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If you're on foot in the middle of South Africa and you just happen to stumble upon a pride of lions, the only thing to save you will be confidence. And it's not the males - the ones with the big manes - that you need to worry about. Like most species, it's the females who do the work, and the lion is no exception. Lionesses work as a team and hunt in packs, and it's not Manolo Blahniks they're after, but I can imagine their determination might be similar to the frenzy one has to fight on boxing day at the David Jones shoe counter.

Once the lionesses do all the hard work, stalking and bringing down the prey, in come the males for the final kill, to take the glory. What the males kill, they don't share with the females, but they may share with the cubs. The females have to head off for smaller pickings for themselves.

Elliott, our South African guide was a plethora of knowledge and I had plenty of questions to test him with. "Yes we have walked into lions before," he told me. (Thank goodness he had a gun.) "We never use our gun," he continued.

My heart was beating more quickly because here I was in the middle of the savannah on foot! Was I mad? I thought we were just going to be looking at dung beetles and the smaller side of African wildlife whilst on foot. Save the big game for our evening drives when we were safely in our getaway vehicle. Guess what? I was wrong.

Survival tips for meeting lions

Everyone gathered closer. Elliott began one of his extraordinary tales. "Once we walked into a pride of lions and it took us half an hour before we could start to retreat. Don't ever turn your back on a lion." We didn't have to ask why.

Elliott told us that you have to show the lion you're not scared of it! He recounted tales of boyhood when he would sneak up and throw rocks or pull the lions tails! Me play a joke on a lion? Yes sure, I can see that one happening. NOT. The stance for confidence is chest puffed out and shoulders high. Action is to back off very, very slowly. Lions don't really want to eat you. Wildebeest and zebras are at the top of the menu. I passed my 'All Blacks' jacket to my husband. I was taking no chances at resembling a zebra.

This was day two of a four day walking safari at Ngala private game reserve in Kruger National Park. We'd emerged from our luxury tent complete with proper bed and hot bucket shower to rusks, a hard iconic South African biscuit and Rooibos tea. It was dawn in Africa and it was magic.

First rule, said Elliott, always stay in a line behind me. In our group were me and my husband, a high profile South African lawyer and his wife (I think she did pack Manolos for this trip) and a Columbian from the World Bank. This crew made for eye opening dinner conversations each night.

We set off from our camp in file. The line soon broke. I don't think South Africans and Columbians are used to staying in a line, but I was sticking very close to the man with the gun. I'd heard, from others, it was imperative to stay in the line. As our companions dispersed, I thought, "You're all dead." (I have to tell you now I do have a slightly overactive imagination. I'd researched this trip looking for any possible deaths, accidents or problems but couldn't even find a broken finger nail (probably wasn't reported). The company I traveled with had been doing it for 15 years and it was thoroughly safe, so in the back of my mind I knew I'd be OK but this didn't stop the adrenaline from pumping.)

Rhinoceros etiquette

"Look! Rhino tracks," whispered Elliott and yes there was excitement in his voice. His pace quickened. Hey aren't we meant to be going the other way? Surely we're not going to track rhino. The others all seemed excited.

Off we went in what I thought was the wrong direction. Elliott whispered. "When we get near. Don't make a sound. Rhinos have very poor eyesight but very very good hearing." He showed us how to stop a sneeze by holding our finger tightly under the nose. We crept up to our cover, a group of trees. Me and my husband behind Elliott, the other death wishers scattered to the side. Just as we began to peer through the trees, Mrs Manolo Blahnik lawyer's wife sneezed. She didn't bother at all with the finger thing.

That's it. We're dead. I knew it.

But no to my surprise, rather than come charging at us, the rhinos were off in the other direction. "They're more scared of us than we are of them. We wont see them again today," said Elliott, I could hear the stifled disappointment. Even I was slightly miffed. I was starting to get used to this. Even the piles of dung from elephant to buck, which Elliott kept picking up, were becoming less putrid. Hell, I think I could even walk through one soon.

Sangoma cures

Mrs Blahnik sighed. I've got a headache. Elliott, whose grandfather was a sangoma (medicine man) told us the best cure. He picked up some of the large grassy elephant dung and said, "I'll burn this. Then you inhale it and your headache will be gone." I believed him but Mrs Blahnik did a half scowl and reached for her Prada and the panadol but alas she'd left them back at camp.

We began again. Elliott started speaking in hushed but fast tones to the tracker in one of the main African languages. Their eyes lit up. "Elephants," Elliott whispered. We were silent. Again we crept up. We stopped amongst some trees. We looked hard and there they were. Like grey ghosts oblivious (thank goodness) to our presence. The African Bush Elephant is the largest living land dwelling animal, normally reaching up to 24 feet in length and 11.5 in height. We all stood speechless. This was incredible.

Finally we dragged ourselves away. This was just the beginning. We walked into a crowd of buffalo, finally saw the rhinos again, at night drove within about 10 feet of lions and saw each of the big five. The whole experience was exhilarating. At night safe in our tents we'd hear the heavy snorting sound of lion or branches breaking and my imagination would run wild. In the morning we'd awake to elephant tracks in the camp. We'd have amazing creme brulee cooked on an open fire, gourmet fish and salads and cakes (we were walking five hours a day so you could treat yourself without feeling guilty.) This walking safari is the most unforgettable experience you could have and costs around the same price as a pair of MBs. Designer shoes are pretty amazing but I'd rather walk with lions.

Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan represents the PR interests for &BEYOND in Australia but has taken this trip as her holiday.