Walking Safaris in Tanzania
Although Tanzania has gained a reputation in the global safari market for vehicle based safaris that ferry guests from lodge to lodge, there are huge areas of the country that lend themselves to exciting and unique foot based adventures. Until recently most National Parks have not permitted walking within their boundaries, but more and more the policies are changing to allow experienced and capable guides to develop other ways to enjoy Tanzania's abundant wildlife and stunning scenery.
I have found that after studying biology at University I am able to bring both the minutiae and megafuana of the extensive East African bush into clear and exciting perspective. On foot and in the more remote and unspoiled areas, I have passed many days with groups and with friends away from roads and vehicles in sweeping scenery. It is often in such areas that we cross paths with local people, most notably the Maasai as well as others such as the hunter-gatherer Hadza tribe and their pastoralist neighbours, the Tatoga.
To incorporate some walking into any safari is well worth the effort. The areas available for walking are often more remote and less visited by standard tourist itineraries. I would not expect everyone to want or need to get out of the vehicle, as I have stressed when talking about classic photographic safaris, but if you can combine a few different elements you will get a whole new perspective on the African bush, its wildlife and people.
By choosing to camp in certain areas you can give yourself the option of walking or game driving from day to day. There are two main areas that I concentrate on when putting together safaris that include some walking: The Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Tarangire National Park. In addition to this it is possible to walk in areas outside of national parks that are seasonally reserved for hunting safaris. And recently a new National Park has been gazetted in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania where walking is the main focus as a means to view this florally unique and scenically wonderful area. These kinds of trip are looked at in my Exploratory Trips section.
next: Ngorongoro