WildSide Trails & Training

WildSide Trails & Training Big 5 multi-day wilderness walking and immersion experiences in Pafuri in Kruger and Greater Makalali in Limpopo, South Africa.

05/06/2026

Pafuri Traverse 2026. What a start to the season it’s been! So different to previous years, and still so much to look forward to!

22 days of walking The Pafuri Traverse 2026. These are my boots, brand new at the start. They are a super comfy pair of ...
04/06/2026

22 days of walking The Pafuri Traverse 2026. These are my boots, brand new at the start. They are a super comfy pair of Altra Timps, taken some wear from my gaiters on the top.

It’s been a thick and wet beginning to the season but things are drying out and opening up now. Next Traverse - 12 June, enjoying a bit of a break until then….


Our human spirit in the wild finding it's self.
21/05/2026

Our human spirit in the wild finding it's self.

The Pafuri Traverse is fully underway with the second trail finishing this past weekend and the third going out today. W...
18/05/2026

The Pafuri Traverse is fully underway with the second trail finishing this past weekend and the third going out today.

What a start to the season it's been with full rivers and pans and a very green Pafuri.

Sunrise. There have been some stunners already. Next Pafuri Traverse heads out on Monday..
05/05/2026

Sunrise. There have been some stunners already. Next Pafuri Traverse heads out on Monday..

The river rose overnight. It had started slowly the previous evening, hardly noticeable for the first few hours. We move...
01/05/2026

The river rose overnight. It had started slowly the previous evening, hardly noticeable for the first few hours. We moved to high ground. In the morning when we climbed out of our tents at 6am, it was up by a meter. Within the hour, another meter. The mighty Limpopo from low to flooding in 12 hours. Impressive. Awe.

The Pafuri Traverse season is underway. Three trails in and many to go!
22/04/2026

The Pafuri Traverse season is underway.
Three trails in and many to go!

Tent. Bush. River. We don't need much more...
25/03/2026

Tent. Bush. River.

We don't need much more...

The Pafuri Traverse follows what has become a well established route. Starting near Lanner Gorge on the Luvuvhu River ...
19/03/2026

The Pafuri Traverse follows what has become a well established route. Starting near Lanner Gorge on the Luvuvhu River it heads east, into Crooks Corner, then up along the Limpopo, finishing at Makwadzi Pan. About 75 kilometres. Five days. Solid, proven, predictable (sometimes)

That’s what this trail was meant to be, nothing extra or unplanned.

July 2025. A family of four, mom, dad, two sons, out to walk. No big agenda. Just the trail.
In the lead up, the plan shifted slightly. Two resupplies became one. Nothing unusual. But once we were out there, it became clear we were not all picturing that drop in quite the same day. Some had packed supplies for 2 days and others 3. The drop had been planned for the 3rd day.
No issue. It just meant we had to move a bit further each day, and this group could walk!
So we stretched ourselves the first two days. Covered ground. Stayed steady. No drama, just a quiet understanding that we would make it work.
By the end of Day 2, we reached the resupply that was meant for Day 3. A full day ahead of schedule.

That changed everything.
Instead of easing into Makwadzi and finishing as planned, we kept going.
Past the standard endpoint, past Banyini Pan and then further, into the Mutale Gorge.
That was new ground for us on this route. Not forced, not planned. Just the next step once we had the time.
We camped in the Mutale that night, and took a short walk the following morning to where we had started. We had just completed the full traverse, a full loop, by chance.
Not in stages, not in pieces like before, but as one continuous loop. Luvuvhu, Crooks, Limpopo, Makwadzi, Banyini, Mutale, and back to where we started.

Done, the first time and we had not even set out to do it.
Since 2024, we had been edging closer. First to Makwadzi, then to Banyini, then a little further each time. But never the full circular route until now.

All it took was a small shift in the plan, a group that could move, and a willingness to let the trail unfold instead of sticking rigidly to what we thought it should be.

That is how it works out in the wild.

You do not always find the route by planning it.

Sometimes, you find it by walking.

04/03/2026

Rietbok Vlei. The life that exudes from this seasonal pan after good summer rains is incredible. It makes one of the best lunch stops on The Pafuri Traverse on the 3rd day.

Address

Kampersrus
Hoedspruit
1371

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 17:00
Saturday 08:00 - 12:00

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