0:00:05 > 0:00:08South Africa is a country that always creates an impression.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14We know of its diverse population,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16the troubled history of apartheid
0:00:16 > 0:00:21and its rebirth as a global travel destination.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25I've been a fan of this country for many years,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28but this is my chance to go beyond the obvious South Africa,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32to explore on foot and take time to see how life
0:00:32 > 0:00:36and stunning landscape work today in the new South Africa,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40a country that's now keen to invite the world.
0:01:09 > 0:01:15Hello and welcome to one of the most famous wildlife reserves in the world, the Kruger National Park.
0:01:15 > 0:01:21Few tours of South Africa are complete without a visit to this massive expanse of wild Africa.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25It is, without doubt, one of the best places on the planet to come on safari.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28But I'm here to do something a little bit different.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Out there, man has always struggled.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34It's full of uncertainty, danger and some very big animals.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40I'm here to explore that remarkable relationship between man and this land, and I'll be doing it on foot.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45There may be a lot of dangerous animals out there, but trust me,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48it is possible to come here and go for a walk.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53The Kruger is the country's number-one game park,
0:01:53 > 0:02:00home to lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, the famous Big Five of Africa.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05It's difficult to believe that a million humans come here every year.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09They largely disappear in a vast area the size of Wales,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13a precious reserve where Africa runs free.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17This is Berg en Dal, one of the main rest camps in the Kruger National Park,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20a sort of safe haven for humans, if you will.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22But I'm going to take things a bit further.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25I'm heading out into the bush on something called the Wolhuter Trail.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29It's a little-known wilderness experience. I'm going to be living,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32walking and sleeping in an area that humans rarely venture.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35But I'm not going to be relying on my nose to keep me out of trouble.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38I'm going to have an expert ranger by my side at all times.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39Otherwise I'd be a fool.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44For those of us more used to encountering sheep and the odd rabbit,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47the prospect of this walk certainly causes some anxiety.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51I'm stepping into one of the world's great wildernesses,
0:02:51 > 0:02:56full of danger, legend and heroic tales of the African bush.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Kruger is tucked away in the north-east corner of South Africa.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07Stretching for 350km north to south, it runs along the border
0:03:07 > 0:03:11with Mozambique, all the way to the border with Zimbabwe.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15But my adventure takes place in the southern end of the park.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20I'll be venturing out for a full two days in the Wolhuter Wilderness Area,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23where visitor numbers are strictly limited.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26My walk is based at the remote Wolhuter camp.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29From here, it's possible to explore the many watering holes,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34open plains, rivers and hills that make up this part of the Kruger.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Got my bag packed. Small bag, as I hope you've noticed,
0:03:39 > 0:03:44- and this is Jaco. Hey, Jaco. - Hello, Julia.- Good to see you. Shall we get loaded up?- Absolutely.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49'Jaco Badenhorst is my guide for the next two days.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53'A game ranger since 1992, he knows the Kruger like few others,
0:03:53 > 0:03:58'and specialises in taking walking groups out into the wilderness.'
0:04:16 > 0:04:21The moment you step outside Berg en Dal rest camp, you're in the Kruger proper.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And for us, the tarmac quickly turns to dirt track.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30But before Jaco and I get any further, let's take a look at where we're heading.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36From Berg en Dal, the four-wheel drive follows the dirt track
0:04:36 > 0:04:39that leads into the Wolhuter Wilderness Area.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46My destination is the tiny and very basic trail camp,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49my place of refuge for 48 hours in the bush
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and the central point for my walk.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55From here, Jaco will lead me on a series of circular walks.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00We'll be following the tracks of the biggest beasts in Africa,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04exploring open plains and dry river beds.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07What we'll encounter, no-one can predict.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12There are no signposts, not even a planned route or a set distance.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16But at the end of my wilderness experience, there will be a climb,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20for Jaco has promised to take me to one of the many rocky outcrops of the area,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24the perfect viewpoint to take stock of everything I've learnt and discovered.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38Normally, eight people would come on a wilderness trail like this one, but don't think Jaco's got it easy,
0:05:38 > 0:05:43because he hasn't just got to look after me. He's got to look after this lot, as well.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48- And that is John in the back, he is known as our second rifle, he's looking after us as well.- Hello!
