In the latest episode of ‘Keep Traveling: Your African Story’, host Rael Zieve sat down with three remarkable team members from Plains Camp Kruger—guide James Smith, camp all-rounder Trinity Mashlaba, and tracker Orance Ringane—to uncover what truly makes this camp one of the purest Walking Safaris South Africa has to offer.
What unfolded in this conversation wasn’t just information about a camp. It was a portrait of people.
Plains Camp isn’t your typical Kruger lodge. There is no Wi-Fi, no noise and no distractions. Just the crackle of the fire, the crunch of footsteps in dust, and the deep heartbeat of the African wilderness that surrounds you from the moment you arrive.
This is a place where you don’t just go on safari. You walk inside one.
Finding Plains Camp Inside the Kruger Wilderness
Plains Camp sits within a 12,000-hectare private concession inside the Kruger National Park, about an hour north of Skukuza. It’s wild, untamed land. The kind of place where you don’t just look out over the bush… you become part of it.
As James explains: “Plains Camp is pretty much in the centre of the whole concession.”
That’s where the magic begins. Far from tourist routes. Far from the usual safari crowds. Just pure, unfiltered Africa.
It feels like a different world—a quieter one, softer in some ways, wilder in others. This is exactly why people come here. To pause. To breathe. And to learn how to listen again.
A Day in the Life on a Kruger Walking Safari
Days here begin before sunrise.
James and the team wake guests gently. Coffee warms your hands. The sky blushes into colour. Boots lace up. And then you step straight into the day’s first story.
A typical morning walk lasts about three to four hours—sometimes longer if tracks pull the guides deeper into the concession. This is the heart of your experience: the crunch of dry grass, the smell of warm soil, and the thrill of reading the landscape through the tiny clues the animals leave behind.
After the walk, brunch is served at camp before guests relax, read, or simply enjoy the stillness. Afternoons often bring shorter walks or gentle drives after sunset drinks. Dinner follows at around 8pm, and then stories swirl around the fire as the bush hums with night life.
Then you sleep in one of four rooms—just eight guests in total. A small camp. A quiet camp. A camp that leaves space for your soul.
What Makes Plains Camp Different From Any Other Lodge
There are walking safaris. And then there is Plains Camp Kruger.
This is one of the only private walking camps in the entire Kruger National Park. That alone makes it special. But there’s something deeper here too—something less tangible and more emotional.
Plains Camp isn’t about ticking off sightings. It’s about feeling the land under your boots.
You’re not behind the safety of a vehicle. You don’t have an engine between you and nature. You are present. Alert. Alive. And humbled.
With so few roads in the concession, the area feels untouched—like it’s been waiting centuries for you to arrive.
As James says: “Every day could be a new lesson. A new area I’ve never walked into.”
It’s a reminder that nature doesn’t sit still for us. We must move with it.
James’ Journey: From Motor Mechanics to Walking the Wild
James didn’t plan on being a guide. Life simply nudged him gently until he realised where he was meant to be.
He once dreamed of becoming a wildlife vet, but grades didn’t line up. So he stepped into motor mechanics—fixing things, solving problems, learning skills he’d never regret.
But the bush called him back. And he answered.
Today, after almost five years of guiding, his voice carries the calm confidence of someone who has found home.
He’s not loud. He’s not boastful. He doesn’t need to be. His knowledge speaks for him. His footsteps follow stories older than cities. And his joy comes from showing others the world he loves.
Trinity: The Heartbeat of Plains Camp
If Plains Camp had a heartbeat, it would sound a lot like Trinity.
She moves everywhere—serving meals, preparing rooms, checking on guests, supporting the guides, helping the team. With only about five staff members in total, everyone wears many hats.
At first, the remote lifestyle scared her. The quiet. The wildlife roaming near the camp. The absence of signal.
But then she grew into it.
Today, she loves the silence. She loves the birdsong. She loves the moments when guests put their phones away and look up.
Most of all, she loves the personal growth tourism has given her.
Trinity is studying Occupational Health and Safety, supported entirely by the company. And every guest she meets expands her world.
“Meeting new people made me realise there’s so much to life,” she says.
It’s a simple sentence. But it’s a powerful one.
Life in a Remote Camp: Silence, Stars, and Eight Guests
With only four rooms and space for eight guests, Plains Camp is intimate in the best possible way.
It forces strangers to talk to each other, encouraging silence without awkwardness. It invites long pages of books, shared meals, afternoon naps, and the kind of slow living most people haven’t felt in years.
