Richard Madden walks the new Pioneer Trail through the unique ‘fynbos’vegetation of the Cape, in a game reserve where the Big Five also roam free
“The problem is quite simple,” said our guide, Tuan. “We humans no longer speak the language of nature. When you hear the roar of a lion on a bush walk, it’s more than just a terrifying thrill. You feel it deep in your guts as well. You realise you are a part of nature, not above it.”
The conversation, as it so often does under the spell of campfire and candlelight, had turned to conservation. Interrupting our light-hearted banter to reflect on the experiences of the day, we gazed thoughtfully into our “bush TV” or up to the heavens to watch the soap opera in the stars above.
There were 10 of us around the campfire that night, including our guides, Tuan and Mark. We were all pioneers on the Pioneer Trail, opened in November. Ours was one of the first groups to experience this three-night bush walk through the Gondwana Game Reserve, the latest – and most unique – attraction on South Africa’s Garden Route. We were an eclectic mix, multiple nationalities, men and women, singletons and couples, ranging in age from 20s to 60s.
Gondwana is the love child of co-founders Mark and Wendy Rutherfoord. The couple met when Mark was a wildlife manager at the Oppenheimer’s Tswalu Kalahari Reserve and Wendy was a holidaying New York ad executive. Mark and his childhood dream of owning a game reserve had proved to be an irresistible combination for Wendy.
Nearly 25 years on, Gondwana is the only reserve in the Southern Cape where the Big Five roam free. It’s also the only one to be found in South Africa’s critically endangered fynbos region. “Fynbos is what you see all around us,” our guide, Mark, had explained earlier that day as we rested under a tree. We were gazing out over a landscape of rolling hills and valleys. But instead of grasslands dotted with acacia trees, which many think of as the typical bush landscape, this looked more like the Scottish Highlands.
“Look closer,” advised Mark, reading my thoughts. “Fynbos has the most biodiverse plant life in the world and it’s unique to the Cape. There are 1,000 plant species and, get this, 145 bird species. It’s also the food source for many of the antelope you’ve seen, like kudu, eland and gemsbok. Last year, we even discovered an orchid that was thought to be extinct.”
Later in the day, following the line of the valley floor, we found ourselves walking under a cooling glade of trees. “These will definitely have to go,” said Tuhan looking around at us with a mischievous glint in his eye. He paused for dramatic effect. “They’re wattle. Australian. I love Aussies but these trees don’t belong here. They drink up groundwater and seriously reduce biodiversity. Groups staying at our eco-camp are helping to give them the chop and we’ve also discovered an indigenous beetle that sterilises their seed pods.”
Conservation and renovation are the beating heart of all things Gondwana. When the Rutherfoords first bought it, the 27,000 acres of the future Gondwana Reserve had been used for sheep and cattle grazing for generations and most of the wild animals, which had roamed these hills for countless millennia before the arrival of Europeans, had long gone.
Now, for the first time in centuries, all the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) have been reintroduced, along with Cape zebras, hippos, cheetahs, giraffes and around 15 species of antelope. Some smaller animals, such as aardvarks, wildcats and caracals, which had managed to cling on through thick and thin, are now thriving once more.
If conservation is the heart, birdsong is the voice of Gondwana. Mark and Tuan appeared to be familiar with all 145 species, from the orange-breasted sunbird to the Cape sugar bird. By the end of our walk, we could all recognise the call of a red-breasted cuckoo – a bit like Three Blind Mice – but the southern boubou was an aria too far. Its multiple calls include ringing and buzzing sounds. It can even mimic raptors so that smaller birds drop their prey. The trail follows a route devised by Mark and Wendy into the reserve’s more remote areas.
