Prints in the sand, stories in the stars

Between dust trails and starlit skies, a journey into Mpumalanga's Klaserie reserve offers luxury, danger and unforgettable encounters with nature

- Aarti Bhana

It was a sweltering afternoon, and our open-air safari vehicle was rumbling through the arid savannah in Mpumalanga — crunching the dry grass, sticks, branches and stones that lay in the tracks through the veld where elephants, lions and leopards roam.

With the sun on our backs, and the chilly breeze on our faces, we scoured the bushes for a sighting of an animal.

We were exploring the 60 000-hectare Klaserie Private Nature Reserve during a heatwave at the start of this month and were warned that animals tend to take refuge in the shade of trees and in thickets. But still our eyes searched.

Our tracker, Jomo Ndlovu, sat on an elevated seat at the front of the vehicle, with a bird's eye view of the bush. He kept a close eye out for any movement or animal tracks in the sand and headed our young and energetic safari guide, Connor Zinn, in the right direction.

Occasionally, they would jump off the vehicle to identify animal prints. Their experienced eyes could tell what had made them, how recent the prints were and in which direction they were headed. The anticipation bubbled in our stomachs, but on our first safari, they shied away from the sunlight and to my dismay there was not a feline in sight. Yet.

The guides, belonging to the Last Word Kitara on the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, arranged for special sundowners at dusk, overlooking the Klaserie River and a solo hyena prowling for lions' leftovers.

As the sun disappeared into its slumber, the stars began to twinkle. But, in the bush, the night sky is more vast, overwhelming and deliberate in its attempt to engulf us than in the city.

While Ndlovu’s eyes followed the light of his torch to spot any animals that might be around, our guide stopped the vehicle and we sat under the stars. Complete silence. Whiffs of bush dust but mostly fresh air and a reminder of how small we are in this massive galaxy.