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My recent safari in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park began with a panic attack—and not one due to nearby prowling leopards and lions. My anxiety was stoked by a more trivial fear: Learning I would lose access to wifi and cellphone signal while camping in the remote Bushveld for five days. Yet to my surprise, after just 24 hours of Instagram and Love Island withdrawal, I stopped reflexively reaching for my iPhone and tablet. I felt calmer every morning that I woke up to birdsong rather than a barrage of emails. By the time I needed to return to civilization, it hit me—this unplugged safari doubled as an accidental digital detox.
Wellness vacations, where guests opt into a tech-free environment, have become the travel industry’s latest answer to the woes of a world that’s increasingly—and often painfully—online, promising a blissful break from burnout, exhaustion and depression. “Pauses in your life enable you to understand the benefits and the joy of being offline,” Caroline Sylge, co-founder of The Global Retreat Company and author of the upcoming book How to Retreat, tells Observer. Some studies have found that digital detoxing leads to reduced stress, sharper focus and better sleep.
However, not all retreats are equally effective. While some resorts go so far as to lock phones away in a safe deposit box, others simply discourage phone use or have phone-free zones. Sylge notes it can be especially hard to disconnect when the majority of people around you remain attached to their devices. The Grand Velas Riviera Maya’s solution? Guests receive a T-shirt that reads, “We are digital detoxing.”
Gimmicks aside, Dr. Daria Kuss, associate professor of psychology and head of the Cyberpsychology Research Group at Nottingham Trent University, believes focused digital detox vacations can be critically helpful in relearning how we interact with technology. “I think a departure from the everyday is key,” she says. “Being in a new situation and environment allows us to step out of our routine and reset our habits.”
So what are the requirements of a true digital detox retreat? I asked the experts, and was surprised by just how well remote walking safaris fit the mold.
Hand Over Your Phone
First things first: Turn off the digital noise. Ideally, this means handing in your devices or locking them up so you’re not relying on willpower alone. (Who can resist a game of Candy Crush before bed? Not me.) In the age of Starlink, wifi is becoming more common in African safari lodges, yet some outliers, like the Bushcamps where I stayed in an exclusive, secluded section of South Luangwa, remain. “Most travelers on safari are excited that they’re not going to be available to the outside world,” says Teresa Sullivan, co-founder of Mango African Safaris. “They want permission to be present and in the moment.”
Be One with Nature
According to Kuss, it’s easier to be aware of the here and now when you’re surrounded by nature. “It slows down the nervous system by engaging our senses,” she says, which makes the dense African bush, full of ancient leadwood and sausage trees, a perfect place for digital detoxing. Known as the birthplace of the walking safari, South Luangwa provides ample opportunity to spend your day exploring on foot away from other people and cars as you follow leopard footprints and listen for the alarm calls of antelope. While most safaris are done from the refuge of a Land Rover, these excursions—which can range from short strolls to multi-day expeditions—eliminate man-made barriers and fully immerse you in the wild.
“Our motto is that from a vehicle, you see Africa,” says Andy Hogg, founder of The Bushcamp Company. “On foot, you feel, hear and smell Africa.” On the ground, I’m shocked by the overwhelming, sweet fragrance of jasmine in the morning, wet with dew, and the herbaceous aroma of sage as the afternoon heats up. My guide, Mulenga Phiri of The Bushcamp Company, tells me how the plant is burned by villages to ward off mosquitoes.
Stay Mindful
While many digital retreats incorporate mindfulness exercises such as yoga, breathwork and journaling, each walk with my guide in South Luangwa felt like a meditation in itself, not unlike an adrenaline-filled version of forest bathing. Accompanied by a wildlife police officer and guide, bush walks are safe. Still, being so close to wild lions and elephants on foot requires no distraction for safety’s sake. “There are fewer and fewer experiences where we have no choice but to be fully present in 360-degrees,” says Hogg. “Being out in the bush is like a factory reset for your brain.”
This heightened alertness helps us operate on a slower rhythm and notice the smaller stuff, from praying mantises and Lilian’s lovebirds to woolly caper bushes and flame lilies. Moving deep through the mopane woodlands, Phiri shows me the paw marks of a baby leopard, hardly bigger than my thumb, and ancient baobab trees. I feel in tune not only with the world around me, but also with myself and every step I take.
Nourish Body and Soul
There’s a reason you don’t feel well after bingeing the latest season of Real Housewives all weekend. “Mind and body are invariably interlinked, so a digital detox retreat should focus on both,” says Kuss. That means eating well, getting regular physical exercise and catching up on sleep. “Being away from your screen is an ideal time to reset your body clock,” adds Sylge. Safari helps get our busted circadian rhythms, which are reliant on the natural light-dark cycle, in check because it requires you to rise with the sun to catch the best animal action. (If you’re stretching your legs to see elephants and zebras, all the better.)
Where to Go
Walking safaris were pioneered in South Luangwa and Zambia’s Great Rift Valley System during the 1960s by visionary British conservationist Norman Carr. Even today, the region remains largely untouched and renowned for its exceptional guides and diverse, lush landscape that surrounds the Luangwa River. For an immersive experience, book with The Bushcamp Company, the only operator that owns six intimate camps tucked in the far-flung Southern section of the park.
Beyond Zambia, Sullivan recommends Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. Bushlife Safaris’ Chitake Mobile Camp, a walking-only safari situated near a small spring that becomes the only water source for miles during the dry season, guarantees action. “It’s run by Nick Murray, who is such a legendary guide,” she says. “Spending a day with him approaching adult elephants and wild dogs on foot was so special.”
Sullivan also favors Nomad Expeditionary Walking Camp, which rotates between some of the least-explored corners of Tanzania, like Ugalla National Park and Ruaha National Park, depending on the season. “It’s for someone who is comfortable in Africa and who loves the wilderness and wants to be connected to the land.”
While hotels continue to offer woo-woo digital detox programming, events and even T-shirts, offline retreats have become one of travel’s biggest trends—and punchlines. (Hello, White Lotus digital detox concierge). But as I discovered, sometimes the most effective and rewarding way to unplug is also the most straightforward. All you really have to do is turn off your phone and take a walk on the wild side.
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Alexandra Owens
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