0:05:48 > 0:05:54So whilst John's priority is the film crew, I'm sticking right next to Jaco.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- There's a giraffe. - Yeah, look at that, two minutes in.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- Having a good time at that Knob Thorn.- Yeah.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09And what we're doing, what we're about to do, is pretty rare,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12it's a special thing. Not many people do this every year, do they?
0:06:12 > 0:06:15No, there's only seven of these wilderness trails
0:06:15 > 0:06:18throughout the Kruger park, from north to south,
0:06:18 > 0:06:25and only a maximum of eight people per trail.
0:06:26 > 0:06:33And if you go back, I promise you you won't be the same person driving out of here than going in here.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Thank you, John!
0:06:38 > 0:06:41So now we can breathe out and start to relax.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43We're in the Wolhuter Wilderness Area.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48No-one is allowed to go in on this road, and no-one is allowed to walk in this area while we're here,
0:06:48 > 0:06:54so for the next three days, basically this whole 62,000 hectares is yours.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I like it!
0:06:56 > 0:06:59The exclusivity of this walk is truly exciting.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02The seven small groups of walkers dotted around the Kruger
0:07:02 > 0:07:09are the only members of the public regularly allowed into the national park's designated Wilderness Areas.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Just setting out on this walk feels like a privilege.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14So here we are.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Home sweet home.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23This...is a good wilderness camp.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Look at that! Home for the next couple of days.
0:07:28 > 0:07:34Deep in the heart of the Wilderness, a 45-minute drive from Berg en Dal, lies the Wolhuter Trail Camp.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Tiny and basic, it provides wooden huts to sleep in
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and some slight protection from what lives all around.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Now, that is a loo...
0:07:52 > 0:07:55..with a view.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05This site was chosen in 1978, the very first trail camp in the Kruger.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09And fittingly, my walk was named after the legendary Harry Wolhuter.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14A century ago, he was one of the Kruger's earliest game rangers.
0:08:14 > 0:08:20Today, merely stepping out of the 4x4 is enough to give you a taste of his world.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31A pretty substantial herd of elephant.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Just a few feet away.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38And this is the fence
0:08:38 > 0:08:40that protects us in our camp.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Isn't that fantastic?
0:08:46 > 0:08:51But the real business of a wilderness experience doesn't start until the morning.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56And before that, as the noises and the big cats of the night take over,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00there's an important briefing to attend.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Anything can get into a camp like this, at any time.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08You've seen the fence.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13We've had hyenas into the camp, and we've had a leopard come into the camp and sniff around.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18So the fence basically is just to keep you in, or to keep us in. It's not to keep the animals out.
0:09:20 > 0:09:27Tomorrow morning, what you normally do is you get up early in the morning, it's roughly about 5:00-ish.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Nice and early call!
0:09:29 > 0:09:31But it's a nice time of the day.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35It's crisp, clear and nice air, morning air.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40The main reason why I'm sitting here with you tonight is to see that you get back in one piece.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43If we do get ourselves into a dangerous situation,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45which I will never, ever consciously lead you into,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49but if we get ourselves into a dark spot, just listen to what I tell you to do.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52If I say, "Stand still", then I mean stand still.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54If I say, "Get behind a bush,"
0:09:54 > 0:09:59or a log or a termite mound or whatever safe ground is available to us in that vicinity,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02then I will direct you to such a place.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07Otherwise, just try to enjoy it right from the word go. Get into it as soon as you can.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09- I'm already there!- It looks like it!
0:10:09 > 0:10:13It's not often I say this, Jaco, but I'm looking forward to 5am!
