Discover Selati Game Reserve On Foot
Selati, situated on the banks of the Selati River, is a great reserve to go out on foot. It is over 33,000 hectares and offers a vast biodiversity, from thick bush to beautiful riverbeds and many great encounters. From cheeky elephants to dwarf mongoose to Matabele ants.
Equally interesting is that all those living beings are the tracks and signs they leave in the bush. With every step you take in the bush, you’ll find a new, exciting story – written in the soil, the plants, the ground and the air.
From droppings to diggings
Let’s look closer at all the big and small tracks and signs we find in the bush – let us take you on a walk-in Selati today and see what we find.
Droppings
Who would have thought you could spend such an extraordinary amount of your day staring at droppings from different animals? Interpret their diet, their stomach system, and why they defecated in a particular area. You’ll sometimes touch it (only if herbivores!), break it open, and look at everything they ate. As weird as it sounds, droppings of an animal show you so much about their behaviour and lifestyle, and interpreting them can actually be pretty fun.
Diggings
When you walk in Selati, you will stumble upon a lot of small or more significant holes (so watch your step!). It is always worth to take a closer look and ask yourself: Who dug it? And suddenly, a whole new world opens up in front of your eyes because you get to see evidence of the animals that usually stay invisible. Like porcupines, aardvarks, or pangolins, they are primarily active at night and very shy.
Bones, skin and other leftovers
Death is part of the show in the bush. With predators and prey in reserve, you will find proof of this not-so-mutual symbiotic relationship occasionally. There are skulls with impressive horns lying around. Maybe a piece of skin. What might seem a bit morbid is part of a healthy ecosystem. Because it doesn’t stop with a lion or a leopard having a feast. The leftovers provide for hyenas, jackals and other scavengers. And then the vouchers take over, cleaning up the scene (and by that being an essential part of disease control) and enjoying bits and pieces of the bones that the hyenas with their powerful jaws broke down, needing them for their calcium that will provide the vultures eggs with a solid shell.
The beauty of a bush walk lies not only in the immersion with nature but also in the opportunity to walk at eye level with all the living (and non-living) beings. A walk also provides you with all the inside knowledge, the funky little details and a deep understanding of nature itself. It would help if you tried it sometime.
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Nature and wildlife in Africa
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Wildlife encounters range from majestic elephants, wild dog sightings, hyena and her pups, the endangered rhino, and various bird species. And let’s remember the BIG cats that are iconic to Africa! You’ll be amazed at the breathtaking scenery and the many discoveries the bush offers.
