For many, a walking safari is an awe-inspiring sensorial experience that brings to life the amazing details hidden within the greater canvas of the African bush.
A walking safari affords travellers an unforgettable, primal experience which captures the thrill and elation of witnessing a wild animal at close range and on foot, often making for a more memorable excursion than observing the Big 5 from the confines of a game viewing vehicle.
Exploring the bush on foot opens a window to the wild, changing your view and relationship to the animals you encounter, so that typically less exciting game, such as herds of impala or zebra, suddenly gain an enthralling new dynamism.
This close encounter with various wild animals allows you to better understand how they survive in the wild, and gain a deeper appreciation for their beauty, speed and agility, which are not as easily witnessed from a vehicle.
Many travellers who go on walking safaris gain a greater understanding of the vulnerability of prey animals, and the herd dynamics that allow them to avoid predators, as well as the skill exhibited by lions, leopard and cheetah to stalk and capture prey in the dense bush terrain.
While you do learn about animal behaviour during game drives, a walking safari is an immersive bush experience that allows you to gain intricate knowledge of the interconnectedness of Africa’s impressive biodiversity.
In this way, travellers are able to learn about the stories behind many of these wildlife sightings, how a pile of bones came to be there, the preferred spaces of various animals, and the amazing complexity of these various ecosystems.
From the role of insects in the food chain to the way that certain tree species feed and change the landscape, right down to the behavioural response these elements incite in various species, your view of the bush will never be the same.Â
Much of this enhanced learning experience comes down to the slower pace at which walking safaris are conducted, allowing you to immediately notice the intricacies of the bush, from the superbly camouflaged eggs of water thicknee to the perfectly round remains of a dung beetle ball.
While you won’t likely see as much of the Big 5 on walking safaris as on a game drive, you’re able to come into closer contact with many of the smaller details of nature often overlooked from the vantage of a vehicle, the myriad insects, the sylvan smell of the many trees, and the soft hum of nature’s call.
While witnessing a large, wild animal from a vehicle is an impressive sight, the dynamic changes dramatically when viewed on foot, so that the already stately size of the African Elephant is brought into full perspective when seen from this vantage point.
During game drives you are a spectator of these animals, while on a walking safari you participate with great intimacy in the various aspects of wildlife interactions.
On a walking safari, your own behaviour becomes paramount in securing a successful sighting, so that you have to take numerous aspects into account, such as wind direction, the sun’s position in relation to your location, and the way you approach potentially dangerous animals.
Without being confined to a vehicle, you learn to rely on nature more closely, and in turn understand how this relates to animal behaviour in general.
This understanding of how your own behaviour acutely affects that of the animals you encounter is an immensely exciting experience, often bringing forth a visceral appreciation of nature’s immense complexity.
Wildlife that often remains concealed in areas which vehicles cannot access now become easier to locate, and the process of tracking an animal, learning to identify the spoor of a lion or the mottled cracks left behind by an elephant’s tread, makes your eventual encounter with these animals or the more real and meaningful.
Many of these guided walking safaris are accompanied by an expert tracker, who will show you some of the more basic elements this masterful skill that not many can accomplish.
In fact, many famous trackers have become renowned for their ability to navigate spoors and find these bush-shrouded animals, taking on an almost mythical status amongst wildlife enthusiasts and experts.
On these safaris you have the rare chance to gain some of these skills, to identify the smell of rhino urine or read the tracks in the sand to anticipate the direction in which the animals were headed, giving you an ability that few in the modern world possess today.
Because of the intimate nature of walking safaris you won’t be able to use your phone, allowing you to unplug from the bustle of modern life and become completely immersed in nature.
As such, this is often an immensely freeing experience which creates the opportunity for many of us to reconnect with the natural world in a way that we wouldn’t be able to with the distraction of incoming calls and emails.
Added to this, a walking safari allows for incredible freedom of movement, and the ability to explore terrain that would otherwise be inaccessible from a vehicle, a wonderful sensation of having set foot in a place not seen by hordes of other travellers.
