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The Education Series
8 essential guides that cover everything you need to know about walking safaris, in the order we would read them.
Photo: Chiawa Safaris01
What Is a Walking Safari?
A walking safari is a guided journey on foot through wild, unfenced country, led by trained and armed…
Photo: Chibembe Wildlife Reserve02
Are Walking Safaris Safe?
A walking safari is built around managing risk: trained and armed professionals, small groups, a clear…
Photo: The Bushcamp Company03
The Best Walking Safaris in Africa
There is no single best walking safari in Africa, but there is a best one for the way you want to walk, and…
Photo: The Bushcamp Company04
The Birthplace of the Walking Safari – South Luangwa Walking Safari Guide
In South Luangwa, a morning on foot is not an extra; it is one of two equal ways to spend each day in the…
Photo: Wild Expeditions05
The Best Time of Year for a Walking Safari
Walking safaris follow the dry season: in most of southern and eastern Africa that means roughly June to…
Photo: The Bushcamp Company06
How Much Does a Walking Safari Cost?
Walking safaris cover a wide range of prices, from a state-run trail in South Africa to a remote fly camp in…
Photo: The Bushcamp Company07
Your First Walking Safari: Where to Go
For a first walking safari, the safest bet is a format that lets you walk every morning and still drive every…
Photo: Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park08
Who Invented the Walking Safari?
Norman Carr in Zambia's Luangwa Valley or Ian Player in South Africa's iMfolozi? The documented history of…
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Why Walk 14
What Is a Walking Safari?A walking safari is a guided journey on foot through wild, unfenced country, led by trained and armed…Are Walking Safaris Safe?A walking safari is built around managing risk: trained and armed professionals, small groups, a clear…How Far Do You Actually Walk on a Walking Safari?Less than most people expect, and more slowly: a typical morning walk in a Walking Camp covers 3–5 km, and…Walking Safari vs Game Drive: Why the Best Trips Do BothWalking and driving are not rivals: each shows you a different Africa, and for most travelers the best trip…How Fit Do You Need to Be for a Walking Safari? Fitness and Health on FootFitter than you need to be for a game drive, far less fit than you need to be for a mountain trek: what a…What Will You See on a Walking Safari?Walking is not the best way to find lions, and that is not why people do it.A Morning on Foot: What Happens on a Walking SafariA walking safari morning has a shape, and once you know it, the day makes sense: up before the sun, out on…Mobile, Camp-Based or Trail: The Three Kinds of Walking SafariEvery safari brochure mentions walking, but the trips behind those words are built in three very different…Who Leads Your Walk? Guide Licensing and Armed Escorts by CountryEvery walking safari is only as good as the people at the front of the line, and each country decides…Why Your Guide Matters Most on a Walking SafariThree things shape a safari: where you go, where you stay, and who guides you. The third can outweigh the…Walking Safari Age Limits, Country by CountryMost walking safari age limits are camp policy, not law, which is why two camps in the same park can give you…Walking Safari Etiquette: How to Behave on FootA walking safari has very few rules, and every one of them has a reason. Learn them before your first walk…Photography on a Walking SafariA walk gives you photographs a vehicle never will: eye-level animals, tracks, textures and the people you…Walking Safaris and Conservation: Why Going on Foot MattersA walking safari is not just a quieter way to see Africa. It is one of the most direct ways a visitor can…
Where to Walk 20
The Best Walking Safaris in AfricaThere is no single best walking safari in Africa, but there is a best one for the way you want to walk, and…The Birthplace of the Walking Safari – South Luangwa Walking Safari GuideIn South Luangwa, a morning on foot is not an extra; it is one of two equal ways to spend each day in the…Walking Safaris in Zambia: The Parks, the Rules and the SeasonZambia is where the guided walking safari began, and walking is still built into the country's safari life,…Where Walking Really Matters: Walking Share by ParkCounting the camps that walk every day, as a share of all the camps in a park, shows where walking is the way…Where Is the Best Game Viewing on a Walking Safari?There is no single best park for wildlife on foot. There is a best park for what you most want to see, and…North Luangwa: Zambia's Walking WildernessNorth Luangwa has only a handful of camps, and walking is the reason