we will focus on the animal behavior.

In the afternoon we will enjoy a drive out to the vulture restaurant. From there we will drive to a nice sundowner spot where we will watch the sunset. During this drive we will learn a lot about birds and their behavior.

Any changes or additions to the daily routine will be discussed on a day to day bases.

Day 7

Today marks the end of our trip and will start with a full cooked breakfast prior to our departure.