This experience of being alone in the wild grounds you to the ancestral roots of the African terrain, connecting you innately to the earth underfoot, or to the giant boulders and sharp hillsides summited to find the best viewpoint.
As societies around the world become more acutely aware of the immense value of our dwindling natural areas, the opportunity to partake in a safari with a minimal environmental impact is becoming a more popular holiday option.
While most game reserves have very strict guidelines pertaining to vehicle traffic, with stringent measures to avoid off-road journeys, a walking safari is essentially less damaging to the environment, reducing pollution, while also being a great source of low impact exercise.
Many lodges offer guided walks, which can range from a few hours to several days, and some camps exclusively offer walking safaris to their guests.
Many of these walking safaris are growing in popularity for the wide selection of catered trails, where you can choose to stay in rustic cabins en route to opt for more intensive multi-day hikes where you sleep under the stars.
In this ultimate guide we explore the best walking safaris across Africa, so that you can ensure that your next trip to the spectacular continent will be one you’ll never forget.
The Kruger National Park is typically associated with the quintessential South African safari experience, and the Park’s walking safaris are no exception.
These safaris are guided by expert rangers with extensive knowledge of both the wildlife industry and of the tourism experience, allowing for a perfectly hosted walking excursion in the bush.
The Kruger Park rangers begin each walking safari with a comprehensive briefing on the dynamics of animal and human behaviour, so that you will be well-prepared for your first encounter with a wild animal on foot.
With their insightful understanding of wildlife, birdlife, and indigenous vegetation, the Kruger National Park rangers are fully equipped to deliver a rewarding and unforgettable walking experience.
The Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s largest game reserves, and arguably one of the best known on the continent, which is rich with wildlife, and is especially noted for the excellent sightings of the Big 5.
This massive wildlife area consists of variegated and gorgeous landscape, with mountains, bush plains and tropical forests, which all make for a diverse and magical African safari on which you are likely to encounter at least one of the Big 5, as well as a number of other fascinating prey animals, birdlife, and insects, all within a vast and untouched African wilderness.
Tourists can also choose from a selection of tailored walking safaris, including birding safaris and guided historical tours, making for more a more intimate experience of those areas which pique your interest.
The Sabi Sands is an extensive wildlife area which lies adjacent to the Kruger National Park, and together these reserves make up some of the most pristine and spectacular bush veld regions in South Africa.
The Sabi Sands boasts several fantastic game lodges which provide excellent walking safaris, while the area in particular is famous for its sightings of the elusive African leopard.
While the mere thought of encountering a leopard on foot might already boost your flight-or-fight response, these safaris do not attempt to come close to big game and are guided by expertly trained and qualified guides, and often accompanied by some of the best trackers in the industry.
These rangers follow strict protocols to guarantee your safety and take the full measure of your comfort levels, while also being able to direct your attention to the finer details of your environment, from the complex interactions of minute insect life, to the smelling and tasting of wild herbs to learn about their traditional uses.Â
On these safaris your senses become heightened, so that you are intensely aware of the intricacy of a nearby spider web or a passing dung beetle, all while crouching behind a bush to observe a herd of elephant or rhino.
As you explore the gorgeous bush savannah or investigate the dense thickets that line the mighty Sand River, you become immersed in the scintillating tapestry of your surrounds, so that your understanding of the African bush will be changed forever.
For many who come to explore South Africa, a visit to the country would not be complete without the full bush-to-beach experience, with the Western Cape being famous for its gorgeous winelands and cosmopolitan culture.
However, the Western Cape Province is a diverse region of South Africa which also encompasses the Little Karoo, a fascinating semi-desert region defined by towering cliffs, crystal clear rivers and surprising green belts with thriving wine farms.
The area also features several game reserves that offer walking safaris, allowing for gentle strolls through this impressive landscape with an opportunity to experience the terrain through the perspective of the ancient San people.
