Walking Safaris: Getting Up Close and Personal with Wildlife

Being able to walk among the abundant wildlife and gorgeous savannah in Africa is a rarified treat. However, there are restrictions on walking safaris throughout sub-Saharan Africa—they can only be done in designated areas and guided by licensed experts. That’s the case in Zimbabwe, where it takes years to become a trained safari guide, with additional years of training to qualify as a walking guide.

I’ve had the privilege and pleasure to go on several walking safaris in Zimbabwe. In Hwange National Park, we trailed a herd of elephants moving eastward toward their next watering hole and took a nature walk in an area where a large male lion was known to roam. In Mana Pools, we made our way ahead of a small group of elephants, including a large, well-known bull named Boswell.

A nature walk might not be what you dream about when you consider going on safari, but it gives you a chance to see and feel the area on the ground, and listen to the sounds of the African bush without the engine noise of your Landie (a common term for safari vehicles). Peculiar bird calls (strange to me, not our guide) would waft through the air. That was the only thing wafting, as we hardly felt a breeze as we angled for shade wherever we could find it. Different types of scat (animal droppings) were analyzed and discussed. Various insects were spotted—some rather large and resembling something from a horror movie!

Trailing after a herd of elephants on the savannah is a more difficult (and rewarding) endeavor. We couldn’t afford to be leisurely, but we also couldn’t make much noise. The herd we were trailing was moving through Hwange on their way to Botswana for the coming rainy season. They move from watering hole to watering hole, of which there are fewer as the Zimbabwe dry season progresses. Eventually, the pans dry out and the elephants must go longer without water. Thus necessitating their journey back toward the rains in Botswana. Imagine being out in the open plains, elephants meandering along as your group moves as quietly as possible to stay close to the herd; your safari vehicle is nowhere in sight.

October is typically when Hwange is filled with elephants making this journey. Our guide Butch describes many days of seeing over a thousand elephants on the move, making their way to a watering hole and then waiting for their turns to drink. Besides trying to catch a herd of elephants on foot, you can go into an underground hide next to a well dug specifically for the elephants. This “toe-level” view of these magnificent creatures gets you much closer than you could during a walk.

On the far side of Hwange, closer to Botswana, lies a fairly basic camp with plenty of charm alongside a great watering hole for the elephants. Called Jozibanini, it also offers a unique experience: mountain biking safaris. And yes, your guide needs a weapon as a measure of last resort should you encounter any wildlife that poses too great a threat. But imagine pedaling along an animal track, scrub and brush here and there, as a group of elephants comes into sight. You move out of their way and watch as they head towards the borehole and its life-saving water.

In Mana Pools National Park, along the Zambezi River, the now-dry floodplains provide a long-standing home to a healthy elephant population. There are a few bull elephants well-known to guides and staff that not only have garnered names, but reputations as well. Mr. Tusker likes to visit certain camps, walking in and poking around outside some tents. He is a curious sort, but always seems to behave himself. When we arrived off the plane and into Vundu Camp, he was on the grounds. Instead of going to freshen up or have a cool beverage in the main lodge, we walked down a short path and found Mr. Tusker casually eating just past someone’s tent. Later, he paid a visit to the far side of camp to my colleague’s tent—she hadn’t come to see him so he went to see her.

But a real walking safari in Mana Pools will have you driving around until you spot the right opportunity: a few of the elephants in the area have learned a very rare trick—standing on their hind legs to pull down tasty branches full of leaves. We spotted Boswell, one of the most famous for doing this, on our very first excursion. Our guide David’s instructions were clear: walk quickly, keep quiet, and do whatever he tells you as soon as he says it. You must not meander in the bush when out of the safety of the vehicle!

The terrain didn’t appear too rough for a hike, but we kept hitting dried mud with various sizes of footprints in it, which meant taking steps more intentionally. We’d saunter down a small ravine and hope Boswell angled towards us. He didn’t, and the pack of elephant groupies trailing him moved off, out of our path. So out we climbed and moved quickly to intercept their path again.
We found a nice spot, close enough to a large tree that seemed to be perfect for Boswell’s famous trick without being too close to spook the groupies (a small group of elephants that followed Boswell hoping to get any leftover fresh leaves from the branches he pulls down). We settled in for just a minute or two before David told us to get ready: he predicted Boswell was about to stand.

Sure enough, up he went. Well-balanced, reaching as high as he could with his trunk, he grasped a sizeable limb and tugged on it, but it stayed fast. Boswell tightened his trunk and then pulled as he descended back to all fours. The limb gave a mighty crack and came down before the elephant, a gigantic salad bar for Boswell and his hungry, grateful friends. 

We were able to witness this three different times, and each time it was amazing. Once, we found a dead tree spread out on the ground, its large branch pattern perfect for our group to climb into and have some protection, a bit like a fort while the elephants decided if they would come our way. Well, our way was exactly where they came, right to the neighboring tree. Some of the younger members of the trailing herd even came over for a closer look at us before our guide David encouraged them to head safely away.

Of the many, many amazing animals I’ve seen in East Africa and Southern Africa, I don’t think many things can compare to walking with the elephants in Mana Pools. You are not at eye level with them, you are lower than that. Many animals, including elephants, will approach safari vehicles quite close. But standing on the ground with little or nothing between you and a 15,000 pound elephant is an exhilarating experience, one I will remember forever.