The Zambian Walking Safari

There’s a certain romance to the idea of walking in the African wilderness. Yet for many first-timers, the phrase “walking safari” can be unclear—or even intimidating. Is it hiking? Is it dangerous? Is it something only for hard-core adventurers?

Let me try and explain.

A walking safari can mean many things, depending on where you are in Africa. In some areas, it’s a gentle stroll to stretch your legs between game drives. In others, it’s a multi-day expedition from tent to tent. But here in Zambia, and particularly with Classic Zambia, the walking safari is something else entirely. It’s a tradition. A philosophy. A quiet rebellion against the modern tendency to consume everything through an iPhone—and, importantly, a way to smell, hear, touch, and see things one would otherwise miss while seated on the back of a game-viewing vehicle.

There’s been a wave of recent reflection—in the press and within safari circles—about safety and purpose. These are important conversations, no doubt. But what often gets lost is the essence of what a walking safari is truly about. It’s not about selfies, ticking off species, or seeing how close you can get to an elephant. In fact, it’s not about any one thing that can be easily summed up. It’s about experiencing the bush for what it really is: interconnected, complex, beautiful, and gloriously unpredictable.

Viewing potentially dangerous game at a safe distance

Zambia is the spiritual home of the walking safari. Here, it’s not just something we offer; it’s something we believe in. Our guides train for years to qualify as walking guides—they are the most senior, experienced, and intuitive field men and women in the country. At Classic Zambia, we don’t just follow this tradition—we invest in it, our internal guide training doesn't end at the moment the guide passes the exam. Constant assessment, assessment and training keeps our guides sharpened and active, even if they are ten years down the line from the day they qualified.

Internal Guide Training, an important aspect to Classic Zambia Safaris standard setting

We also dedicate time and resources to training in partnership with Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife. Our co-owner, Kyle Branch, personally helps conduct assessments for the Wildlife Police Officers who escort walks across the nation, ensuring that standards remain among the highest in Africa. And it shows.

Of course, safety is part of the conversation. But it shouldn’t be the only one. Statistically speaking, incidents involving guests on walking safaris in Zambia are extraordinarily rare. Our guides are professionals, and they make countless decisions every second to keep guests safe, often without anyone realising. Still, like walking through a city or driving a car, a good degree of awareness and humility is essential. This is a wild place, after all—that’s the point.

Walks typically take place in the early morning. The air is cool, the light is soft, and the bush is alive with the echoes of the night before. This is when the proverbial newspaper is fresh off the press. Tracks in the sand, broken branches, a distant lion call—each clue a sentence, each footstep part of the story. This is tracking. This is discovery.

And every walk is different.

A walking safari departs from Kutali Camp, Lower Zambezi NP, Zambia

In the Lower Zambezi, our walks often wind through cathedral-like Winterthorn woodlands, where filtered golden light dances through the canopy and open terrain stretches invitingly underfoot—ideal conditions for observing big game on foot. It’s reminiscent, in some ways, of Mana Pools across the river, where walking safaris have become almost iconic. But here, too, the atmosphere is unmistakably alive: the cheerful chatter of Meves’s starlings, the whooping of hornbills, and a layered chorus of bird calls rising with the sun. It’s noisy—but noisy in the most joyful and vibrant way.

Professional Guide JohnD giving a morning brief before his walk from Musekese Camp, Kafue NP, Zambia

At Musekese in the Kafue—a camp arguably unmatched for its dedication to walking—we often head into areas no tourist has walked before. Sometimes we even carry a GPS, not for show, but because the wilderness is that vast. It’s not performative exploration. It’s the real thing. To walk through country where no road, no boot print, no drone has yet passed—it’s a rare privilege in this day and age.

North Luangwa National Park, endemic wildebeest and equally rare tourists!

And then there’s North Luangwa. Here, in what is perhaps Zambia’s wildest and most remarkable park, the Mwaleshi River becomes your trail. You walk ankle-deep in cool, crystal-clear water while watching herds of elephants drink and lions lounge on the banks. It is one of the most profoundly humbling and beautiful walking experiences on Earth.

But don’t be mistaken—walking safaris are not only for bush veterans or adrenaline junkies. They are for anyone who enjoys nature. If you enjoy a walk in the park or taking the dog out back home, then you’ll find joy here. Yes, you need to be fully mobile—but this is not a fitness test. And while we say it with a smile: this is also not the place for big personalities. This is an experience that rewards quiet attention, listening, trust. Your guide is your anchor. Follow their lead, and the bush will open itself to you.

Walking is not just a way of seeing. It’s a way of being. It slows you down, tunes you in, and invites you into a deeper relationship with the natural world.

So come walk with us. Unwind. Immerse yourself. Trust your guide. And experience one of Zambia’s most quintessential and quietly powerful safari traditions—with the very best guides in the country by your side.

Sunset scenes on foot, cameras in hand - Lower Zambezi NP, Zambia