Walking safaris in Tanzania: Who needs the regular safaris that we have become accustomed to when you can have a walking safari? Walking safaris have become a massive hit recently, and this is purely because of the opportunity that tourists have to come closer to the wild and interact more with the animals. For people who choose this option, it is set to become an unforgettable and exhilarating experience walking among big game. There are few destinations which specialize in walking safaris and we will show you where you can get the best out of walking safaris.
Encountering animals by stepping into their world awakens your senses and the bush somehow feels even more alive and engaging. Following in the tracks of mighty herds, a walking safari is indeed a soulful wildlife encounter.
Encountering animals by stepping into their world awakens your senses and the bush somehow feels even more alive and engaging.
Tanzania National Parks have some incredible wilderness areas for walking safaris. Experiencing a pristine area on foot with no disturbance from safari vehicles is truly memorable and makes for some great photographic opportunities.
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The scenery surrounding this active volcano mountain in Tanzania is breathtaking. Visitors can take a walk from the neighboring campsites and take a walk to the nearby Lake Natron and the expansive Rift Valley. The local community, the Maasai, can also be found in this region grazing their cattle. There are many tour guide companies in this area which organize safari walk expeditions.
If dense forests full of chimpanzees and waterfalls are your idea of a safari walk, the Mahale Mountains in Tanzania is a good bet. This has the largest concentration of chimps in the world which makes the safari even more interesting. It is advisable to visit the Mahale Mountains during the dry season since the times the track can be impassable. There are generous, thatched-style hotels nearby for accommodation.
Walking safaris in Tanzania are, for many that regularly return to Africa, the ultimate way to experience the bush. While countries such as Zambia and Zimbabwe tend to steal the limelight for their walking itineraries, Tanzania does also, in fact, have some very good walking safaris and, when the troubles in Zimbabwe happened many of the top guides from there headed up to Tanzania to ply their trade and thus raised the bar as far as what you can expect.
The Selous Game Reserve walking safaris
The main area to consider for a walking trip is the southern part of the Selous Game Reserve. As a Reserve rather than National Park, the regulations are slightly different than in more famous parks such as the Serengeti but, with a vast range of different environments and topographies that the park comprises, there is plenty to keep you interested for anything up to a week.
Ruaha National Park walking safaris
Located to the west of the Selous Game Reserve, Ruaha National Park is the perfect foil to the Selous, with its open grasslands and baobab forests. While it may not offer as wide a spread of differing climes, it is still a very rewarding place to walk and, with camps such as Mwagusi, there is an exceptionally high level of guiding to be had.
The Northern Safari parks walking safaris
Over the last year or so the Tanzanian Parks Authorities have realized the potential of allowing walking safaris, as such, it is now possible to walk in such parks as Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park and in some of the fringe concessions that border the Serengeti. With great game viewing and a high level of guiding, it may not allow for days on end of walking, but it can still add to the overall experience.
Feel, hear and smell Tanzania
Imagine, you walk on the same path as the elephants and other wildlife, you feel the wind through you hair, hear a lion roar in the distance and smell the bush and wildlife. Your senses awaken, as you become part of your environment and the wilderness becomes more real.
Wildlife up close and personal
While animals will generally ignore you in a vehicle, they see you as another type of animal when you are on foot. Getting up close and personal with wildlife is definitely a rush of excitement. Walking is also a great way to appreciate the smaller wildlife, which can’t be so easily seen from a vehicle.
Access remote areas on foot
On foot you can walk into remote areas and reach places that a safari car can’t. Once on foot, you are not constrained by roads and can go almost anywhere you like. Away from the crowds and off the beaten tracks. It offers you a freedom incomparable to any game drive safari.
Best Time to Visit Tanzania
Tanzania is located in the Sub Saharan part of Africa and is also known to be part of the East African community. Tanzania is one of the top African countries when it comes to tourist attractions majorly the game parks that are why it is a bit hard to tell when the best is to visit the country.
The dry season is the general time that one can visit the country as there are many animals that are seen roaming around the different game parks in search of water which would have become scarce diet to the heat. You will get to see the predators who time their prey that lounges along the banks of the available water sources. Although there is right or wrong time to visit the country but there are those specific seasons that one cannot miss when on a tour in Tanzania.
