The Scariest Haunted Hike

Rafe and I are at Hluhluwe-Imfolowzi, a game reserve in the Kwazulu-Natal state of South Africa. This reserve is 1/20th the size of Kruger (the HUGE park in South Africa that’s very well known), but has all the big five and has a “wilder feel”.

Big Five = Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalo, Rhinos
“Wilder Feel” = Less fences, in particular around the resorts

On our drive from the park gate 15 km to our camp, we saw rhinos, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, and (Rafe’s favorite) an elephant. Our first morning we went on a game drive, and saw more of the same, but much more close up (minus the elephant). We did more driving and exploring ourselves throughout the park, and Rafe even spotted two lions!

But, we wanted a bit more of an adventure, and Rafe wanted to connect with nature, so we signed up for a guided walk. I’m not really sure why I agreed to such a preposterous idea. The moment we got out of the car, our guide loaded up his rifle. At this point, I probably should have just gotten back in the car. He then explained the rules:

1. Always stay 1 meter behind the person in front of you, and NEVER go in front of him.
2. Don’t talk.
3. If you have a question, you can shoot your fingers (he meant snap).
4. If you see dangerous game—do not scream, do not run. Shoot your fingers, and say Elliot, there it is. And you can ask, after you shoot your fingers, Elliot, what is going on?

Once again, why I didn’t turn around right then, I can’t say. Other than Rafe really wanted to do it, and I certainly didn’t want him to go out there alone with Elliot.

We proceeded to spend the next, longest 2 hours of my life, going in circles, walking through the dung of many, many animals, following tracks, and getting a little too up close and personal with a few rhinos. My own bowels never relaxed; I sweat through all my clothes. I never stopped scanning my surroundings for lion eyes in the savannah grasses or leopard tails in trees. Elliot, he told us later, is much more concerned about elephants (the closest we got to them was some freshly broken trees and dung).

I have to admit, it was quite amazing. But, I will never do that again.