Oh s***!
Hey, I'm Paula Froelich. I'm in Zambia for Newsweek. And I'm here to check out the Walking Safaris.
So usually when somebody thinks of a safari, you get in a car, you drive out into the bush, and you see
lions, you see elephants, you see leopards, but it's hours and hours of driving. And I wanted to check out
walking safaris because all those hours in a car can make a girl go a little crazy, but also because it's the
big trend in travel right now, which is experiential and adventure and getting out of the safety of the confines
of a car and actually having the visceral sense that you are in the bush. So the rules of the walking safari are
number one: you start out very early in the morning. The predators, like the lions or the leopards, have been out
all night hunting and, presumably, they've had their kill, they've eaten, and they've kind of got a food coma.
So even if you do come across them, which we did, they're most likely not going to do anything. You can
stay for as long as you want, as long as you are out of the bush by I'd say 3:00/3:30 because that's when the
pride starts waking up. You know, if something easy comes along, they'll swipe it and eat it.
So what happens if we come across a lion? Which usually means that there are more than one because
they travel in a pack.
We just need to stand, you know, to stand the ground, reduce the movements, and stand still.
Rule number two is you have to wear neutral clothing. You don't want anything that is going to really draw
attention to you. So, all of those safari clothes, they're those colors for a reason. You can wear gray, you can
wear green, you can wear brown, but not white because white is pretty much the color of all the underbelly of all
the prey animals. So you don't want to confuse anyone. So when you finally start out, you walk single file. The
first guy in the group is usually the guard. He usually works for the park system. The second guy is your guide
and at the very end is another guide. So you're encapsulated between guides and the guy with the gun
which, hopefully, will never need to be used.
We cannot be scattered, as you know, in the bushes. That's very dangerous to scatter. So you always need to
be in a line so that you are not clearly seen.
If you should come across a lion, which we did, there's never just one lion. There's usually around at least five.
So you've gotta walk, you see them, you get very quiet. You kind of close up together, you figure out where they
are, and then you slowly circumvent where they are. You can usually tell where the lions are because the impala
and the puku and the giraffes will start running. And that's a pretty good indicator that there are lions nearby.
Oh s***! Oh, they're getting a little close.
Oh my god.
Got out of that one alive. Thank goodness. It was kind of thrilling, though.
So we made it back alive. And now just sitting here waiting for the boat.
The thing about walking through the bush is it is thrilling. It's exciting. And you also are very aware in a way that
perhaps we aren't aware anymore because we're looking at our phones or our tablets or we're just so busy.
All of a sudden you become hyper-aware of the tall grass or what's in the trees or what's around that one bush or
in the bush. Because you have to. And it's fascinating. And you can get a truly wild experience.
And that's what I wanted.