Walking safaris in Zambia
Thrilling, yes, but also meditative and mindful – doing a safari on foot is most guides’ preferred way to see the savannah. Once you get your eye in, you’ll see why.
Picture the scene: a group of people stand in a golden yellow landscape. One is crouched on the ground, addressing the gathered huddle. Two stand a little way off – one with a big rucksack, the other with a big gun.
Joshua Flatman is founder of our expert safari partner, Faran Travel. He helps me decode what we’re seeing in this typical scene. That person in the uniform holding the long gun? They’re the park ranger, making sure everything’s being done safely and properly, and keeping an eye for dangerous wildlife. The guide, crouching on the ground? They’re examining scat. That big rucksack being carried by that member of staff? It’s absolutely stuffed full of snacks and drinks. That scat on the ground? It belongs to a leopard. It’s a scene very typical of one of our walking safari holidays in South Luangwa.
Which begs the question: why would you go walking in a park with the densest leopard population in Africa?
Picture the scene: a group of people stand in a golden yellow landscape. One is crouched on the ground, addressing the gathered huddle. Two stand a little way off – one with a big rucksack, the other with a big gun.
Joshua Flatman is founder of our expert safari partner, Faran Travel. He helps me decode what we’re seeing in this typical scene. That person in the uniform holding the long gun? They’re the park ranger, making sure everything’s being done safely and properly, and keeping an eye for dangerous wildlife. The guide, crouching on the ground? They’re examining scat. That big rucksack being carried by that member of staff? It’s absolutely stuffed full of snacks and drinks. That scat on the ground? It belongs to a leopard. It’s a scene very typical of one of our walking safari holidays in South Luangwa.
Which begs the question: why would you go walking in a park with the densest leopard population in Africa?
On a walking safari, there is so much to look at. Not just animals, but the whole ecosystem of the bush springing to life around you.![]()
Origin of walking safaris in Zambia
South Luangwa National Park in Zambia has so many leopards, in part, because of the strong conservation principles that also made it the founding park for walking safaris and photography. It’s where both practices became popular, borne out of a pioneering partnership between conservationist Norman Carr and Senior Chief Nsefu – Paramount Chief of the Kunda people.Nsefu agreed to set aside land as a game reserve in return for payment – a very early example of ecotourism in Africa. Carr went on to spread the same concept to Kafue National Park in western Zambia. “Before Norman, it was all hunting safaris,” says Joshua. “There was no thought that people would come and want to just look at the animals.”
But look they do: on a walking safari, there is so much to look at. Not just animals, but the whole ecosystem of the bush springing to life around you.
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Why should you walk?
“People are often put off by walking safaris,” says Joshua. “They think it’s hot and dangerous. But it’s not like that at all.”
Nothing lets you fall in love with nature, or quiet, or being still, like being on foot. Simon Mills is founder of our Zambia walking safari expert Native Escapes. “It alerts the senses in a different way,” says Simon. “You see and hear things when you’re in a vehicle, of course, but you also have the hum of an engine. On foot, everything’s in overdrive.”
If you happen to see larger animals, it can be incredible: “Lions, elephants – if you see animals of that stature, it sets pulses running a bit more.”
“Zambia has this heritage and history of walking safaris,” says Joshua. “But what makes it really special now is the range of walking safaris you can do.”
Whilst walking safaris are now commonplace in parks across Africa, they are usually just a short bolt-on. It’s in Zambia that you’ll find our epic multi day trips with mobile camping and other ambitious adventures.
Wearing thick boots that can withstand thorny branches underfoot and donning your best khaki colours to remain inconspicuous (but not camouflage – it’s illegal outside of the military in Zambia), you’ll set off. You’ll go out in the morning, so you can examine tracks from the night before, and the guide can convey a sense of what dramas unfolded while you were sleeping.
After stopping to examine prints in your path, you continue in single file – ranger at the front, followed by guide and group, another guide bringing up the rear, keeping everyone safe and together. You won’t be walking particularly close to lagoons or the river, because crocodiles and hippos are best left well alone when you’re on two feet.
You listen out for warning calls, tread on bush sage, and let its scent fill the rapidly-heating air. Look out for animals resting in the shade of the bushes, scan the trees for leopards, and then look to any high, bare branches for perching birds.
Nothing lets you fall in love with nature, or quiet, or being still, like being on foot. Simon Mills is founder of our Zambia walking safari expert Native Escapes. “It alerts the senses in a different way,” says Simon. “You see and hear things when you’re in a vehicle, of course, but you also have the hum of an engine. On foot, everything’s in overdrive.”
If you happen to see larger animals, it can be incredible: “Lions, elephants – if you see animals of that stature, it sets pulses running a bit more.”
“Zambia has this heritage and history of walking safaris,” says Joshua. “But what makes it really special now is the range of walking safaris you can do.”