Also guided by expert rangers, tourists can select from tailored safaris, which bring you a fresh insight into the indigenous fauna and flora, and can be as easy going as an early morning walking trail or a more adventurous trip to secluded rock pools.
These more relaxed walking safaris also present excellent photographic opportunities, with the startling landscape and the many wonderful flowers and animals creating a truly unique photographic experience.
The Western Cape also included the highly popular Garden Route, where tourists can arrange for guided hikes of the magical Tsitsikamma National Park.
These trails can be tailored according to your comfort levels, extending to 5 day excursions across Natures Valley to the Storms River Village through the heart of the unforgettable Tsitsikamma Mountains and the Tsitsikamma Forest.
These guided trails bring a unique sense of beauty and remoteness, where you are led far from the maddening crowd to overnight stays in well-located huts, and along scenic rivers for a relaxing dip in glistening pools, with pristine views of dramatic gorges and forested mountains.
The verdant reaches of South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province offers a gorgeous walking experience that is rich with biodiversity.
This majestic region is defined by rolling emerald hills and pristine coastline, and as a popular tourist destination is replete with excellent game reserves and lodges that offer catered walking safaris.
This diverse ecosystem supports the Big 5, and up to five different ecosystems, providing for an abundant walking experience which brings you in close range to herds of antelope and an impressive array of birdlife.
Umfolozi Game Reserve in the lush Zulu Kingdom was Kwa-Zulu Natal, is renowned for its close range sighting of the southern white rhino, and remains the best place in South Africa to spot both the black and white variety of this highly endangered animal on foot.
The oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa, the Umfolozi Game Reserve is known for its rich wildlife and its pioneering conservation efforts, and is the only state-run park in KwaZulu-Natal where each of the big five game can be found.
At Umfolozi safari enthusiasts can choose from two walking trail options, consisting of daily walks from a base camp, or longer trails on which you walk between satellite camps.
On these longer excursions your luggage is carried by pack donkeys, providing for a more traditional experience, while the entire region is rich with Zulu culture, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the old ways of navigating the bush.
The Okavango Delta is considered to be one of Africa’s greatest wild havens, supporting the continent’s largest concentration of African elephant who converge on the picturesque waters that meander through this sprawling wilderness.
The Okavango delta’s very inaccessibility has allowed it to retain its pristine quality, a region of the great Kalahari Desert that is completely transformed by the presence of water that flows down from the highlands of Angola, transforming this desert wilderness into a sparkling wetland.
Visitors to the Okavango Delta often enjoy rumbling game drives or serene boat trips across the slowly winding waters, but a walking a safari provides a completely different experience of this untouched African Eden.
These walking safaris are led by an expert guide, and are also accompanied by an armed national parks’ scout, lasting for up to three or four hours.
These wilder walking safaris are an adventurous exploration of the environment, giving you an authentic bush experience that often begins in the morning and is resumed again in the late afternoon.
The Okavango Delta is famous for its diverse wildlife, and these walking safaris bring into focus the myriad and complex elements that make up this incredible biodiversity.
On these safaris you are likely to spot wild dog, hyena, and sometimes lion, as well as a variety iconic plains game such as kudu, tsessebe, zebra, red lechwe, giraffe and impala. Lone bull elephants are also found most of the year, whilst breeding herds migrate here towards the end of the dry season.
At many of the reserves you will also find a family-centric setup that caters to visitors of all ages, which offer a range of activities for children, such as bow-making, fishing, learning how to identify tracks and mastering the art of cooking over a fire.
The remote nature of these Delta camps brings you a genuine camp-side experience, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, allowing you to become fully immersed in the bush.
Botswana’s splendid Chobe National Park is the oldest national park in the country, located near the vast, inland Okavango Delta.
Chobe is the third largest national park in Botswana, and also the country’s most biologically diverse, with one of the greatest concentrations of game to be found on the African continent.
As such, Chobe is renowned for its large herds of elephants and Cape buffalo, which converge along the Chobe Riverfront in the dry months of the year.
