Walking Holidays: What you need to Know about Walking Tours in Africa

Walking tours were and still remain the original African Safaris. Though the motive was never branded holiday, the early pioneers traversed the African continent on foot either for exploration, search for new colonies or hunting. You may not have as much time as these pioneers but you can still enjoy an African walking safari.

What makes walking holidays such superior travel experiences? Simply put it is the magic of outdoors; the sound of leaves crushing under your boots, the shimmering colors of a bird in flight and the smell of fresh flowers. Walking is a positively addictive hobby as there are health benefits associated from walking and being outdoors.

A guided walking tour to Africa is a thrill that lets you get in the African wildlife well away from the mass tourism. The type of game you are likely to see will obviously depend on the location of your walking safari. A well thought-out walk should give you sightings of giraffes, zebras and various antelopes. In some areas it is possible to walk without an armed guide but in big game territories an armed safari guide is necessary.

Overall safety should be the determining factor and ideally you should not get in close proximity with dangerous game such as lions, buffaloes, elephants, rhinos or hippos.

Is an African walking tour all about wildlife viewing? Certainly not. There are interesting plants that can hold any naturalist's attention, colorful birds that are easy to see and a topography that is ever changing and captivating.

Are there places which can be ranked as the best for walking safaris? There is no right answer for this, as best is a very relative term.The Southern African countries had an earlier start in walking safaris but the East African countries are quickly catching up. Private game conservancies and small national parks give more value to your guided walking tour as they are not visited by mass tourism.

There are many Africa walking safari outfitters giving you a wide range of tours and prices to suit. But this can severely compromise on the quality tours especially on guiding and logistics. There is a clear difference between a trail guide whom you follow blindly and a naturalist safari guide who brings life into your tour by explaining and interpreting animals behavior, shows you plants with medicinal values and teaches you about bush survival skills.

Note that a walking holiday requires better preparation than a lodge-to-lodge package safari. It is therefore important to do a thorough background check on the experience of the walking holiday's outfitter and his guides before booking the tour.

To enjoy your African walking safari, it helps that your tour is fully supported with back-up vehicles or animals for carrying luggage. In many walking places the vehicles come in handy in that you can hop in and do a game drive instead of walking. Find out if there is flexibility of activities in your walking holiday.

Your accommodation during the walking safari should be close to the walking sites to reduce the amount of time taken for transfers. Guided walking tours in East Africa can be done all year round. Even in the rainy season as long as one is not camping out in the bush, it is possible to go out for walks. Yes, life never stops in Africa! It is more likely to rain in the afternoon , so you can still enjoy your early morning walks.

The distances walked vary, but look at 10-12 km with frequent stops for game viewing. Ideally it should be possible for the walking group to split up to accommodate not only different abilities but also different interests such as birdwatching and nature photography.

Now that you know the basics of an African walking tour, hit the keyboard for a walking safari that suits you.