If you're an African camping rookie, you'll need some tips to get through this lush adventure. I think these 15 items will prepare you for your trip:
1. Campfire
When you arrive at your campsite, put on a fire in the indicated spot to keep the animals away. Wild animals know the camping area, mainly the food people leave behind. However, an encounter isn't always a bad thing. Just be careful.
2. Satelite phone
It isn't necessary, but I think you'll feel safer having a satellite phone. Our phones didn't have any service, so if something happens, you'll have a connection to the outside world.
3. Clean up everything before going to bed
You'll have visitors almost every night. If you leave a shoe outside, it can be gone the next day. (;
4. Don't take citrus fruits, avocados, mangos, or apples with you
Elephants are into these fruits. So it's best not to bring them on your trip because an elephant will ruin your van for a mango. I have to admit, we took some apples with us, but we made sure to eat them first, and by the way, don't feed wildlife.
5. Follow the rhythm of the sun
Wake up at sunrise (5:30 am), and go to bed when the sun sets (8 pm). Initially, it was weird, but I felt more energized after a while. When you follow the rhythm of the sun, it's good for your body, but it's also suitable for animals. Because the animals are active during the early hours of the day, and the predators get busy when the sun sets. So if you feel unsafe, do like us, go to bed when it's dark because the most dangerous animals will be hunting.
Another thing, you can't drive in the dark because of the animal's safety.
6. Never stand between a hippo and water
The safe spot of a hippo is its water. So if the hippo panics and you're standing in between, it's not a position you want to be in.
7. Tell somebody about your itinerary
Send your travel route to your parents, sisters, or friends. So they know where you are when something happens. You can also plan a little safety text. So they need to take action if you don't text by the scheduled date.
8. Download Tracks4Africa and maps.me
This helped us a lot in navigating through the wild. A standard GPS or Google Maps will not be enough.
9. Give animals space
Give them space when you have to pass an animal with your car. For example, when visiting Chobe, you'll have to pass a lot of elephants. They will be on your way, so don't push them off; you're in their land. Sometimes, you'll be waiting for a long time, so have patience.
10. Buy a book
It's not a survival tip, but buy a book with information about African wild animals. Therefore, if you see anything you don't know, you can look it up—also a great way to learn more about the animals.
11. Gasoline
If you plan your trip, know where the gas stations are. You don't want to fall out of Benzine, trust me.
12. Safari mindset
Be patient; there's a chance you won't see anything. Wildlife is wildlife, and it is unpredictable. So the perfect mindset for safari is: "Don't expect anything; appreciate everything."
13. Bring a good camera and binoculars
Bring binoculars for every person on the safari trip. Unfortunately, we only had 1, so that's quite annoying when there's a rhino in the distance.
14. Be healthy
Drink enough water, and be cautious of malaria.
15. It's all about the colors
On safari, you see many people wearing 'nature' colors. By this, I mean Khaki, beige,...
The purpose of this is that you don't attract animals. If you're wearing bright colors, like pink, orange, or red, the animal can come close to investigating this. But, I have to be honest, I love color, so I ignored this.
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