Lions, antelopes and hippos inhabit the woods and lagoons around Linyanti Marsh, while the floodable grasslands of the Savuti Marsh attract various bird species, as well as migrating zebras.
This wild, teeming paradise lends itself perfectly to the special magic of a walking safari, which can be conducted from mobile tented camps within the Chobe Enclave, a private reserve that borders the western boundary of Chobe National Park.
The flooded marshland of the Chobe Enclave attracts an array of birdlife, as well as the iconic herds of elephant and buffalo, while the riverine woodland that stretches along the marsh is made majestic by towering cathedral mopane trees, in which shyer animals such as roan antelope and leopard can be spied.
This thicker mopane woodland also opens up onto wide clearings which create the perfect setting to observe a variety of larger animal species, including wild dog and even lion.
These walking safaris can also be tailored to your interests and your style, with distances depending on you comfort levels as well as the number of sightings. However, these are energetic walks, while campsites often move location during your stay to ensure for better sightings.
These campsites usually consist of spacious Meru style tents with en-suite ablution facilities and comfortable beds, allowing you to return from your close-range bush adventure and enjoy a relaxing dinner by the campfire, enfolded by the sparkling, starlit African sky.
Walking safaris in both the Chobe National Park and within the Okavango Delta can be booked with private companies that specialize in offering tailored walking excursions with expert guides to guarantee your safety and comfort.
The San Bushmen of the Kalahari are the oldest inhabitants of the region, and as such have been a source of fascination for anthropologists, storytellers and travellers for their intriguing culture and their incredible connection with the natural world.
While very few San people are still able to live the full nomadic lifestyle of their ancestors, due to the encroachment of the modern world, elements of this singular and ancient culture still exist within their communities, and are often vicariously continued through their employment at a number of safari lodges in Botswana.
A variety of camps in the Makgadikgadi region offer enthralling San walking safaris, allowing you a rare opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge of the oldest living inhabitants of Africa.
The distinctive Makgadikgadi salt pans appear at first sight to be an insupportable, barren landscape, but the secret to the San’s long survival has been their deep understanding of the natural provisions of the land.
This tactile walking exploration of the area is an intensely fascinating experience, allowing you to become closely acquainted with the San’s clever survival tricks, were you taste a variety of foods such as wild berries and fire-roasted beetles, and receive lessons in fire-making, traditional dance, and medicine-making.
Zimbabwe is one of the very few destinations in Africa to offer walking safaris in both private game reserves and national parks – an accommodating attitude that has made Zimbabwe one of the finest safari destinations on the continent.
Walking safaris in Zimbabwe allow you to explore this magical country much like the early explorers did, traversing this untouched terrain on foot for a close experience of its majestic and alluring wildness.
There is no better place to kick off this walking tour of Zimbabwe than at Hwange National Park, where walking safaris are allowed in private concessions for a more intimate experience of the oldest national in Zimbabwe.
Hwange is also the largest national park in the country, defined by variegated grasslands and mopane forests that shudder and tremble with large elephant herds, lions and African wild dogs.
The park also features a number of picturesque watering holes that attract a myriad of African wildlife, including lion and African wild dog.
A walking safari through this vast, humbling terrain is an awe-inspiring experience, as you tread quietly along bush paths made by the tread of passing animals, which you can observe roaming free in their natural habitat from a safe distance.
The guides at Hwange are highly skilled at interpreting the secret language of the bush, bringing you closer to the interrelated mechanisms of this incredibly diverse ecosystem, and the slow pace of the walk is a truly serene experience of the quite peace of the bush.
Many of these catered walking safaris begin in the early morning with a refreshing fireside coffee, before heading out to explore almost 2Â 500 hectares of pristine landscape.
Along the way, walkers are taught the careful art of tracking, and learn to identify the various animal spoors, as well as the smaller colonies of plants and wildlife often overlooked from the game viewing vehicle.
In the north-western region of Hwange National Park, the flat reaches of the ancient Kalahari Desert give way to rugged hills, where more rugged walking safaris can be arranged for a rugged bush experience.
