5 of the Best Walking Safari Regions in Africa
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Walking safaris offer a completely different experience from traditional game drives
Instead of sitting comfortably in a vehicle, you’re on the ground with the wildlife—immersed in the sights, sounds, and scents of the African wilderness. On foot, you become part of the landscape, rather than just an observer, making walking safaris an extraordinary way to connect with nature.
Experience a Jaw-Dropping Safari Journey
While most well-known camps and lodges offer short guided walks, the best walking safaris focus on immersive experiences that put you up close to large game and introduce you to the smaller, often-overlooked details of the bush—like animal tracks, wildflowers, and the subtleties of the ecosystem.
5 of the Best Walking Safari Regions in Africa
If you’re ready to swap the comfort of a vehicle for the thrill of walking among wildlife, here are five of the best walking safari regions in Africa.
Why I Love Walking Safaris
Before I founded Brandt Safaris, I spent most of my career on foot in the bush. I wasn’t sitting in a vehicle—I was walking alongside rhinos, tracking leopards with my tracker, and getting up close (but safe) with big game. I hold a Trails Guide qualification, a Dangerous Game SKS license, and Level 4 Track & Sign, and Trailing Level 3. That said, it was never just about the qualifications. It was the connection.
Walking safaris are just different. You’re not just observing nature—you’re part of it. I’ve sat with wild dogs in Mana Pools, stood on a termite mound surrounded by buffalo, and approached huge elephant bulls on foot. During my years doing guide training, we’d specifically walk into sightings so guides could learn animal behavior firsthand—how to read body language, how to remain calm, when to move and when to stop. We had our share of close calls, but that’s how you learn to respect the space you’re in.
Now, I’m mostly on foot as a guest or host, and I’ve loved discovering which areas offer the best walking experiences. Mana Pools and Hwange in Zimbabwe are standouts—especially when you’re on private concessions where the vehicle can be used as a tool to get you into prime walking territory. In those areas, it’s common to use the vehicle to locate big game, hop out, and approach on foot with a professional guide.
And that’s key: you need the right guide. Some of the best walking safari guides in Africa are in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the experience they offer is unmatched. They’ll teach you not just about the big animals, but about the small ones too—the stories told in tracks, the meaning behind a snapped branch, the sounds that signal when something’s near.
It’s one of the most raw, real, and rewarding ways to experience Africa, and I’ll always have a soft spot for it.
Summing things up
If you’re thinking about doing a walking safari, here are a few top regions worth considering:
- South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
- Mana Pools and Hwange, Zimbabwe
- Selinda, Shinde and Linyanti, Botswana
- Chimpanzee and Gorilla Trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo
- Makuleke (Kruger), South Africa; Loisaba, Kenya; Ngorongoro Highlands, Tanzania
Whether you’re on a full-blown multi-day walking adventure or just looking to stretch your legs in between game drives, walking brings you closer to the bush in a way that’s hard to describe—but impossible to forget.
Ready to put on your walking shoes and experience Africa up close?
Contact Brandt Safaris to plan your next unforgettable journey on foot
