Of all the ways of experiencing the African Bush, a walking safari is perhaps the most exciting. In a vehicle you feel secure. The animals are neither threatened by a safari vehicle, nor do they think of it as something that can be eaten. They ignore you as if you were not there.
To watch a video made by one of our staff of her South Luangwa Bush walk, click here.
To walk through the bush is completely different. For a start there are the sounds. A vehicle will drown out all but the loudest, while on foot you will hear the breeze in the trees and the birds calling and singing to each other. Follow a river and you will hear the water running along its bed and cross dry savanna and you can hear the dried grass scrunch beneath your feet.
It gives you the chance to watch and appreciate the smaller creatures that live in Africa. Ants busy carrying leaves many times their own size along small pathways back to their nest. Dung beetles rolling large balls of dung. Butterflies, Moths, caterpillars and many other things you’d otherwise miss.
Your guide can show you plants, explain their life cycle and uses to the local people and animals. He can show you animal tracks and spoor, teaching you how to track along the dusty trails and sandy river banks. He can explain the game trails and how you get down wind of the animals you are there to see.
And of course the thrill of seeing large game. Seeing an elephant as you stand there on foot lets you truly appreciate the size and splendour of these magnificent animals. Seeing large cats is somewhat more nerve-wracking, but your guides are trained to keep you safe and instruct you on the correct procedures to follow.
You return from your walk exhilarated, dusty and with the real smell of Africa in your nostrils, a memory and experience you’ll never forget. And there are few places as good to visit to enjoy a bush walk through true wilderness than South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. The Park is focused around the Luangwa river and offers a variety of terrain and flora and fauna that is second to none. You are accompanied by experienced guides as well as an armed guard. The walks can be taken from one camp, or you can experience the ultimate in safari holidays – walking everyday from camp to camp. It really is the best way to experience the real Africa.
