 Walking safaris are without a doubt one of the most rewarding ways to see the African bush. Naturally you cover less distance on a walking safari than by vehicle so the quantity of game may not always be as high, but the luxury of a walking safari is being able use your senses; listen, smell, feel things as you go along. Walking safaris are about quality, not quantity - the sense of immediacy and of being part of the scene, which can be lost in a vehicle.
Katavi is one of the few national parks where walking, accompanied by armed rangers, is allowed at the moment. This is largely because it has so few visitors. The park has little in the way of infrastructure, so walking is even more enjoyable as there are few roads or other tourists to interrupt the wilderness.
Katavi also has excellent game, so walks are rarely dull. In the dry season (June - October) the narrow rivers that connect the main flood plains become magnets to large numbers of thirsty animals and the equivalent of fast food joints to equally impressive numbers of predators, so walking along the banks demands vigilance, but is highly entertaining.
As in the Selous Game Reserve you can walk from camp for an hour or two at a time or there are vehicle supported fly camping trips available for one or two nights or up to several days.
One of the most enjoyable ways to see Katavi is by a combination of Landrover and foot, accompanied by an armed ranger. This way you can drive for as long as you like and get out to creep up to animals when you feel like it, so you retain a refreshingly spontaneous feel.
Best place to stay Chada Camp
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Loliondo is part of the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem, but lies outside the Serengeti National Park boundary and jurisdiction. As a result walking and nightdriving are allowed here. This, along with the excellent game in the area, is one of the main reasons why we generally try to combine time in the Serengeti with a few days in Loliondo.
Best place to stay Loliondo Safari camp or Loliondo Wilderness Mobile
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The Ngorongoro highlands and surrounding areas are amongst the most beautiful and dramatic areas to walk in Tanzania with some truly extraordinary views and scenery, particularly in the green season from December to May.
In stark contrast to the Ngorongoro Crater, it is eminently possible to access real wilderness away from other people. We use vehicle supported mobile camps in this area to great effect.
For those after more of a challenge, there are some serious several-day walking safaris, using Maasai donkeys, north to beyond Empakai crater and into the floor of the rift valley as far as the active volcano Ol Donyo Lengai and Lake Natron. These safaris are often escorted by local Maasai and can be demanding. The further you get from the highlands the wilder the terrain becomes. Game is not always plentiful, but the area is awe-inspiring scenically. To the south there is some great walking below Ol Deani to Lake Eyasi.
Best place to stay Ngorongoro Wilderness Mobile
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The Selous is a game reserve and therefore governed by a different set of rules to the national parks. As a result, extensive walking is allowed and this is one of the most rewarding places to get out on foot. Sand Rivers camp and Selous Safari Campin the north of the reserve offer walks accompanied by competent, well trained guides and these can be for a few hours in the morning or evening, or as part of a fly camping safari (from Sand Rivers) that can be for anything from 1 night to two weeks at a time if you are really serious.
Here there is a rich variety of terrain from the impressive Rufiji River (almost a mile wide in places) through mosaic scrub and Miombo woodland into grass plains and ox bow lakes connected by sand rivers and areas of impenetrable thick bush.
Walking here can be enormously exciting, and as much as anywhere else, there are areas of the Selous where walking at corridor-creeping pace pays high dividends. The areas surrounding the lakes are home to large numbers of buffalo, elephant and hippo and a competent guide will often be able to put you in a safe position to watch these animals (as well as many others) at surprisingly close range on foot.
Walking to and from vehicles or boats is something that makes walking safaris in the Selous unique and the contrast in getting into a boat and drifting downstream after 3 hour walking is magnificent.
Sand Rivers offers spectacular 5 day walking safaris that depart every week in the dry season for those who really want to embrace this unique wilderness in an exciting way. The walks are based on the original walking safaris of the early twentieth century. Supported by a small crew and with a lightweight fly camp you walk in the early morning and late afternoon, camping on islands in mid river, in enormous dry riverbeds and in woodland on the shores of lakes. By night you eat three course dinners under the stars and sleep in mosquito nets in the open.
Best place to stay Selous Walking Camp or Sand Rivers
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In the wilder, southern end of Tarangire National Park, Oliver's Camp offers some excellent walks, both as day and half-day walks form camp and as walking safaris for several days on end supported by lightweight fly camps.
These walks are the real deal and there isn't anywhere else in the park that offers walks of this standard, both in terms of guiding and accommodation. You should see some good game and birdlife and you'll also learn quite a bit about the ecology of the park as a whole from the guides.
In the north, on the eastern edge of the park in the village area, there is some very pretty country for walking. The game isn't always as plentiful as in the south of the park and you won't be able to do anything quite like the Oliver's flycamps, but there are some areas where you can get on your feet for an hour or two from camps like Kikoti.
Best place to stay Oliver's Camp
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