Unlike a game drive, where you eagerly keep an out for wildlife from the comfort of a vehicle, an African walking safari gives you the unique and extra special opportunity to experience the wild and its inhabitants at eye level, where the sights, sounds, and scents of the bush come alive and give you the most intimate of holidays.
The real excitement of an African walking safari lies in the subtleties, the rustle of leaves, the distant call of a bird, and the quiet tread of your own footsteps, which you simply will never quite replicate when seated in a safari vehicle.
Out here, in a place of utter peace and quiet, your senses come alive.
You begin to rely on your own instinct, along with the invaluable guidance of experienced rangers who will take you on the tour, to detect the wildlife that is hidden in the bush, hidden to the untrained eye that is.
Spotting wildlife isn’t always about catching a glimpse of fur or feathers. It’s about learning to read the bush; animal tracks, scat, broken twigs, and even the way grass bends underfoot tell stories of what has passed before you.
While tracking is a skill honed over many, many years, even the novice like you can learn the basics of identify who left the delicate traces left behind.
With the expertise of your guide, as well as this helpful blog, you’ll gain insight into this ancient language of the wild, turning your African walking safari into a journey of discovery and understanding.
Tracks vs. Spoor: Understanding the Difference
When you’re walking through the African bush, every step will show you something telling, if you know where to look.
One of the first lessons of tracking is understanding the difference between tracks and spoor.
Tracks are the actual footprints left behind by animals. These are often the most obvious and direct indicators that an animal is nearby, whether it’s the deep, round indent of an elephant’s foot or the delicate imprint of an antelope’s cloven hooves.
But the tracks only tell a small part of the story.
Spoor is a much broader term. It includes not only the footprints but all the other signs that an animal leaves in its wake. Droppings, tufts of fur, feathers snagged on a thorn bush, the scent left on the wind, nests, and broken branches where an animal has moved through, all of these are spoor. Spoor will give you a fuller picture of an animal’s habits, movements, and even its health. Spoor is essentially a record of the animal’s life in motion, painted in the subtle details nature leaves behind.
However, spoor is incredibly fragile.
Rain can wash away prints, wind can scatter fur, and time itself can blur the sharp edges of a track. Understanding the effects of weather and time on spoor is the only way to become a proficient tracker.
Recognising the difference between tracks and spoor will let you to see the bush in layers and identify the stories that remain hidden to the untrained eye. In turn, this will also deepen your connection to the wilderness and turn each step of your African walking safari into a lesson in wildlife behaviour and ecology.
Tracking the Big 5 by Recognising the Footprints of Their Presence
Tracking the Big 5 is one of the most exhilarating aspects of an African walking safari. These iconic creatures, the elephant, lion, leopard, rhinoceros, and buffalo, leave behind distinct signs of their presence that speak of their size, power, and behaviour.
Learning to read their tracks and spoor is like learning to decipher the language of the wild. It is a skill that you will enjoy learning and it will come in handy when on your walking safari.
Elephants
These giants of the savannah leave tracks that are impossible to miss and the earth speaks loudly when an elephant has passed through.
Their large, rounded footprints can measure over 40 cm in diameter, often with visible cracks in the pads, and will often be 50 to 59cm apart. The front feet will have 5 toes and the back only 4.
Spoor for elephants is equally obvious—broken branches, disturbed soil, and large mounds of dung scattered along their path.
Lions
Lions leave paw prints that are broad and round, with no visible claw marks (unlike dogs). Their prints are often described as oversized domestic cat prints. The back pad of their paws has 3 lobes while wild dogs and hyenas will have 2. This is one way to tell them apart. The lion’s soft, padded feet allow them to move silently as they hunt.
Their spoor may include the remains of prey, tufts of fur left behind during grooming, and scratch marks on trees where they sharpen their claws.
Leopards
Leopards leave smaller and more compact tracks than lions.
Again, there are no claw marks, but the pads are tighter, reflecting their stealthy abilities.
Their spoor often includes drag marks from prey, as these cats are known to hoist their kills into trees. Look up, and you may find claw marks high on branches, or scat in carefully hidden locations. You can also use your nose to detect leopards, as they will mark their territories with urine.
