TULI WILDERNESS TRAILS AND BUSH CAMPS BOTSWANA

There is something different about walking in the wilderness.
In a vehicle you are an observer. On foot you are a participant.
You assume the role that your ancestors played for more than a hundred thousand years.
You have arrived where it all began, on the savannahs of Africa.

Craig Beaton (ex Kruger Park Trails) hosts our professionally guided, fully catered wilderness trail which usually take place over a period of four nights and has three full days of walking.

Two experienced, professional rangers accompany you on the trail, which starts at our luxury tented Musth Camp. We spend the first night here and the following morning we walk to the rustic Rutt Camp, our home for the next two nights. We walk out from this camp each day. The last night is spent back at Musth Camp. Although the emphasis is on walking and wilderness, we sometimes use a vehicle to get to the more remote good walking areas.

A typical day is made up of two sessions: after a dawn wake-up and a cup of coffee or tea and rusks we head off for a morning walk, which lasts between four and five hours. We take regular breaks and rest halfway through the morning walk at a pleasant spot to enjoy basic snacks, fruit juice and water. We return to camp about two hours later, have a shower and then a hearty brunch followed by a siesta. In the afternoon we go for another walk and return to camp just after sunset. The evening meal is served about an hour later around the camp fire.

We supply lightweight backpacks and water bottles for use on the trail. The trail covers between 8 and 12 kms per day, depending on the level of fitness of trailists. Children 12 years old and younger cannot participate on these trails.

Trails meals provided are

Morning tea, coffee, rusks, fruit, snacks
Substantial brunch in the camp
Afternoon tea, coffee, biscuits, fruit, snacks
Bush dinner around the camp fire

YOU MUST BRING

Drinks, ice, hat, torch (essential), sunscreen, insect repellent, strong comfortable walking shoes, neutrally-coloured clothes, binoculars (optional), camera (optional).

Please note: Although we recommend 4-night trails, we are able to accommodate shorter and longer duration trails, subject to camp availability. Please contact us if you wish to discuss options.

A heartfelt description from a trailist:

The film of moisture that covers the sand in the dry river is broken by our first tentative footfalls as we make our way up an old watercourse. The “Ana-boom” trees droop over the sand, heavy with their sweet rusty-coloured pods which will be relished by impala, warthog and elephant at various times during the day. We spot a troop of baboons descending from a Mashatu tree, perched atop a termite mound, chatting amongst each other, busying themselves with the morning’s politics and foraging.

Sensations are so intense on foot. Freshly grazed grass stalks, moist from the night, crunch underfoot. Thousands of tiny silk funnel webs in the grass and intricately woven tent webs suspended in thorn trees, are exposed briefly in the morning light and dew, surrounding us in a mysterious fairy landscape. Leaves brush past limbs in greeting and thorns scrape legs alive

Tracks of all sizes criss-cross a game path bearing testimony to the innumerable tales and tribulations of the night. A large male lion track, not yet disturbed by the morning breeze cautions us as we walk, urging us to pay close attention. The thick air conveys the morning as a multitude of subtle fresh scents rise from the fresh soil and vegetation. We trail undisturbed elephant spoor, treading as soundlessly as possible, listening for the tell-tale thud of dropping dung. As we head into a riverine thicket our ears again search, revealing so much more than our eyes.

The activity levels of the walkers and animals decrease with the increase in temperature. Awareness becomes more difficult as the sun climbs. Eyes drop to the ground in front instead of scanning the surrounds. Heavy feet trip on small stones. Our legs bear numerous satisfying and yarn-filled scratches and our bellies are starting to turn at the thought of the immense (and well-earned) brunch to come. Our hearts and minds are filled with awe and peace at the experience of being so close to our evolution, so contrastingly alive compared with our tired bodies.