0:10:19 > 0:10:23And so the next day, the whole crew and I are woken at first light.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Dawn in the bush is undoubtedly a beautiful thing.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35I'm definitely not a morning person,
0:10:35 > 0:10:42but if there's one place in the world where you will get me smiling in the morning, it's Africa.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48And so the time has come when all normal sensibilities are put to one side.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52It's time to step out into a park packed with 1,000 leopards,
0:10:52 > 0:10:581,500 lions and the Wolhuter area's undoubted star, the rhinos.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12To be walking through the Kruger at 6:00 in the morning is so exciting.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16You feel alive, exposed and ready for adventure.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24Unlike all previous walks, I have no idea where we're going.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29Jaco leads according to what he finds, so even he will never follow the same route twice.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33And despite my full briefing last night,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37the reality of walking with two men carrying rifles has quite an impact.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48Jaco, there's a fairly strong wind. That's good for us, isn't it?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It's good for us, a consistent wind, that's what you want.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54If you approach dangerous animals, you stay above the wind.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Specifically with elephant,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59eyesight's not that good.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01They go by smell?
0:12:01 > 0:12:04They go for smell. And hearing as well, very good hearing,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07but with elephant and rhinos, smell is a very important sense.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09So this wind protects us a little?
0:12:09 > 0:12:11It gives us the advantage, yeah.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14It wouldn't protect us, but it gives us an advantage.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Nothing protects you out here. Apart from this!
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- We get to a nice animal highway.- Ah.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Not created by people.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30All animals on there.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35They use these footpaths to walk from waterhole to waterhole.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Easiest way along the river course.
0:12:38 > 0:12:44So that's a good highway, an easy place for them from point A to point B.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Whilst I'm worrying about what might lurk in every bush,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53I've also prepared for the greatest, yet tiniest, danger of all.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58A course of tablets should guard me against South Africa's only malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
0:13:00 > 0:13:07Africa's biggest killer is a far greater threat than any lion, elephant, snake or scorpion.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14This is a good example, Julia, of middens, a white rhino midden.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19They've got these middens in and around their territories, specifically next to their footpaths.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Bulls are very territorial, rhino bulls, they use the footpaths
0:13:22 > 0:13:26and they create these middens in and around their territories,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29just to put their scent, like a dog would lift his leg against a tree.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34This is the very end of the winter dry season,
0:13:34 > 0:13:39and at the first sign of rain, Jaco is sure all big animals will be heading for a waterhole.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42So of course, that's where he wants to lead me.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47- A little bathing spot. - It's a good place to see animals.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51It's been dry up till now, but a bit of rain last night helped.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53I expect to see something here.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- Ooh, elephant.- There's an elephant.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16And further down, there's buffalo. Buffalo down there.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Wow. Double sighting!
0:14:19 > 0:14:21It's a herd of buffalo.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22We saw the tracks earlier.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24They obviously came around,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27came down to drink, wallow and then back up.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32What I didn't realise is just how fearful of humans these massive creatures are.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36When we're hidden inside a noisy vehicle, they can seem quite relaxed.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41But as soon as they recognise a human being on foot, there's an immediate, intrinsic fear.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47These guys are totally relaxed because they don't know we're here.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53We've got the wind in our favour. The same with this buffalo that's only 40 metres away from us.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59It's fascinating, watching the elephant wander through the wild.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04How can an animal of such a huge size just disappear?
0:15:04 > 0:15:08They're literally behind a tree, behind a bush and invisible.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15We've got a good old buffalo checking us out here, look!
0:15:19 > 0:15:25And even once the animals have moved on, the world of the watering hole is full of information and insight.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28This is where large mammals come to bathe in mud
0:15:28 > 0:15:34and take a course of rubbing, a regular treatment for the niggling problem of ticks.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39A rhino would come and stand over it and he would rub himself.
0:15:39 > 0:15:45It's normally ticks getting stuck to the inside of the thighs or on the genital parts, armpits,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49cos that's where the skin is thin enough for a tick to go and penetrate.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Getting rid of ticks by getting rid of the mud.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56They get rid of the ticks that get stuck or embedded in the mud.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57Look at this guy.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01I think he's hanging around, just waiting for a rhino
0:16:01 > 0:16:04to maybe come and rub himself so that he can jump back on.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Nasty little things, ticks.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Look at him, he's flailing around. He can sense us.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Jaco's depth of knowledge is really quite astounding.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20He reads this landscape like a book.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25And every turn produces a new and unexpected lesson.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28If I squeeze it...