Whilst walking safaris are now commonplace in parks across Africa, they are usually just a short bolt-on. It’s in Zambia that you’ll find our epic multi day trips with mobile camping and other ambitious adventures.
Wearing thick boots that can withstand thorny branches underfoot and donning your best khaki colours to remain inconspicuous (but not camouflage – it’s illegal outside of the military in Zambia), you’ll set off. You’ll go out in the morning, so you can examine tracks from the night before, and the guide can convey a sense of what dramas unfolded while you were sleeping.
After stopping to examine prints in your path, you continue in single file – ranger at the front, followed by guide and group, another guide bringing up the rear, keeping everyone safe and together. You won’t be walking particularly close to lagoons or the river, because crocodiles and hippos are best left well alone when you’re on two feet.
You listen out for warning calls, tread on bush sage, and let its scent fill the rapidly-heating air. Look out for animals resting in the shade of the bushes, scan the trees for leopards, and then look to any high, bare branches for perching birds.
A lot of the guides have been there 10, 15, 20 years. They are real experts in the bush.![]()
Great guides & tailored walks
It’s on walking safaris that guides really come into their own; you’re totally reliant on them. The most qualified guides lead walking safaris, and they will be able to impart years of knowledge about the flora, the landscape and the wildlife. Many guides in Zambia have worked with the same lodge for years, building up their skills.
“The beauty is that the guides and rangers are exceptionally well-trained,” says Simon. Joshua agrees: “A lot of the guides have been there 10, 15, 20 years. They are real experts in the bush.”
Yet there’s so much variety in the bush that even they might be taken by surprise sometimes.
“Even the guide might see a new insect, or a new phenomenon or animal behaviour that they’ve never seen before,” says Joshua. That’s one of the secondary pleasures of safari. Watching animals is one thing; watching your guide and seeing them react to something they’ve never seen before is another. It gives useful context – that you’ve likely been in the presence of a truly special moment.
It’s these great guides that mean that walking safaris can be very specialised. “They’re really tailored to people’s interests,” says Joshua. “So if you want to spend two hours looking for a certain type of bird, you can. Or if you want to cover lots of ground on a bit of a march, you can.”
“The beauty is that the guides and rangers are exceptionally well-trained,” says Simon. Joshua agrees: “A lot of the guides have been there 10, 15, 20 years. They are real experts in the bush.”
Yet there’s so much variety in the bush that even they might be taken by surprise sometimes.
“Even the guide might see a new insect, or a new phenomenon or animal behaviour that they’ve never seen before,” says Joshua. That’s one of the secondary pleasures of safari. Watching animals is one thing; watching your guide and seeing them react to something they’ve never seen before is another. It gives useful context – that you’ve likely been in the presence of a truly special moment.
It’s these great guides that mean that walking safaris can be very specialised. “They’re really tailored to people’s interests,” says Joshua. “So if you want to spend two hours looking for a certain type of bird, you can. Or if you want to cover lots of ground on a bit of a march, you can.”
Walking vs driving – how are walking safaris different?
I once spent a memorable jeep safari with a botanist who was clearly itching to get out and examine the flora, but could not. Walking safaris are better suited to this smaller-scale nature. The engine hum of driving safaris (electric jeeps powered by Zambian sunshine are not yet commonplace) and the speed of travel mean that you’ll miss plants, birds and insects.
You’ll get a quiet experience on two feet, but you won’t see as much big wildlife. The parks’ plentiful leopards, for example, are habituated to jeeps (meaning they’re used to them), but keep clear of you if you’re car-less.
Yet they provide a different kind of satisfaction: anyone who’s been on safari knows that drives mean spending hours on end in a jeep. The routine – being chauffeured around, barely lifting a finger except to press your camera shutter– may sometimes start to feel like being on a conveyor belt.
I remember, on safari, asking our driver to stop and switch off the engine so we could soak up the ambiance of the park. Whilst he obliged, he was visibly uncomfortable – partly because we were on a schedule, but partly because seeing big ticket wildlife is usually the safari aim, and anything less generally means unhappy clients. Going on foot gives you ambiance without awkwardness.
Jeeps in South Luangwa have to stick to the road – a restriction not placed on those on foot. North Luangwa, which has practically no roads, might be even better suited to walkers.
If you have children, be mindful of lower age ranges. Park authority guidelines state that children must be 12 or older to walk. Lodges may have higher restrictions in place.
You’ll get a quiet experience on two feet, but you won’t see as much big wildlife. The parks’ plentiful leopards, for example, are habituated to jeeps (meaning they’re used to them), but keep clear of you if you’re car-less.
Yet they provide a different kind of satisfaction: anyone who’s been on safari knows that drives mean spending hours on end in a jeep. The routine – being chauffeured around, barely lifting a finger except to press your camera shutter– may sometimes start to feel like being on a conveyor belt.
