Reviewer Diaries: Part 2: Machampane and the Palarangala Wilderness Trail

Part 1 of the reviewer diaries can be read here

The Palarangala Wilderness Trail

The Palarangala Wilderness Trail is a 3 night, 4 day walking trail set on the Lebombo Plateau not too far from Machampane Wilderness Camp and is in the heart of the region where large numbers of game where recently re-introduced including buffalo, elephant and various antelope species. The Limpopo National Park is a wild, raw and rustic destination and although game viewing is not as good as in the Kruger National Park the wilderness experience and authentic African feel makes the visit worth it. The Palarangala site where we stayed was set on the banks of a dry riverbed amongst mopane and tamboti trees. We were treated to a relaxed braai and some cold local 2M beers (not to be missed) and fell asleep to the sounds of the African bush under a breathtakingly starry sky.

The morning started with a bush walk - the duration and length of these can be tailored to fit in with a group’s preferences. Our guide on the walk was a South African guide named Jonty whilst our local armed ranger from PNL was Jose Luis. Jose was armed with an AK 47 which was slightly different from the traditional .375 and .458 rifles usually carried by guides. He assured us that the automatic weapon, stocked with 17 rounds, was more than enough to take care of a situation. We were joined by a Swedish group who had arrived at Machampane the day before. Although not much was seen we came across a number of fresh tracks including those of two young male lions, a large male lion and a lone elephant bull. Jonty described how he had walked into the two large male lions that have been frequenting the area for sometime the week before as well as buffalo and some elephant. After the trail we packed up the camp and moved onto Machampane Wilderness Camp.

Machampane Luxury Tented Camp

Machampane is a fantastic rustic tented camp situated on a beautiful section of the Machampane River surrounded by fever trees and rocky formations. The river is frequented by superb birdlife, large barbel (cat fish) and crocodiles. The camp consists of five comfortable tents (sleeps ten) all with great views of the river below, a main dining deck and an outdoor boma.

The walk that afternoon was to the confluence of the two rivers which was very scenic and a nice break from the typical dry and grey bush we had seen so far. A good number of game species was seen as well as some excellent birding. Scratching about at the bottom of an African Fish Eagles nest produced some interesting prey items including barbel and tilapia remains as well as those of a large rodent which we could only guess was a cane rat. The walk ended with a stop at one of the few large Baobab trees found in the region.

After a refreshing hot shower it was again time for a beer or 5. We relaxed in the outdoor boma with our new Swedish friends, who turned out to be very entertaining, whilst the staff prepared a braai with potatoes and vegetables. Dinner was held on the main deck and was served by the Shaangan ladies. The waitresses announce each course in a charming and amusing manner which went something like this 

-“Lookey nice, 

tastey nice, 

smelley nice…. Bon appetite”

That night we fell asleep to the cries of jackal, baboons barking and the sounds of crocodile hunting fish in the shallow waters.