These flexible walking safaris allow you to arrange your schedule around your preferences and according to the potential sightings, creating an intense sense of adventure and exploration combined with expert guides whose enthusiasm for the bush is palpable.
These varied and authentic walking safaris bring you closer to the freedom of the Zimbabwean bush, and you can also choose from single day excursions or longer routes during which you at night on your journey.
On many of these walking safaris you can come as close as 20 metres from an elephant or lion on foot, while enjoying the security of expert and responsible guides who ensure every protocol is followed, allowing for a truly exhilarating and wild experience.
Mana Pools is a truly unique Zimbabwean destination, renowned for its remoteness and its sparkling vistas of intricate waterways, making it one of the most popular destinations for walking safaris in Africa.
Located in the northern region of Zimbabwe, and situated on the southern banks of the mighty Zambezi River, Mana Pools is a place of breath-taking beauty rich with wildlife.
The region’s sparse vegetation makes for relaxed and easy sightings of some of the most enthralling of Africa’s animals, including hippopotamus, crocodile, elephants, as well as a wonderful array of birdlife bathing and prancing along the water’s edge.
The beautiful landscape at Mana Pools lends itself perfectly to a walking safari, a wild and untouched watery haven dotted with acacia trees and vibrant plant life.
In fact, a walking safari is considered the best way to explore Mana Pools, as up to 70% of the park can only be accessed on foot, allowing you to truly connect with this unique landscape and better observe its fragile ecosystem.
Walking through this glimmering, watery paradise is both a breath-taking sensorial feast and a way to come closer to the peace and tranquillity of the African bush.
Walking safaris have been conducted at Mana Pools since 1963, so that many of the animals are habituated to the sight of humans on foot, making for more peaceful close-range encounters of elephant, wild dog and lion.
Added to this, many travellers are also able to go for unguided walks through the highly visible river terraces and sparse woodland, although a guided safari will often allow you to experience close contact with a variety of animals in a meaningful way.
The experienced guides at Mana Pools are extremely adept at bringing you within metres of a variety of animals, with the elephant encounters being particularly special as many of the guides are familiar enough with the individual animals to bring you exceptionally close on foot.
Equally as enthralling, some of the guides are familiar enough with many of the resident lions and wild dogs, allowing you to safely approach them at a relatively close distance.
Added to this, these walking safaris are further enhanced by the exceptional standard of guiding in Zimbabwe, where guides undergo intense training and have to meet very specific criteria in order to qualify.
To this end, guides must have a full gun license and a minimum of five years of bushwalking experience to qualify for the programme, making Zimbabwe’s guides some of the most skilled and respected in the industry.
The weather at Mana Pools is conducive to year-round walk safaris exploring the four permanent pools of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, a sparkling watery wilderness that lies inland from the Zambezi River.
Far removed from any human settlements, a walking safari at Mana Pools allows you to relish the remoteness of the African wild, leaving you with unforgettable memories and an experience which few words can do justice.
Walking safaris are said to have originated in Zambia, offering the continent’s widest choice of reliable and expertly guided walking excursions. As such, guides on these excursions undergo strict guiding exams which comply with the highest standards, making a walking safari in Zambia some of the best in Africa.
The South Luangwa National park is considered the birthplace of walking safaris, with virtually every camp including a highly experienced walking guide, and providing a different experience to many other camps with their mix of activities.
South Luangwa offers a fully immersive African walking experience, with routes tailored to your interests and your fitness levels.
As such, you can choose between a classic 8-day walking safari, sleeping in luxury tents in temporary camps in the middle of the bush, or short nature walks between other safari activities.
This is a truly authentic walking safari, exploring the banks of Zambia’s winding Luangwa River, observing the interactions of darting kingfishers and experience the awe-inspiring call of the African fish eagle, all of which forms the backdrop to the tracking of animal prints that bring you within metres of some of the continent’s most iconic wildlife.
Experiencing these animals on foot is a primal experience, filled with incredible excitement along the build-up of tracking these animals and later discovering them just metres away, bringing on a visceral sense of the immediacy of the wild which can be truly transforming.