I remember, on safari, asking our driver to stop and switch off the engine so we could soak up the ambiance of the park. Whilst he obliged, he was visibly uncomfortable – partly because we were on a schedule, but partly because seeing big ticket wildlife is usually the safari aim, and anything less generally means unhappy clients. Going on foot gives you ambiance without awkwardness.
Jeeps in South Luangwa have to stick to the road – a restriction not placed on those on foot. North Luangwa, which has practically no roads, might be even better suited to walkers.
If you have children, be mindful of lower age ranges. Park authority guidelines state that children must be 12 or older to walk. Lodges may have higher restrictions in place.
Why Zambia for walking safaris?
At the end of every season, many Zambian safari camps are packed up completely – leaving only a concrete base, perhaps, standing. This, and a low number of visitors, help the parks feel totally wild.
Compared to other countries, there are still a high concentration of owner-operated camps in Zambia which can offer you a very personal, warm experience, and tell you their own history. In other safari destinations, this is no longer the case, with camps being bought by larger companies.
Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park was once called ‘the crowded valley’ for its amazingly productive savannah and huge numbers of animals. Poaching has reduced numbers and there are no longer rhino. But the park is still an amazing place for wildlife watching on foot.
Simon explains: “The terrain is suitable. You’re not climbing loads of hills and gullies, you can see for quite some distance, and you aren’t caught in thicket where the animals can’t be seen. The idea is not to walk into any big animals, but experience being out on safari in another way… but you do see eles and lions.”
As well as these, and leopards, there’s also a healthy population of African wild dogs in Zambia.
Compared to other countries, there are still a high concentration of owner-operated camps in Zambia which can offer you a very personal, warm experience, and tell you their own history. In other safari destinations, this is no longer the case, with camps being bought by larger companies.
Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park was once called ‘the crowded valley’ for its amazingly productive savannah and huge numbers of animals. Poaching has reduced numbers and there are no longer rhino. But the park is still an amazing place for wildlife watching on foot.
Simon explains: “The terrain is suitable. You’re not climbing loads of hills and gullies, you can see for quite some distance, and you aren’t caught in thicket where the animals can’t be seen. The idea is not to walk into any big animals, but experience being out on safari in another way… but you do see eles and lions.”
As well as these, and leopards, there’s also a healthy population of African wild dogs in Zambia.
Where can you go on walking safaris in Zambia?
The heartland is South Luangwa National Park, where the very concept of walking safaris originated, and which offers the widest variety of walks. North Luangwa National Park is wilder still, with even fewer roads or vehicles. Both parks are on the Luangwa River. If you followed this large river, you would join the Zambezi, and eventually meet Victoria Falls.
Lower Zambezi is opposite Mana Pools and closer to Victoria Falls, and offers day walks only. “But it’s arguably a more scenic area,” says Joshua. “You’ve got the incredible Zambezi River and winter thorn forests – you can walk through a maze of incredible trees and tributaries.” Kafue National Park is the largest, further ‘in’ and less visited. Luambe National Park is smaller and has just one camp; if you go, you’ll be walking alone.
Lower Zambezi is opposite Mana Pools and closer to Victoria Falls, and offers day walks only. “But it’s arguably a more scenic area,” says Joshua. “You’ve got the incredible Zambezi River and winter thorn forests – you can walk through a maze of incredible trees and tributaries.” Kafue National Park is the largest, further ‘in’ and less visited. Luambe National Park is smaller and has just one camp; if you go, you’ll be walking alone.
Best time to go
Walking safaris run from May to November, during the dry season. It’s a good time for animal spotting as they converge on water sources like the Luangwa River. The walking on these trips is not strenuous, but by October the daytime temperature often reaches the mid to high 30°Cs – a little hot.
In the wet season, the river floods, most camps close entirely, and the animals disperse. Tourism retreats from Zambia and, between late November and February, the Zambian parks are given back to their inhabitants.
In the wet season, the river floods, most camps close entirely, and the animals disperse. Tourism retreats from Zambia and, between late November and February, the Zambian parks are given back to their inhabitants.
Combing walking with other activities
Walking in Zambia is a fantastic experience partially because it presents such a contrast to drives. To fully appreciate this, you’ll want to hop in a jeep a couple of times, too. South Luangwa is also one of the few places in Africa where you can drive at night. Since many carnivores are more active under the cover of darkness, you can see incredible scenes. For your own safety, you can’t walk at night.
On our holidays you can combine walking in Zambia with mokoro canoe expeditions in Botswana, head east instead to Malawi for lakeside relaxation and safari, or go on a holiday that combines Zambia with Zimbabwe.
On our holidays you can combine walking in Zambia with mokoro canoe expeditions in Botswana, head east instead to Malawi for lakeside relaxation and safari, or go on a holiday that combines Zambia with Zimbabwe.
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