Two Polish tourists’ desire to camp in the South African bushveld took an unexpected turn when they got lost on a hiking trail at Bourke’s Luck Potholes in Mpumalanga.

According to Lowvelder, they did, however, get to spend a night under the stars.

Jolanta Andzelika (33) and Klaudia Dorota (30) embarked on a five-hour hike along the Belvedere Trail on Thursday at around 10:25.

They got lost inside the Blyde River Canyon after missing a trail marker.

Thomas Msiza, the acting spokesperson and head of communications for the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, confirmed that rangers had been waiting for them and were concerned when they did not return within the specified timeframe.

“This trail is known for being long and difficult, and if hikers are not back by 16:30, rangers know something is wrong.”

Dorota and Andzelika noticed they were no longer on the correct path after walking for hours in the canyon. “We walked for another three hours and struggled to find our way back,” Dorota shared.

The search begins

Rangers were deployed to find the hikers, but the search was halted due to fading light.

At around 18:00, Dorota and Andzelika decided to call for help. They stopped at a flat rock and tried calling the 112 emergency number, but struggled because the signal was weak.

“Around 22:00 we managed to get to one bar and finally got through to one of the rangers,” Dorota explained.

The rangers advised them to send a pin location to Dorota’s brother, as they had international Sim cards and could only communicate directly with him. Her brother then shared the information with the rangers.

Lafras Tremper, the vice-president and head of the reaction force of the Hoedspruit Farm Watch, confirmed that they received the pin location at around midnight and offered their helicopter free of charge to assist with the search.

Watch the video:

Found at last

The following morning, the helicopter was despatched with a team on board. They found the women close to the flat rock. When they were located, the helicopter was unable to land due to uneven terrain, and the hikers had to jump on board while it hovered.

“When I jumped in, I started crying and was relieved that we had been saved,” Dorota said.

When the two explorers arrived back at the reception, they were overwhelmed with tender kindness from rangers and emergency services. “The helicopter even dropped us right next to our rental car,” Dorota laughingly shared.

How they survived the night

Lowvelder met with them at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport to find out how they made it through the night. Andzelika said they only had a packet of peanuts left, which they shared sparingly, and no water.

“My brother assured us that there were no wild animals in the canyon and that we would be safe,” Dorota laughingly shared. She said they held each other tight while trying to sleep next to the rock where they were found.

“We only wore long-sleeved shirts and had no jackets to keep us warm,” Dorota said.

Their South African adventure continues

It was the duo’s first time in South Africa, but not likely their last. Friends who met at university and recently started travelling together, they arrived in the country four days ago.

They visited the Kruger National Park and said that they loved the animals.

With little sleep, they hopped onto their next flight to explore the rest of the country.

“We hope to visit the Berlin Falls next time, since our hike was a bit longer than anticipated,” they jokingly concluded.

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