What to expect on your walking safari in Zambia

Did you know that South Luangwa National Park in Zambia is often referred to as “the birthplace of the walking safari”? Often referred to as a bush walk, they were first pioneered by the legendary conservationist, Norman Carr, who was also an advocate for photography safaris and believed that the best way to stay connected to the nature you come to see whilst on a safari.

And it’s this history which keeps people coming to Zambia to experience a walking safari. But what should you expect from the experience?

What to expect on a typical walking safari day?

When people are looking to book a walking safari, we’re often asked a plethora of questions of what to expect. From fitness, to surviving the hot Zambian weather and your safety to what facilities are available, so we decided to put this guide together to help anyone who’s thinking of coming to Zambia on a walking safari. Most of these questions can be answered by letting you know what a typical day on a walking safari looks like.

An Early Start

The coolest time of day is first thing, so we make the most of that with an early start! Typically we’d aim to be up at dawn, for a light breakfast, ensuring that we can be back to camp before the heat of the day kicks in. This is to make sure that it’s a more comfortable temperature throughout the bush walk. Early morning is also a great time to see wildlife too!

Walking Times and Distance

The morning walk will typically take 3-4 hours, including breaks and plenty of opportunities to take in the nature and wildlife. Typically this will cover a distance of up to 10km, this should be a comfortable pace for the majority of people. Of course, if you’re in a private group you can always opt for a shorter route if you feel this may be too far for yourself.

Walking safaris are designed to be a leisurely pace and aside from the many stops to observe wildlife, there will typically be a more ‘structured’ mid-walk break too. During this break your guides will offer tea, coffee and snacks. You’ll typically be back in camp for a well earned lunch and rest by midday, in preparation of an afternoon activity.

Many camps will also have an afternoon bush walk available too. These tend to be shorter than the morning walks, usually up to 2 hours long. There may also be alternative options for the afternoon, such as a more traditional game drive, in case you don’t feel up to the additional walk.

After the afternoon walk or activity, you’ll be back in camp ready to freshen up for dinner and will typically have time to discuss the day’s adventure around a campfire.

Your Walking Safari Guides

Depending on the size of your group there will be a small guiding team with you, typically just two people, your safari guide and then an armed scout.

The safari guide will be an expert in the area and will be there to share their extensive knowledge, stories and of course, answer any questions you may have. They will also use this knowledge to make sure that your group is safe and to ensure that the bush walk is adapted to meet your needs and interests.

Whilst animal attacks are rare, an armed scout is a requirement for walking safaris. Their main job is to be ahead of any dangers, using their knowledge of wildlife threats and behaviour to diffuse any threats before they become a problem.

What Will You See?

Whilst there’s no guarantees of what wildlife you’ll see on your walking safari, here’s what people typically see:

• Large mammals, such as elephants, buffalo, giraffes, zebras and antelope.
• Big cats such as Lions and Leopards.
• Smaller animals and insects. Being on foot makes it much easier to come across these.
• Lots of Zambia’s birdlife.

You can read our full guide on Zambian wildlife here.