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Back in the Timbavati: Our Stay at Walkers Plains Camp
There is something about being back in the Timbavati that never gets old. We grew up spending a huge amount of time here, so it has always felt like home to us, and although we return often, there is still something exciting about exploring a new camp and seeing the reserve from a different perspective. This time, at Walkers Plains Camp.
We arrived in time for high tea and, after the drive in, were very happy to sit down with a delicious iced coffee before meeting the team and having a quick introduction to camp. We were then introduced to our guide, Tayla, and tracker, Zekele, before heading out for our first afternoon game drive.
Tayla talked us through the plan for the afternoon and we set off. Both she and Zekele were fantastic from the start, incredibly knowledgeable and clearly very passionate about the bush. It was also lovely to have Tayla as our guide. We are seeing more and more female guides coming through in the industry, which is something we love to see.
We were also very pleased to discover that Walkers Plains has binoculars available to hire for the day, as we had somehow managed to forget ours!
The afternoon started with four different herds of elephants, along with plenty of plains game, before we came across something much more unusual: a dead leopard.
There was a fascinating story behind it. A young male leopard had been attacked and injured by lions before moving into the territory of an older male. The older male subsequently killed him and dragged him up into a marula tree to feed on him. Even more unusual, the same male had also killed an aardvark and dragged it up into the other side of the very same tree. Sadly, we never managed to find the older male himself, but it was a first for us to see something like this and hear the story behind it. It was a rather sobering sight, but also a really interesting reminder of just how much goes on in the bush that we don't always get to witness.
We continued on and stopped for sundowners, with our favourite bush drink, a G&T, before making our way back towards camp. Then, only about 50 metres from camp, we came across a female lion on a zebra kill. She was still feeding away, and it was a fantastic way to finish our first drive.
By the time we got back to camp, the fire was already alight, which immediately set the scene for the evening. We really enjoyed the tradition at Walkers Plains of bringing all the guests and guides together at the bar after game drive for a drink. With only a handful of guests in camp, it felt very relaxed and sociable, and it was a great opportunity to chat to everyone about what they had seen that afternoon.
We then headed through for dinner at our own tables before an early night. The next morning started with a 5:30am wake-up call, followed by coffee and rusks in the main area before heading out with Tayla and Zekele again.
We had heard lions and hyenas calling throughout the night, so we went straight back to the area where we'd found the zebra kill the previous evening. We found four females and one male, although by this point there was barely anything left of the zebra.
We spent some time searching for the older male leopard but unfortunately had no luck. We did, however, stop for a coffee break and were treated to a delicious Amachocochino — Amarula, hot chocolate and coffee. Definitely a very good way to start the morning!
After a little more exploring, we headed back to camp for breakfast and had some time to enjoy the camp itself. Walkers Plains has just eight suites, including two family suites, and each suite has its own private plunge pool. The camp has a lovely intimate feel without being overly formal, and our favourite part was probably the view over the waterhole, which was constantly attracting general game throughout our stay. It meant you could sit in camp and still feel very much connected to what was happening around you.
The camp is owned and run by twins James and Steve, together with their parents, making it a true family-run camp. That family connection comes through in the feel of the place, it is relaxed, personal and easy-going, with the small number of rooms making it easy to get to know both the team and the other guests.
A big thank you to the whole Walkers Plains team for such a lovely stay and for making us feel so welcome. It was wonderful to spend time back in the Timbavati, discover a new camp and experience the area from a different perspective. We are looking forward to sending our L&L travellers to Walkers Plains and know they’ll enjoy the camp, the wonderful team and, of course, everything the Timbavati has to offer just as much as we did
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