Ensure Your Ultimate Adventure Without Error

When you’ve set your sights on a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you want everything to go well. An African safari is not like any other vacation you have ever taken. It takes some planning and prep work to avoid common mistakes. Here are some tips to make before, during, and after the best experience for you.

Forgetting to pack essentials

If you’ve never been on a safari, you don’t know what you don’t know. Thus, packing can be a challenge if you’re unprepared. Recognize that you will want to be comfortable on your safari. There will be a beating sun, insects, and a dry and dusty bush. So be sure to toss in a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, eye drops, insect repellent, and antihistamine cream. Riding in an open vehicle can be chilly in the morning and dusty during the day. Find the room in your bag for a warm jacket and a scarf or shemagh to shield your face.

Packing the wrong clothes

Of course, you will want to avoid high heels; that’s a given. But you also must avoid packing bright colors like red and pink that make you conspicuous in the bush. Blue and black clothes should also be avoided in areas where tzetze flies are common because the biting insects are attracted to those colors. Fill your bags with clothes in neutral tones of dark green, brown, and beige.

Wearing perfume

Olfactory senses are keen on animals in the bush, and they can smell from great distances. Strong and unusual smells like perfume are more likely to make animals anxious. They’ll avoid areas that are perfumed, thus reducing your chances of spotting them. Additionally, some unusual smells may make animals more aggressive. Play it safe and leave the perfume at home.

Not purchasing travel insurance

Anything can happen when you travel, and the probability increases on a safari. While no one anticipates sickness, sprains, or infected bug bites, they can occur. If something urgent happens before you are set to travel and have to cancel your trip, or if something happens during your travels, you want to be sure to get compensation. Look into comprehensive travel insurance.

Picture problems

Tanzania is a wonderland, and you’ll likely want to tell everyone back home about your experience. A picture is worth a thousand words, but if you’re unfamiliar with how your camera works, you’ll spend a lot of time worrying about the equipment and missing unforgettable moments. Take time for training before you depart, and ensure you have enough batteries, digital cards, or film for your travels.

Expecting to see animals everywhere

When you are on safari, you have to understand you have not walked into a zoo. If your goal is to see an elephant as soon as you step off the plane, you have to readjust your expectations. While you may be surprised by the animals you do see, including the Big Five, remember to enjoy the birds, flora, and beautiful landscapes.

Feeding or calling the animals

Again, the bush is not a zoo. Keep yourself safe, and don’t put your fellow travelers or future visitors at risk. Never feed animals while on safari or call them. Observe in quiet. 

Not listening to your guide

One of the most important rules about a safari is to pay attention to the professionals who guide you during your travels. Wanderful Tanzania guides have years of experience and vast knowledge. Your safety is their utmost concern, and they take their role very seriously. When a guide provides information, it’s not simply their opinion. Sometimes, what they tell you will be a matter of life and death. Follow instructions, and you’ll learn incredible information.

Keeping you free from error

Drawing on more than two decades of experience, the Wanderful Tanzania team is eager to help you turn your safari dreams into reality. So that you start on the right foot, we’re here to answer any questions as you plan and pack. Because we are dedicated to delivering an experience you will remember forever, just contact us and let’s get started.