Tanzania isn’t the first place you’d think of for a walking safari, but it is now one of the best spots in Africa for exploring the wilderness on foot. You can now traipse through the Serengeti plains among the Great Wildebeest Migration, explore the wild west of Katavi in a world-class fly camping expedition, or enjoy one of the finest walking establishments in Africa in Ruaha National Park’s Kichaka Camp. By foot, safaris become a whole lot more interesting than spotting those big 5 animals: it’s all about the extraordinary small creatures, plants, and beetles that keep ecosystems alive year after year, and these walking safaris offer some of the most authentic explorations of the African wilderness.
The Serengeti – Wayo Camp
Spearheaded by Jean du Plessis – responsible for training guides throughout Tanzania – it’s no wonder the guiding at Wayo is second-to-none. That’s without a doubt the most important part of a walking safari, and will transform the experience from a pleasant stroll to a breath-taking adventure in the wilderness, where you will learn about aspects of safari you didn’t even know existed from the comfort of a 4×4.
Wayo is set on taking guests off the beaten track – which is harder and harder to do in the rightly popular Serengeti National Park. Luckily, they’ve done it.
Wayo Green Camp and Wayo Little Green Camp have designated walking safari spots, which are totally unique to the rest of the camps in the famous national park. Meanwhile, their third camp Wayo Walking can be hired out privately and will up sticks and move depending on where your group wants to go. It’s really the ultimate experience for those who want a truly unique safari adventure tailored exactly to your preferences. But don’t worry – the beds are as comfortable as the walks are informative… very!
Ruaha – Kichaka Camp
Set up by one of Africa’s most famous guides, Andrew Molinaro and his partner Noelle Herzog run this fabulous little set up in Ruaha National Park – which also happens to be one of Tanzania’s best kept secrets.
The two camps are situated in the remote north of the park, famous for its burnt red earth, towering baobabs and brilliant concentrations of elephant and lion. The two camps – Zumbua and Kidogo – have evolved from a pretty stripped back experience to a barefoot luxury one. Combining the plush Zumbua – with its private plunge pools and top-notch comfort in three suites – alongside the back-to-basics Kidogo provides the ultimate walking safari combination.
But what really sets Kichaka’s offerings apart from the rest is the walking safari guiding – here you will learn so much within just a half-hour stomp around this magnificent, and wildly overlooked, untouched African park.
Katavi – Fly-camping at Chada
Nomad is one of our favourite companies in Africa, and they happen to operate a camp in the wild west of Tanzania’s Katavi National Park. Untouched by time and tourism, Katavi is about as raw as safari gets with its extreme climates, parched riverbeds, and mighty buffalo herds.
The best activity on offer from this remote lodge is fly-camping, where you can walk and camp in the wilderness with a mosquito net to kip under – the only barrier between you and the Milky Way. The guiding here is brilliant – an important factor of any walking safari, but especially such an intrepid one.
One or two night walking trips with fly-camping stops can be organised as part of your Chada stay. Here you can totally disconnect from the outside world and get back to basics in one of Africa’s most remote parks. You won’t see any other vehicles, but can bask in the African bush as it’s always been – wild and spectacular. This fly-camping experience adds a whole new dimension to the word safari.