In South Africa, they call it slackpacking. A day pack is provided for water and walking essentials, while everything else is transported to the three tented camps along the route. The maximum group size is eight guests escorted by two armed bush guides, in our case Mark and Tuan. We walked for around six hours on each of the two days, often on animal tracks, across the rolling hills and valleys. Weather, as always, is the great variable. We lucked out with bright sunshine. The ozone layer is thin in this part of the world, so hats and maximum sunscreen are a must. Slowing down has a habit of opening the eyes. It’s as if life in the digital fast lane robs you of the ability to see what is around you in the real world. For a few days, Gondwana changed all that. First, it was the astonishing fynbos flowers with their sci-fi shapes and vivid colours. Then our guides began to show us things we would never have noticed on our own: a horned grasshopper like a dead piece of grass; seed pods that open only when it rains; a rhino beetle with its eponymous horn. And, unforgettably, a wolf spider with its eight alien eyes – yes, you read that correctly – and what looked like furry walrus tusks coming out of its mouth.
The healing secrets passed down by the original indigenous groups who lived here – the Khoikhoi and the San – were also a revelation. The extravagant stalks of the silvery helichrysum bush (aka bushman’s bedding) make the perfect mattress, complete with built-in insect repellent. In cases of insomnia, its leaves in a tea will soon have you nodding off. Scabiosa columbaria can be used as a baby powder and helps relieve stomach and period cramps. And then there’s the fungus that grows inside snouted termite mounds. Like a truffle and very nutritious, its minty taste was delicious.
And what of the Big Five? Getting seriously close to big game is not the objective on the Pioneer Trail. That can be done on the game drives that top and tail the walk itself, or by staying on for a night or two at one of the reserve’s luxurious lodges.
But we still saw glorious wildlife tableaux, including grazing elephant families and a breeding population of white rhinos. We also felt the hidden eyes of the reserve’s elusive Cape leopards as we enjoyed a picnic lunch in a rocky outcrop overlooking a hidden valley. There were also large numbers of zebras, giraffes and several species of antelope, including the delightful white-nosed bontebok. How amazing, then, to discover over dinner that this creature, which was nearly hunted to extinction, was brought back from the brink by none other than Mark’s great-grandfather.
It was only on our last night that we solved the final riddle of Gondwana Game Reserve: the reason for its name.
We were staying at the third of the three tented camps designed by Wendy with influences from some of the couple’s favourite African journeys. After east Africa and Mozambique, we had arrived in Morocco and were sitting cross-legged on cushions enjoying a delicious tagine dinner.
All along the route, we had enjoyed sublime views of the mountain ranges to the north. “Incredible to think that those mountains are the last visible evidence of the supercontinent Gondwanaland before it split into the continents we know today,” said Tuan, as we clinked glasses. It was only then that the penny finally dropped.
How to do it
The Gondwana Game Reserve Pioneer Trail is open from October to May. Departures are on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a three-night package costs from 12,750 rand (about £650) per person, including tents, guides, activities, all meals and selected local beverages, but excluding flights. Day packs, water bottles and walking sticks are provided (0027 21 555 0807; gondwanagr.co.za).
Gondwana is a scenic four-hour drive from Cape Town. Nearby Schoone Oordt Country House in Swellendam (0027 28 514 1248; schooneoordt.co.za) is very convenient for an overnight stay. Double rooms from £125 per night.
Three more ways to see Africa on foot
Zambia: Big Five
A Robin Pope mobile walking safari in a remote part of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, below, with a top walking guide is as good as it gets. Elephant, lion, leopard, giraffe, buffalo, zebra and many species of antelope are all possible encounters. Seven nights costs from £6,200pp, including flights. Scott Dunn (020 3733 8026; scottdunn.com).
Tanzania:chimpanzees
The Mahale Mountains in western Tanzania are home to the world’s largest group of wild chimpanzees. Based on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, you will make daily treks through dense forests to spend time with the chimpanzees, above. Seven nights at a combination of Greystoke Mahale and Chada Katavi lodges costs from £5,450pp excluding flights. Nomad Tanzania (00255 787 585908; nomad-tanzania.com).
Kenya:black rhino
On this exhilarating walking safari, you will track the critically endangered black rhino and actively support its conservation. Saruni Rhino is a simple but very comfortable lodge in a remote community conservation area in northern Kenya. Seven nights full-board split between Saruni Rhino and Kicheche Laikipia costs from £4,500pp, excluding flights. Expert Africa (020 3405 6666; expertafrica.com).