Trinity describes it beautifully: “There is no world to disturb you here.”
No Wi-Fi, notifications or rush.
Just a reminder of what life feels like when you aren’t being pulled in ten directions at once.
A Lion on a Kill and Other Wild Walk Moments
Trinity once went on a walk and saw a male lion on a kill just 200 metres from camp. She tells the story with wide eyes and a smile, still amazed, still humbled.
Her funniest moment? A massive spitting cobra appeared right outside the kitchen window while she washed dishes. Her coworker screamed. She screamed. Guests arriving at camp heard everything.
Safari isn’t curated here. It’s real. Raw. And sometimes, incredibly funny.
How Tourism Shapes Dreams
Everyone in Trinity’s family works in tourism. It’s in their blood. And she hopes her future stays in the industry too.
Her message to travellers thinking about visiting Africa?
“Respect nature, the environment, the animals and you will really enjoy this place.”
And she’s right. Africa rewards the respectful.
Orance: The Tracker Who Reads the Land Like a Language
Tracking is an ancient skill. A quiet art. A conversation between the earth and the eyes.
And Orance Ringane is fluent.
He trained at Moholoholo in track and sign, specialising in reading the smallest clues—prints, disturbances, scents, movements, patterns. Not everyone can do it. Even fewer can do it well.
At Plains Camp, he works as the backup guide on walks, supporting the lead guide and keeping guests safe.
When asked if he always wanted to work with wildlife, he answered: “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
The smile in his voice said the rest.
Tracking Stories From the Kruger
Just three days before the interview, Orance watched a cheetah chase and catch an impala. He’s been charged by a black rhino too—but he explains it calmly, casually, as though it was simply another Tuesday.
He carries a rifle, but has never used it.
“I like the animals,” he says.
It’s simple. And it’s honest.
A Message to First-Time Visitors
Orance has a message for travellers: “People who want to visit Kruger National Park—they’re welcome. They’re going to enjoy it.”
He lives happily without Wi-Fi, enjoying the bush and believes guests will too.
Sometimes the simplest voices hold the deepest truth.
Traditional Experiences: Sleepouts and Fire-Cooked Meals
One of Plains Camp’s most unforgettable traditions is the sleepout platform—a raised wooden deck in the open wild where guests sleep under the stars.
No walls, roofs or pressure. Just you, a sleeping bag, the dark African sky, and the stories whispered by night sounds.
Dinner is cooked over the fire:
Lamb chops. Boerewors. Pap (similar to polenta)
It’s humble, delicious and unforgettable.
Kaiser: The Community Pillar
James highlights someone guests rarely meet—Kaiser, the assistant manager.
He is deeply involved in the community and serves as a pastor. He advises, guides, supports, and uplifts the staff.
Every wild space has someone behind the scenes who anchors it. At Plains Camp, that person is Kaiser.
James’ Hopes for the Future
James is 32. Young. Determined. Growing.
In ten years, he hopes to still be guiding, still walking, still discovering new corners of the concession that even he hasn’t explored yet.
One day, he dreams of opening his own safari business or running overland trips through Africa.
And if that doesn’t work?
“Then hopefully still with the company.”
Loyalty like that is rare.
Encouraging Nervous Travellers
James speaks boldly to travellers who feel unsure about visiting Africa:
“There’s nothing wrong with Africa. Everywhere in the world has problems. But Africa is special. The people are kind. The experiences are great.”
He’s right. Africa is unforgettable. But only for those brave enough to give it a chance.
The Little Five: Tiny Creatures With Big Personalities
Most people know the Big Five. Fewer know the Little Five:
Elephant shrew / Ant lion larva / Leopard tortoise / Rhino beetle / Red-billed buffalo weaver
Some are even harder to find than the Big Five themselves.
Walking makes these moments possible. Driving rarely does.
Plains Camp Kruger: A Walking Safari Unlike Any Other
This isn’t a luxury lodge nor a high-footfall safari or a place where sightings come easy.
This is a place for the curious. The quiet-hearted. The seekers. The ones who want to walk, not just watch.
If you want silence, space, time, stars, stories, tracks, community, and the raw, untouched soul of Africa… then a Kruger Walking Safari at Plains Camp is exactly what you’ve been searching for.
And maybe—for the first time in a long time—you’ll feel like yourself again.
To plan your own Kruger Walking Safari or to learn more about travelling across Africa’s most iconic destinations, feel free to reach out directly at rael@keeptravelling.africa.
A few years from now, you will not remember how much it cost you, but you will always remember the memories you made. Keep Travelling
