Hippos grunt in the water, dark shapes of buffalo fade out of sight on a far bank and a crocodile slithers into the water through the reeds that frame the view. Organised by the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service, trails are limited to eight participants acccompanied by a trail guide and armed field officer. This was not an endurance test, though we walked some 40km. Donkeys carried our gear ahead and by the time we got to the lakeside camp, a delicious supper was bubbling away on the fire, lamps were lit and chairs set out for sundowners. Two-bedded tents are tucked away in the trees, there's a bush shower to which you carry hot water from the fire.
Loo facilities are a spade, paper and a box of matches - to burn the paper.
And you all go, so to speak, in a designated area. This is also not a Big Five experience, although there are elusive black rhino and leopard around, judging from dung and spoor. And though we were urged to be as quiet as mice, the only close encounter with big wildlife was when we startled a hippo under a tree which crashed headlong into the water, turning to glare at us. A baby green mamba clinging to a branch. And one is caught up in nature's way of things.