While vehicle safaris allow you to cross more terrain, walking safaris grant you access to parts of the bush which vehicles cannot penetrate, allowing you to immerse yourself in this rich tapestry of biodiversity in a truly intimate way.
As already noted, the immense expertise of these guides means that all of these encounters occur in a safe and secure way, as these guides carefully unravel the story of each animal’s movements using signs and spoors along the way.
Visitors to South Luangwa can select from three types of tailored walking safaris, namely mobile walking safaris, bush camping, and bush walks.
Mobile walking safaris consist of multi-day walking adventures in which you remain immersed in the wild day and night. Walkers travel between temporary base camps which are set up in new areas each night.
Bush camping excursion take place at designated sites for a rustic camping experience that offers more adventure than your typical lodge stay.
Bush walks consist of short, guided nature walks conducted from one of the lodges at which you might stay, and are a perfect option for walkers who have restricted schedules and prefer less taxing excursions.
Both winter and summer are fine times for walking safaris in Zambia. Winter starts in the month of June and is also the dry season, with warm sunny days and colder nights, while the hotter months of September are an excellent time for bird watching and game viewing.
Kafue National Park is one of the biggest in Africa, consisting of an enormous and diverse terrain with a wide variety of birdlife and mammals, making it a perfect location for on-foot explorations.
Kafue can be easily accessed from either Lusaka or Livingstone, two of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, while the park’s sheer size lends to its feeling of a pristine, untouched wilderness not beset by hordes of tourists.
Walking in Kafue gives you the feeling of crossing unexplored territory, a true safari experience with excellent game viewing opportunities and spectacular landscapes.
Kafue has a superb range of antelopes as well as large herds of red lechwe and puku, with smaller groups of zebras and blue wildebeest in the Busanga Plains around June, when it starts to dry out.
Across the northern half of the park, there is an excellent range of mixed bush environments. Kudus, bushbucks, elands, reedbucks, duikers, grysboks and defassa waterbucks are all frequently seen in Kafue.Â
Lions are relatively widespread all over the park, as prides stalk through nervous herds of pukus and lechwes nightly, using the natural drainage ditches for cover with deadly efficiency on the Busanga Plains.Â
The jewel in Kafue’s crown however is the Zambezian flooded grasslands eco region in the north, including the Busanga Swamp and plains. These support large herds of herbivores and their predators. In the dry season the animals keep close to the swamps and marshy creeks and are easily seen.Â
The Kafue River, after which the park is named, meanders for 250 kilometres through the park, entering the reserve in the North East and forming Lake Itezhi-Tezhi in the South.
This scenic lake attracts large swathes of wildlife that roam its shores, while the tributaries of Lunga and Lufupa are also sources of dense wildlife sightings.
The northern and eastern reaches of the Kafue National Park are defined by these glistening waterways and consist of the majority of the reserve’s campsites sprinkled along the rivers.
As such, the spectacular terrain at Kafue provides a unique walking safari experience, allowing visitors to escape the humdrum of modern life and experience Africa’s beauty in all its rawness.
Walking safaris at Kafue are truly a rewarding experience, allowing you to traverse unpeopled wild areas and observe various wildlife in a totally natural way.
As you track the animal spoors with your expert guide, you pass through the humming quiet of the bush interspersed with distant roars and yelps, the call of predator birds passing overhead, and the musical crackle of trees and shrubs. Â
Kafue is particularly popular with walking bird enthusiasts, where a rich variety of birdlife can be found in the diverse natural areas of woodland, savannah, wetlands and rivers, while game sightings include elephants, herds of buffaloes grazing on the grassland, and antelopes scampering through the bushes.
Added to this, at Kafue you can request the tracking of specific wildlife, so that an entire afternoon can be dedicated to tracking an elephant bull, first learning about its behaviour, and dissecting the meaning of its spoor, before happening upon this majestic African icon for a rare experience in animal behaviour.