most of them exist.Lower Zambezi Walking Safari GuideThe Lower Zambezi is a river park first: most camps will walk you, but the canoe and the boat set the rhythm…Kafue Walking Safari GuideKafue is Zambia's largest park and one of its quietest. Walking is offered at most of its camps, but only a…Mana Pools Walking Safari GuideOn the Zambezi floodplain at Mana Pools, open woodland and long sightlines make walking the natural way to…Hwange Walking Safari GuideHwange is a game-drive park with a walking minority: about one camp in five makes walking a daily core…Walking Safaris in ZimbabweZimbabwe trains some of Africa's most demanding walking guides, and it has one park where walking is close to…Walking Safaris in Kruger: What to ExpectGreater Kruger offers some of Africa's longest days on foot and its best-value trails, if you know which of…Walking Safaris in Tanzania: Ruaha, Nyerere and the SerengetiTanzania is best known for game drives, but in Ruaha, Nyerere and a few licensed corners of the Serengeti, a…Walking Safaris in KenyaIn Kenya you walk on conservancies and private ranches, not in the famous national reserves, and in Laikipia…Walking in Botswana: Where It Is AllowedIn Botswana, where you can walk depends less on the park than on who controls the land: the national parks…Rhino Tracking on Foot: Where to Do ItRhino tracking on foot is a focused search for one animal, and in several of the best places to do it, nobody…Walking Safari Rules by ParkWhether you can walk, who must walk with you and how old you must be are set park by park, and the…Walking Safaris in MalawiMalawi's restored parks now hold elephant, buffalo and lion again, and several camps walk in them. Walking…Walking Safaris in MozambiqueMozambique is better known for its beaches than its bush, but one of Africa's great conservation comebacks is…Walking Safaris in NamibiaNamibia is one of Africa's great safari countries, but it is not one of its great walking countries. Most…
Plan 11
Your First Walking Safari: Where to GoFor a first walking safari, the safest bet is a format that lets you walk every morning and still drive every…Which Walking Safari Is Right for You?The best walking safari is the one that fits how you want to travel, and the answer changes with who you are.The Best Time of Year for a Walking SafariWalking safaris follow the dry season: in most of southern and eastern Africa that means roughly June to…How Much Does a Walking Safari Cost?Walking safaris cover a wide range of prices, from a state-run trail in South Africa to a remote fly camp in…How a Multi-Camp Walking Safari Works in South LuangwaIn South Luangwa, a multi-camp safari usually means several small bushcamps, a walk most mornings, and a…How to Get to South LuangwaGetting to South Luangwa is simpler than it looks on a map: fly to Lusaka, hop to Mfuwe, and drive into the…South Luangwa vs Mana Pools: Which Is Better for Walking?Both parks put walking at the center of the safari; they differ in scale, in who carries the rifle, and in…South Luangwa vs Kruger for a Walking SafariIn South Luangwa, walking is half of the safari; in Kruger, it is usually a separate trip you choose on…South Luangwa vs Lower Zambezi: Which Is Better for a Walking Safari?One is a river safari. The other is a whole valley you explore on foot and by vehicle, day and night. If…What to Wear on a Walking SafariOn foot, what you wear stops being a fashion question: it affects how close the animals let you come, how…Am I Too Old for a Walking Safari?Plenty of people take their first walking safari in their sixties and seventies. The number on your passport…
Stories 7
Who Invented the Walking Safari?Norman Carr in Zambia's Luangwa Valley or Ian Player in South Africa's iMfolozi? The documented history of…Chibembe and the Birth of the Commercial Walking SafariThe first commercial walking safari circuit began at a seasonal river crossing in Zambia's Luangwa Valley,…Kuyenda: Phil Berry's Walking CampKuyenda means "to walk" in Nyanja, the local language. Fittingly, it was built by a man who had spent thirty…Face It: Walking Safaris Are Just Really CoolWe have written plenty about safety, fitness and how to choose a camp. This one is different. This is about…Walking Safaris Take You Away from the CrowdsIn some of Africa's best-known parks, the hardest thing to find at a sighting is space. On foot, space is the…True Experiential Travel: Walking SafarisMost travel lets you look at a place. A walking safari asks you to take part in it.A Walking Safari of Another Kind: When Elephants Walk Through the Lobby at Mfuwe LodgeAt the end of each dry season, a family of elephants walks through the front door of a safari lodge in…
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