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- Mmm.- Get all the water out.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35In the 19th century, at the height of the Transvaal gold rush,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38pioneering transporters braved lions, snakes and malaria
0:16:38 > 0:16:41as they crossed this land to reach the Indian Ocean.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Their skills and adventures were made famous in the classic South African novel Jock Of The Bushveld.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Today, Jaco uses the same skills to educate, entertain
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and, of course, conserve one of the world's great wildernesses.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04The complete turnaround in man's role here began in 1898,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06when Transvaal President Paul Kruger
0:17:06 > 0:17:12declared a game reserve, the first time there had been any attempt to control the impact of hunting.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19A white rhino cow and calf.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Wow.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25We literally just walked into this pair!
0:17:26 > 0:17:30The wind was again in our favour, so we were downwind.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Their eyesight is also not very good.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35You can see the ears going.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37- Yep.- The radar out.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41You see there's a ditch between them and us.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Their natural escape route would be going out the other way.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49And obviously that's good for us, because it'll help us!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- A nice sighting. - A really nice sighting.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54I've never been that close, actually, on foot.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Day one on foot in the Kruger has been absorbing.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Jaco's relaxed approach can easily make you forget about the reality of where you are.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08But as we head back to camp, he tells me of an occasion
0:18:08 > 0:18:12when a walker encountered a leopard inside the camp in the dead of night.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18It seems that occasionally, elderly animals prefer rummaging through bins
0:18:18 > 0:18:20to running after their own prey.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Jaco has lent me this book. It's the memoirs of Harry Wolhuter,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32the pioneering game ranger from this park.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35One of the reasons he's famous is that he survived a lion attack.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38A pair of lions knocked him off his horse,
0:18:38 > 0:18:43one of the lions went after the horse itself and the other lion savaged him from the rear.
0:18:43 > 0:18:50"Of course, in those first few moments, I was convinced that it was all over for me.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52"But then as our painful progress still continued,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55"it suddenly struck me that I might still have my sheath knife.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00"I struck him twice in quick succession with two back-handed strokes behind the left shoulder.
0:19:00 > 0:19:07"The lion let out a furious roar, and I desperately struck him again, this time upwards into his throat.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10"I think this third thrust severed the jugular vein,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14"as the blood spurted out in a stream all over me."
0:19:14 > 0:19:19Now, as if that wasn't enough, lion number one, who was after the horse, came back for him,
0:19:19 > 0:19:24so he had to escape up a tree, and apparently it was only his faithful hunting dog barking
0:19:24 > 0:19:27that distracted that lion, and he survived.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32It's all very Jock Of The Bushveld, isn't it? And very exciting.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45The next day, filled with the heroics of Harry Wolhuter, there's a fresh feeling of apprehension.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50As a newcomer, you can kid yourself that the dangers are all just imagined.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52But no, they are certainly real enough.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Today, though, Jaco is keen to show me a different side to the Kruger.
0:19:58 > 0:20:04A fresh African landscape, somewhere to really appreciate the magic of true wilderness.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It's much more green here.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11Yes, we're in a river bed, Julia. It's called the Mlambane.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14It's obviously dry at this time of year.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17It only really flows after heavy local rain.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Still a bit of greenery around, and obviously it's a nice view.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Lovely view.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Lovely trees.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33Ten years ago, the Mlambane flowed for an entire year, but such events are rare.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37But that doesn't stop the river from being a vital landmark for flora and fauna.
0:20:39 > 0:20:45Animals dig deep in the sandy riverbed to find moisture, and the banks are dominated by sycamore fig.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Their roots help to stabilise the riverbank.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54And the river also attracts a new musical accompaniment,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58with crested loeries, hornbills, woodpeckers, starlings,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and, this morning, a Wahlberg's eagle.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09BIRDSONG
0:21:11 > 0:21:18Listen. This really is a birdwatcher's paradise.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24There are around 450 species in this National Park,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and I think most of them are here now!
0:21:49 > 0:21:56It's quite unusual to have a job like yours, that will have changed so little over, say, 100 years.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59There isn't much difference. Walking now, here,
0:21:59 > 0:22:06doing it as a job, in my case, and walking here 500,000 years ago, in essence there's no difference.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Now, this is a malaria area.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12How do you protect yourself against malaria?
