TRAILS: THE SPIRIT OF AFRICA TRAIL

THE SPIRIT OF AFRICA TRAIL
in the Zululand wilderness

For the greater part of our existence, we lived in Africa as hunter gatherers exposed to the elements and the wild game of that continent. Here, we were part of the natural landscape and this ancient place remains a part of our very souls.

On the Spirit of Africa trail we will be taking you into a true wilderness area in the very heart of the Zulu kingdom. Here, in a small group of not more than seven participants, you will have the opportunity to be fully in the aboriginal landscape, experiencing its wild game on foot by day and sleeping under the African sky at night.

We will meet in the South African coastal city of Durban. You will be collected either from the airport or your hotel and, after getting your kit, we will drive to a hotel in the Zululand hills. There you can relax and enjoy the various activities on offer including dinner with both African and Western dishes followed by a dramatic display of Zulu tribal dancing.

The following morning we’ll prepare our packs and then drive to the Umfolozi Game Reserve - the home of the highly successful ‘save the white rhino’ campaign. We’ll park on the edge of the wilderness area and walk in with everything we need for the next five days. Although we will have to walk with packs for a few hours at a time, our intention is not to overstretch participants. You need to be reasonably fit but the aim is not to challenge you physically but rather to help you relax and become part of, this primal African terrain.

In the wilderness, we leave civilization behind. Watches are taken off and most of the time our walking will be done in silence allowing us to be receptive to the sights, sounds, smells, and ‘feel’ of Africa. As we do so, we open up to a much fuller experience and begin to realize just how blunted our day-to-day senses had become.

We’ll walk for part of each day and, in anticipating this, you should bear in mind that most wild animals will sense our presence long before we see or hear them and are as wary of us as we may be of them. Many of them will fade from our view but we will have the opportunity to watch the wildlife from a respectful distance and experience the profusion of sounds that emanate from the huge range of game that exists in the Umfolozi Game Reserve. White rhino, black rhino, buffalo, lion, elephants, crocodiles, giraffe, baboon, kudu, zebra, nyala, impala, hyena, leopard, cheetah, and prolific bird life inhabit this area.

Each day we will take some time to explore our experiences together as a group. These experiences will, of course, be many and varied and we encourage you to come to the trail with an open mind, simply allowing whatever happens to happen. We hope that you will have a rather extraordinary time on this trail and realize that each of you will experience it in his or her own way.

At night we will sleep under the dramatic African sky in sleeping bags. All are expected to take a turn to tend the fire and to stand watch. Being surrounded by the darkness of the night and its many sounds and smells, is a time many find to be very special.

After five nights in the Umfolozi, we will drive to a second Zululand reserve, where we will spend two nights in shared rustic accommodation. There will be beds, primitive showers and a roof over our heads. Our time there will form a bridge between the extraordinary wilderness in which we have been living and the ordinary world to which we must return. This will be a time for sharing stories, digesting our experiences and considering how we can incorporate what we have learnt and experienced into our everyday lives.

Safety:

We would like to emphasise that safety is our highest priority. We will not expose you to any unnecessary risk. Of, course there are risks involved in being in a wilderness area (as there are risks involved in driving on a motorway). An attitude which is continuously mindful of safety minimizes this risk. We are proud to be able to say that no one has sustained any significant injury on our trails.

Costs:

The fee for the trail is £1600.00.

This is a once in a lifetime, potentially life-changing experience and the fee reflects the size of the group and the expert facilitation.

The fee is all-inclusive - there are no extra costs during the trail.

The trail begins and ends in Durban, South Africa and the cost of the flights to and from Durban is the responsibility of each participant.

Further enquiries :

Contact Bill Petrie (see Contacting Us) and he will lead you through the process.

Conditions:

All trails will be limited to seven guests.

You will need to have comprehensive travel insurance that covers activities such as the trail.

We cannot permit alcohol or any psychoactive drugs into the wilderness areas as we will be depending on each other for our safety.