Walking safaris are not hikes so the fitness requirement is different – most game reserves feature flat or gently undulating territory, so you won’t be expected to endure long or steep ascents or descents as you might when hiking. But you need to be happy being outdoors on your feet for several hours at a time and this can sometimes be in fairly high temperatures. You tend to cover ground slowly, interpreting what you see on the way – this might be spoor, plants of interest, smaller fauna and insects, in addition to larger animals. When you encounter wildlife, you may spend considerable time observing behaviour, sometimes in a crouch if you are not screened. Morning walks tend to be a minimum of 3 hours, with a break for refreshments, but on some safaris you may be out for up to 5 hours in the morning, provided it’s not too hot. Having returned to camp for lunch and a siesta, you’ll typically head out for an afternoon walk lasting around 1.5 hours before dusk. Overall, expect to cover between 8 and 15 kms per day.

Walking in the bush is a completely different experience to driving through it. For starters there’s no engine noise, which means your ears tune in to the trills and chatter of the bush; smells are natural and raw, uncontaminated by diesel fumes, and you are free to roam in any direction, off-grid and off-tracks. Whereas you tend to seek out larger animals and tick off the Big-5 when in a vehicle, being on foot connects you with all aspects of the wild – there is a much stronger focus on flora and smaller fauna, and the interconnectivity of the micro-ecosystems of the bush, a dimension you barely touch when on a driving safari. Unravelling what you encounter in the presence of an extremely knowledgeable guide, gently explaining the intricate networks of nature, is an unforgettable experience. Inevitably, you will encounter larger wildlife too and there is a tangible aura of excitement being out in a wild area, beyond the secure cocoon of a Toyota Landcruiser. You physically step into a wild ecosystem and become part of it, challenging the fight or flight decisions that animals continuously need to make – humans are perceived as a threat and animals naturally become more skittish when they are present. Finding and approaching animals becomes a skill and you’ll learn to read signs and observe behaviour, whether it’s a warning call or movement, or the direction an animal might be looking, which gives clues as to what might lie unseen. Identifying spoor and tracking, particularly rhino, buffalo, elephant and lion, and making a quiet approach upwind can be hugely rewarding and exciting. Many walking safaris immerse one in the bush for several days, affording a real opportunity to disconnect from the modern world and tune into the natural one properly. You should also get to see much of what you might on a driving safari, just spread out over time, and a lot more besides. For those who need to guarantee they tick off Big-5 animals, we recommend spending a few nights in a safari lodge where drives can be undertaken, before moving on to a walking safari ….. save the best for last!

Most walking safaris take place in Big-5 reserves and lion potentially pose the largest threat, even though they hunt at night. Although walking is not without risk, rest assured that walks would not take place if they were not deemed to be ‘safe’. Game reserves would be dangerous places to walk in if you were to simply wander about in an uninformed and oblivious manner, but in the company of a trained walking guide, who understands animal behaviour and most importantly, knows how to behave around animals, walking is a low risk activity – walk properly, following the guide’s rules, and risk is all but negated. Predators are not often encountered on a walking safari and some guides will seek to avoid them. Lions can be very vocal and their tracks can be observed, among other signs, and guides will often know when they are present. However, tracking lion is something you may get to experience, with the aim of making an approach at distance, if the guide deems it to be safe and participants are willing. It is extremely exhilarating to hear lions vocalise close to camp in the early morning, then set out to find their tracks and follow them!

Yes, with one or two exceptions. On walking safaris in Zambia, it is law to walk with both a guide and a tracker; the tracker walks at the front of a group and will be armed. The Zambia National Parks and Wildlife Service trains and employs trackers, who are then assigned to private walking safari operations. In South Africa it is usual for the guide to be armed and lead at the front of the group (the gun is always at the front). Trackers are not required, but on some safaris there may be an assistant guide bringing up the rear and he/she may also be armed. In Botswana, it is usual for the guide to be armed and to lead at the front. There may be an assistant employed at the rear, but this is usually an unarmed tea-bearer, who will also act as a spotter. Rules about carrying arms are less strict in Botswana and we have enjoyed a walking safari where the guide was not armed (and no tracker was present). This raises the question as to whether carrying a weapon is necessary for safety – there is a school of thought that carrying a weapon might give the bearer a false sense of security and lead to more risk taking, but ultimately, the quality and training of the guide, irrespective of whether he/she is armed or not, is the most important factor – behave in the correct way in the bush and you should never need to resort to discharging a weapon. If a weapon is ever discharged, it will most likely be into the air to scare an animal from a particular course and even then, this would be a very rare event. Rest assured that walking safari guides have to pass extremely stringent tests, much more so than for vehicle-based safari guides, and the strong tradition of walking in key reserves across Southern Africa has in its own right fostered a cohort of excellent walking guides.

Khaki or similar neutral colours are recommended on safaris, and this is especially important on walking safaris. Besides maximising your chance of encountering game (and for longer), dressing in this way is also part of bush etiquette. White and red garments should be avoided when out walking especially. Some clothing that might be considered neutral by some are not considered so by animals, eg. light, stone-coloured garments, a colour that many safari-goers opt for, can actually appear relatively bright and can be seen more easily by animals than mid-tone greens and khakis. You may find that your guide asks you to stand at the back of the group when observing wildlife, because your clothing does not blend in with the bush or appears too bright! Please also note that army camouflage uniforms and hats are forbidden in most African countries. Cotton clothing is generally cooler than synthetic clothing and is recommended for safaris.