Walking Safaris in Botswana

Discover Botswana on Foot

The quiet rhythm of walking and the need for silence allow you to appreciate every sound, scent, and movement, creating a deep connection with nature that is difficult to replicate elsewhere.

While Botswana is best known for its exceptional game viewing by vehicle, it is steadily earning a reputation as one of Africa's most rewarding walking safari destinations. Due to the country's strict regulations, only highly qualified guides who are licensed to carry firearms are permitted to lead walking safaris in wildlife areas. This ensures every walk is conducted with the highest standards of professionalism and safety.

A True Wilderness Experience

Walking safaris are active, adventurous, and far more engaging than conventional safaris. Rather than observing wildlife from the comfort of a vehicle, you'll follow animal tracks, navigate diverse landscapes, and experience the bush from a completely different perspective. Every footprint, call, and broken branch tells a story, allowing you to understand the wilderness as early African explorers once did.

At Walk Botswana Safaris, these experiences are genuine wilderness expeditions rather than leisurely nature walks. Many routes involve tracking wildlife, crossing varied terrain, and travelling between remote camps, often through landscapes untouched by roads or other visitors. The goal is to explore pristine areas where nature remains completely wild.

Every itinerary is carefully tailored to suit each guest's fitness level, interests, and preferred style of safari. To help match guests with the most suitable experience, walking safaris are divided into three categories.

Stroller

Ideal for guests looking for a relaxed introduction to walking safaris, the Stroller option includes gentle walks of one to two hours each day. These leisurely excursions may follow riverbanks or lead to scenic waterholes before returning to camp or meeting a designated vehicle. The remainder of the day can be spent enjoying classic safari activities such as game drives or other wildlife experiences.

Hiker

The Hiker category is designed for enthusiastic walkers who enjoy spending more time exploring on foot. Guests should be comfortable walking for three to four hours at a time, typically once each day. These longer walks provide excellent opportunities to track wildlife, learn bushcraft skills, and venture further into the surrounding wilderness. Unless otherwise arranged, walkers generally return to camp for lunch before continuing with additional safari activities later in the day.

Explorer

Created for experienced and physically fit adventurers, the Explorer experience is the ultimate walking safari. Guests should be capable of walking up to six or seven hours each day when required. Some itineraries involve travelling between camps entirely on foot, while others incorporate helicopter access to remote wilderness areas before beginning the trek.

Breaks are often enjoyed in the bush, with walkers returning to camp only in the evening. This style of safari places the emphasis firmly on walking, with few or no game drives included unless specifically requested. Depending on the location, optional night drives may also be available.

Tailor-Made Walking Adventures

Each walking safari is individually designed according to your interests, fitness level, and the experiences you would like to include. The choice of destination is influenced not only by the style of walking but also by additional activities such as boating, canoeing, mokoro excursions, or traditional game drives.

Accommodation is centred around comfortable mobile safari camps that allow guests to stay in some of Botswana's most remote wilderness areas. Many itineraries also include one or two nights at carefully selected safari lodges, while certain journeys feature unforgettable sleep-out experiences beneath Botswana's spectacular star-filled skies.

Whether you're seeking a gentle bush walk or a challenging multi-day wilderness expedition, a walking safari in Botswana offers an intimate and unforgettable way to discover one of Africa's last great wild places.

Includes:

• Accommodation in a fully-staffed private mobile campwith tents as per service level 
• All meals
• Tea, coffee, water and soft drinks
• Alcoholic drinks - local beers, wine, and select spirits
• Game drive activities
• Road transfers between mobile camps and Maun (vice versa)
• Government levies
• Park fees
• Emergency medical evacuation to Maun.

Excludes:

• Professional guide fees 
• Premium brand drinks
• Specialist dietary requirements
• Air transfers
• Visa costs
• Staff gratuities
• Items of a personal nature
• Inter-camp transfers.

Child Policy

Children over the age of 12 are welcome on Walk Botswana Safaris under the supervision of parents at all times. Certain activities do not permit children, and child participation is at the discretion of our guides. The family tent set-up includes an interleading bathroom.  Children under the age of 12 will be considered on request.

Itinerary Planning

Camps can be run as a fully mobile camp with road transfers between sites or set up as pop-up camps combined with other properties, provided the minimum length of stay is booked per site.

Walking safaris are also offered at the same minimum stay:

• Okavango Delta: 3 nights per site
• Kalahari, Nxai Pan, Makgadikgadi: 4 nights per site if a standalone trip
• Kgalakgadi: 5 nights if a standalone trip.

Camp description

Luxury Safari

3m x 4m Sahara tent with full twins or double bed and an open-air ensuite bathroom with bucketshower and running water at a drained basin and flushing toilet. Camp set up includes a lounge tent. Main area under 24 x 12m stretch tent with different lounge areas and dining area 

Classic Safari

3m x 3m dome tent with twin stretcher beds and high density foam mattresses and an open-airensuite bathroom with bucket shower and long drop toilet. Main area under 11 x 7m stretch tent including dining area.