Rhinoceroses
These incredible but endangered animals have two distinct types of tracks, depending on the species.
White rhinos have broad, square-shaped footprints, while black rhinos leave more rounded, hook-shaped prints. Rhino footprints generally have 3 toes and the middle one is generally the longest.
Spoor for rhinos includes wallowing spots, where they’ve rolled in the mud, and scattered dung, especially for black rhinos, which tend to mark their territory this way.
Even with this tracking advice, keep in mind that rhinos are incredibly elusive for their big size, so you might still have some difficulty spotting them.
Buffalo
These huge creatures leave round, cloven hoof prints, often near muddy wallows or large piles of dung. These animals travel in herds, so their spoor is frequently concentrated. Their deep bellowing calls and the telltale signs of trampled vegetation often signal their presence long before you see them.
While tracking these powerful animals, always remember to observe cautiously. The Big 5 can be highly dangerous, especially if surprised. A well-trained guide is essential to ensuring your safety while you marvel at the raw beauty of their tracks and presence.
Tracking Antelope
Although tracking the Big 5 is what most on a walking African safari aim to do, the most common spoor and animal prints you are going to encounter when you take a walk on the wild side is antelope.
The Kruger National Park, as well as various other game parks, is packed to the brim with dozens of species of antelope, which live in huge herds.
Antelope are some of the most graceful and prevalent creatures you’ll encounter on an African walking safari. Their tracks, made with slender and cloven-hoofed feet, tell stories of their speed, agility, and caution. Yet, despite their abundance, identifying antelope spoor can be a nuanced skill, given their tendency to blend into the landscape and move swiftly.
Each species leaves behind distinct tracks, which will give you clues to their identity.
Impalas, one of the most common antelope, leave medium-sized, symmetrical prints, often resembling a neat “V” shape. These tracks are found in abundance where impala graze and move in herds.
Kudus, much larger and with an unmistakable majesty, leave broader hoof prints with rounded tips. Their tracks speak of their immense strength and size.
Duikers and bushbucks are smaller, more secretive antelope, and can often be found in thick brush or forested areas. Their tracks are small and dainty, with a narrow cloven hoof. They’re often solitary, so you may find fewer tracks, but the terrain they move through will leave other spoor especially on browsed shrubs and nibbled leaves.
Nyalas, with their striking spiral horns and elusive personality, leave tracks that are broader than a bushbuck’s but still rather refined. These tracks will often be near thickets or in riverine areas.
The waterbuck, a bulkier species that gets its name from frequently being seen near water, leaves large, rounded tracks. You may spot their tracks near muddy areas or alongside rivers. Their spoor also includes grazed vegetation and wallowing spots where they cool off.
Antelope spoor includes scat, which for some species, like impala, is often deposited in communal latrines. This behaviour provides a clear sign of their presence. You might also notice grazed vegetation, horn markings on trees from sparring males, and zigzagging hoof prints, evidence of their evasive manoeuvres when startled by predators.
While tracking antelope is often easier than the Big 5, their agility and the expanse of the bush can still challenge the keenest eyes. So be patient and practice.
Unusual Spoor – What to Look For and What to Avoid
On your African walking safari, you may come across the tracks of porcupines, whose sharp quills sometimes leave trails in the sand, or the delicate marks of pangolins, a rare sighting, but one whose distinctive clawed footprints hint at their nocturnal foraging. Birds, too, leave their mark, with ostrich tracks being particularly striking due to their large, two-toed prints.
Unusual signs, like shed snake skins glistening in the sunlight, termite mounds towering above the ground, or intricately woven bird nests, add a unique aspect to your journey.
Tracks to avoid
However, there are certain spoors you should be cautious of and approach carefully.
Large snake tracks, with their distinctive slither marks, especially in sandy areas, indicate recent activity and should be avoided.
Crocodile tracks near rivers or waterholes, marked by drag marks and clawed footprints should be seen as a sign of danger especially as crocodiles are quick and silent predators. Similarly, the spoor of scavengers like hyenas or vultures often points to a recent kill, and a nearby predator might still be guarding its prize.
While unusual spoor can deepen your connection to the bush, it requires the expertise of a seasoned guide to interpret them correctly. Their knowledge ensures both your safety and the richness of your safari experience.