Walking safari experiences

Lace up your safari boots and escape into the plains for a bush walk. Not a common occurrence in most of Kenya's parks, this is the truest way to experience the essence of Laikipia. Led by your experienced guide, venture into the lush hills and tawny valleys to follow the tracks of the African painted dog, see the flutter of birdlife over a flowing river and feel the rumble of elephant on the move. And get to know the local flora and its uses! This is your chance to lean in close and see the details often over-looked! Set out at sunrise or after your morning game drive for a few hours of safari-ing like an explorer.

Well cared for and utterly majestic, the elephants at the Kandy foundation are a joy to meet. Help the mahout (keeper) as they give out medicine and vitamins, then join an elephant on their walkabout across the grounds. You can also be part of bathtime - but there's a good chance you'll get soaked. Visit the on-site museum to delve into Sri Lanka's complex history with elephants and what the foundation does to protect these gentle giants.

Strap on your safari boots for a bush walk to remember! In the sun-drenched Central Kalahari, you'll join a bush-wise guide on a intimate walk through nature where the tiniest details come into focus. Spot the scuttling Milkwood leaf beetle with its technicoloured coat, find hidden burrows of animals big and small, and learn to find tracks amongst the golden grass. Your guide doesn't miss a beat and without the hum of a 4x4 to distract, you'll have the chance to lean in close. The grasses aren't as high between May and September, which makes it the best time for a bush walk.

As the birds start to sing, set off to explore the Lake Manyara National Park on foot. Armed with a lifetime of knowledge, your guide will take you on a journey through grassy floodplains and lush forests where you'll spy the 'Little Five', named after their larger and more famous counterparts and track big cats, who are often found snoozing in a shady spot. Stop for a picnic of your own under the shade of an acacia before trekking on in pursuit of wildlife. Marvel at your guide's ability to sniff out a herd of elephant, learn the survival tricks of smaller creatures and stroll beside the lake, where flamingos gather in their thousands and thirsty zebra stop for a drink.

After you've hit the safari highlights on a game drive, take things a little slower with a bush walk. Your guide will use their expertise to show you the finer details of Lake Manyara. As you explore the floodplains and forests (listen out for the chatter of monkeys), spot the tiny dung beetle as it rolls its cargo, find the skeleton of a hyena's prey and learn the names and uses of the plentiful flora. Let your gaze wander to the lake, treetops and sky to catch the flash of wings as hornbills, eagles and flamingos (plus many more) take flight.

As far as you can get from the beaten track, the forests of Odzala are lush and home to over 100 species of mammal and 400 species of birdlife, best explored on foot. Head off with a private guide, who knows this forest like their own home, to explore groves of palms and towering trees, cross stretches of savannah, and walk beside quiet streams, keeping your eyes peeled for the 'Forest Five' - bongo, western lowland gorilla, forest elephant and buffalo, and the giant forest hog. Have your camera and binos at the ready to capture these creatures in action and, depending on the time of day, enjoy a cooling dip in the stream or sit with your feet in the water as you sip on a sundowner.

As far as you can get from the beaten track, the forests of Dzanga-Sangha are lush and home to incredible species of mammal and rare birdlife, best explored on foot. Head off with a private guide, who knows this forest like their own home, to explore groves of palms and some of the tallest trees in Africa, cross stretches of savannah, and walk beside quiet streams, keeping your eyes peeled for the 'Forest Five' - bongo, western lowland gorilla, forest elephant and forest buffalo, and the giant forest hog. Have your camera and binos at the ready to capture these creatures in action and, depending on the time of day, enjoy a cooling dip in the stream or sit with your feet in the water as you sip on a sundowner.

As if Odzala wasn't unique enough, it also provides marshy clearings amongst the thick rainforest, the perfect place to explore on foot. An experienced guide will lead the way, calling out trivia about the history and heritage of the area, its wildlife and its people. The bais are where most of Odzala's wildlife gathers, including eye catching flocks of green pigeons and vultures atop leafy palms, herds of forest buffalo and forest elephant foraging for minerals, and pint-sized red river hogs rolling in the mud. Be prepared to get more than a little mucky and wet, crossing the bai to explore a tiny island and seeing species you've never encountered before, closer than you would ever expect. Your boots will surely need drying by the fire, but trust us, it'll be more than worth it.

The forests of Dzanga-Sangha are a true mystery, from the remarkable lack of predators to the marshy, sunlit bais where wildlife gathers in droves. After sunset, the mystery deepens as a cast of nocturnal creatures replace the daytime ones and your senses come alive as you try and spot as many as you can. With your guide leading the way, turn your eyes to the canopy to spy on lurking palm civets and species of bush baby, their great round eyes glowing in the dark, and the most elusive of all - the pangolin. Tune your ears into the cracks and calls of the forest, including the plentiful birdlife and enjoy the moments of silence, led only by the light of a firefly. Return to camp to enjoy a warming drink and swap stories round the fire.

Join your all-seeing guide as you learn to follow the scent of trampled grasses and tracks imprinted into the earth on a captivating bush walk. Leaving camp in the coolness of the morning, there's no better way to take a deeper look at this microcosm of nature. Eye out in-the-process birds nests and spot their brightly coloured builders - don't miss the flight of a lilac breasted roller, watch the scuttle of a beetle amongst the bark of a Marula tree and learn how to follow the hoofprints of a warthog who may just burst out of its burrow. You could even spy an African painted dog scampering across the sand! As you explore the Delta on foot, cast your eyes to the shimmering tributaries where kingfishers may erupt from the lush banks to dive for a fish and red lechwe splashing through the water. Get a taste of the Delta wilderness on this short but sweet walk.

If you like your safaris rustic and robust, a mobile walking safari is for you. Usually lasting 5 or 6 nights, you’ll cover roughly 10km on foot during the day, walking through some of Zambia’s most remote and jaw-droppingly beautiful landscapes. And scanning the landscape for its cast of incredible wildlife every step of the way. At night, you’ll be sleeping in simple fly camps (complete with hot showers, stand up tents and hearty food nonetheless!). The camp won’t move every day – sometimes you’ll return to the same spot to spend the night – but when it does, the well-practised team will have everything taken care of. Blink and you’ll miss it!

When it comes to walking safaris, Matusadona is the perfect combination of endless grassy plains and thickets of mopane trees and jesse bush. As the sun rises, you'll set out with your guide leading the way to watch the landscape come to life. Learn to distinguish one pawprint from another, to tell your hornbill from your hoopoe and follow the trail of cracked twigs and crushed earth to find a herd of elephant. You'll trace the landscape and enjoy learning all about what goes on behind-the-scenes, stopping for the refreshments of your choice before returning to camp.

Just upstream from the Falls themselves is the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, a hotspot for herbivores big and small as well as endangered white rhino. On this experience, you’ll enter the park by vehicle and drive through the rugged terrain to the last known location of the rhino. After a rigorous safety briefing, you’ll set out on foot toward the magnificent creatures with your guide and spend some quality time interacting with (at a suitably safe distance) and photographing them. When it’s time to say goodbye, you’ll head back through the park on foot learning about the different flora and spoor as you go, before ending with a picnic lunch in the shade of the trees.