WALKING SAFARIS IN UGANDA-Experience the Wilderness on Foot
WALKING SAFARIS IN UGANDA
Most of our trips to Uganda are about experiencing wilderness areas. This is always done on game drives in the comfort of safari vehicles but is not as engaging as it looks to be more of spectating. The evolution of experiencing the wild sides is getting back to the original as our ancestors used to do-Walking Safari.
Walking Safaris offer a completely different way to experience game watching and gives a new understanding of what surrounds you as you take on a visit to a park or game reserve. The guided walks explore the different wildlife species (flora and fauna) at a slower pace, very low angle, and explain the small details that are overlooked while on game drives.
Typically, the walks last 2-4 hours walking on sometimes marked walks and at times navigating through the bushes. A guide and armed ranger accompany the travelers because it is dangerous to walk in the plains filled with untamed animals. By walking, guests get an authentic insight into the wilderness than spectating. The guide will identify the animal tracks, explain the interesting insects, talk about plants, animal dung, discuss the working of the whole ecosystem in general, and also explain the larger animals that you meet.
Uganda has some of the most dramatic scenery for great hikes and walking trails in parks like Bwindi Impenetrable, Kibale Forest, Mgahinga, Rwenzori, and Elgon, however, these don’t offer what we would like to think of as a walking safari. We would like to talk about walking safaris from the view of savanna parks. All the above are either forest or mountain parks that don’t have tracks for driving and visitors have an aim to reach what they are looking for in the park that is either summiting a peak, watch mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, or golden monkeys.
Most of the travelers walk while on gorilla tracking or chimpanzee tracking but not in the savanna parks.
The following 2 parks offer the most fulfilling walking safaris in Uganda however you can do a walk to any of the parks and game reserves in the country.
This is an alternative way of exploring Kidepo’s wilderness other than driving on the tracks. Walk on the Lonyiri trail from Apoka Rest Camp and learn about the unique and smaller species that are exposed to you than in the vehicle like insects, reptiles, rodents, and plants. In other words, you face nature so close. The experience here is very wild and usually goes to less populated areas and where there are fewer chances of encountering big games or predators.
Lake Mburo National park
Lake Mburo is always underestimated because it is low on the big 5 and predators but it is one of the most fulfilling parks you can visit. The walk here is a magical one as you will experience the wilderness close to the resident zebra’s impalas, elands, giraffes, and other antelopes. You can visit anywhere in this park on foot.
You can also add other nature walks to areas that are less populated in the other parks or at game reserves. Speak to our experts today about how to incorporate a walking safari into your itinerary to Uganda.