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Because you can't be on malaria pills all year round!
0:22:15 > 0:22:17No, you can't drink it all the time,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20because it's got a lot of bad, negative effects.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I don't like to say it, but I had malaria 12 times.
0:22:23 > 0:22:2512 times, you've had it?
0:22:25 > 0:22:30Yeah. I ended up in hospital on two occasions, I was quite sick. But again, I waited too long.
0:22:30 > 0:22:37If you catch it in the early development stages of the parasite in the blood, it's easier to cure it.
0:22:37 > 0:22:43If you wait too long and you start getting the fevers, then it's almost already too late.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I'll keep on taking the pills!
0:22:48 > 0:22:51The simple mosquito has a deserved reputation,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55but it's arguably been a source of salvation for the Kruger National Park.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59For centuries, it's helped keep the human masses at bay,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and preserved this land as a true stretch of wild Africa.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14There's a rhino as well.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18'My wilderness experience is almost at an end.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22'But as we leave the river and head towards the rocky high ground of the Wolhuter,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25'we're back in the favoured plains of the rhino.'
0:23:31 > 0:23:35We've got a rhino here, just below the dead tree.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37See the grey shape?
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Oh, yes, yes, yes.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40It's turning. Big...
0:23:46 > 0:23:48It looks like a big territorial bull.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Phew.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52He's a monster.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Hasn't heard us yet, he'll pick us...
0:23:54 > 0:23:57The wind is quiet at the moment.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01But if he comes this way, I want you to move... To follow me now.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Follow you now?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Come on, get behind this tree.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11'For the first time in two days, Jaco is on edge in an instant.'
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Just behind this branch here.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37- He knows we're here. He can hear us.- Uh-huh.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48He's difficult. You can see, he means business.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50- Yeah.- Just stay there.- Yep.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I'll do exactly what he tells us.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Come, come, come.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Gee.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25He's still watching us.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29Right.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35He's definitely a massive, big, territorial bull.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39And they're normally very reluctant to leave their areas, because this is his area.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47He's definitely picked us up, but I think it's more that he could hear us than see the movement.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51I just want to get us away from here. This is his area.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55- He's not going to leave it, so I think we should rather leave.- OK.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Jaco and John have the utmost respect for this land.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08That much is clear.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Spending time with them has been an opportunity to relish.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18So often as a traveller, experiences can seem a little packaged,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21but as Jaco leads me up the bare rocks to our final viewpoint,
0:26:21 > 0:26:27there's no doubting what a wild and unpackaged destination South Africa can be.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38Just look at this view.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41Look at that.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45One of my favourite places.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Not difficult to see why.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49No.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51If you look down, you can see the camp.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56- Yeah.- And that was the hut you were staying in.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00About as far as you can see, its all just the Wolhuter Wilderness Area.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02It's just us.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08This vast vista, untouched by the modern world,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11is the pinnacle of my journey into the wilderness.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16'Jaco likes to compare an experience like this to climbing a pyramid.'
0:27:16 > 0:27:21'As you leave the outside world, you gradually shed the accessories and comforts of normal life,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25'progressing to reach this remote spot of isolation in the Kruger.'
0:27:26 > 0:27:30But unfortunately, life doesn't work like that.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33You can't stay on the top of a pyramid forever.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36It's the whole balance in life. What goes up must come down.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40So, right now, let's enjoy it?
0:27:40 > 0:27:42We're on the peak.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46There's few better places in the Kruger Park where you can do that.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Thank you, Jaco, thanks for bringing me to the top of your pyramid.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51It's been a pleasure.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00The term "a unique experience" is quite musty and well-worn,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04but there's no doubt that the Wolhuter Trail is incredibly special.
0:28:04 > 0:28:10You don't know what you're going to experience, what you're going to see, what animals you may encounter.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12And it's a liberating freedom.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17Jaco said to me, when you drive through this country, you see the land,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21but you feel the pulse of Africa through the soles of your shoes.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23And its true.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25You do.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:50 > 0:28:53E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk